Here’s a scenario: You just completed building your new PC and now it's time to press the power button to see if it powers up. But are you prepared for what must come next - initializing your PC?
The following steps are recommended by experienced PC builders as a general guide for configuring and installing the software to optimize your new PC.
Note: This guide assumes you're using standard components and AMD products. If you're using different CPUs or GPUs, some steps might vary.
Installing an AMD Ryzen 7700X CPU with a 'socket frame' to better support the CPU cooler.
Step 1: Initial Power-On and BIOS Setup
- Power on your PC. Before plugging in any USB or optical discs, ensure it boots to the BIOS screen on your monitor. This means the CPU, memory, and video card are working.
- Set the date and time. Accurate timestamps are essential for software installations.
- Optional: Install the latest BIOS update from the motherboard manufacturer's website via USB or optical drive if you downloaded it beforehand. You can also update it later if needed.
Updating the BIOS can be risky - don't interrupt the process!
2. Check that your storage device (SSD/M.2) is recognized and set as the first boot device for the Windows Operating System (OS) installation.
3. Verify your RAM frequency settings. If they’re lower than advertised, adjust them to match your RAM’s rating. Avoid overclocking until your PC is stable.
a. Optional: Enable Secure Boot if available.
b. Optional: Enable AMD Smart Access Memory™ (SAM) or RE-BAR to allocate more memory to your AMD Radeon™ GPU. This can also be done after OS installation through AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition™.
4. Save changes and exit the BIOS. Shut down your PC to prepare for OS installation.
Step 2: OS Installation
- Insert your OS install USB stick or CD and power on your PC. The BIOS should detect the media and start loading the OS onto your main storage drive (M.2/SSD).
- Follow the prompts to set up your OS (keyboard layout, time zone, etc.). Enter your OS key if you have it; otherwise, you can do this later. Your PC may reboot — leave the USB/CD inserted until the OS is fully loaded and you reach the desktop, then remove it.
- Follow the prompts to set up your OS (keyboard layout, time zone, etc.). Enter your OS key if you have it; otherwise, you can do this later. Your PC may reboot — leave the USB/CD inserted until the OS is fully loaded and you reach the desktop, then remove it.
- Once the OS is installed, update drivers and perform Windows updates. Newer OS versions will find more updates, so be prepared for multiple updates and reboots.
Step 3: Check Device Manager
- Open Device Manager on your Windows install to ensure all device drivers are working and there are no issues.
- If your motherboard's built-in network isn’t working, try using a USB wireless network adapter to download drivers. Once the onboard network is functional, you can remove the USB adapter.
- For unrecognized devices, check the motherboard manufacturer's website for driver updates. If that doesn’t help, you can temporarily disable the device.
- Prioritize essential drivers: Bluetooth, networking, sound, and RAID drivers if using multiple storage devices in a RAID array.
Step 4: Optimize Performance
- Install Drivers: Ensure a solid Internet connection, then use the AMD driver and support tool to download and install the latest drivers for your motherboard’s chipset and GPU.
- Configure GPU: After installing the GPU driver, adjust settings like fan curves if desired. You can also fine-tune for performance or cooling based on your gaming experience. Some users undervolt their GPU to reduce heat and fan noise, while others may overclock for higher performance.
- Check that your monitor’s refresh rate and color depth are set to the highest levels in your OS settings.
- Optimize CPU: For AMD Ryzen™ CPUs, download and install AMD Ryzen™ Master Utility to monitor and potentially overclock your CPU. Modern CPUs offer modest gains from overclocking (5-10% max), so consider undervolting to reduce heat instead.
- Optional: If your AMD Ryzen™ CPU has integrated graphics but uses an external GPU, disable the internal graphics in the BIOS to save power and lower CPU temperature.
- Optional: To reduce boot time, enable “memory context restore” in the BIOS. This setting helps avoid re-training the memory interface each boot, useful for AM5 builds with longer boot times compared to AM4 builds.
The motherboard's BIOS lets you configure your PC for optimal performance.
Step 5: Set Up Peripherals
Download and install any manufacturer software for your peripherals (monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc.). Configure settings like RGB lighting and mouse DPI to your preferences.
Step 6: Manage Startup Apps
Check your startup apps in Windows to identify and disable resource-heavy applications. This includes apps automatically installed with the OS and may not be necessary for your regular use.
A sample of startup apps that have been disabled so they don't waste system resources.
Step 7: Benchmark Your System
To ensure your PC is running optimally, use free benchmarking tools to evaluate performance:
- 3DMark: Run benchmarks like Timespy for DX12 games and Firestrike for DX11 games. The newer Steel Nomad is also great for testing modern, resource-intensive titles.
- Cinebench: Use Cinebench to assess your CPU’s performance in single-threaded and multithreaded tasks, and check that thermals are within safe limits.
A sample Cinebench R23 run with an AMD Ryzen 7900X CPU
- Stability Testing: Run the 3DMark Timespy throttling test for about 20 minutes, followed by the Cinebench R23 multithreaded render test for another 20 minutes. If your PC handles both tests smoothly, it should be stable for gaming and work tasks.
- Compare Results: Compare your benchmark scores against other users online to see how your PC stacks up against similar hardware.
Step 8: Install Games
Install your favorite games through platforms like Steam. Logging in will allow you to easily download and manage your game library.
- Optional: Consider adding a secondary storage device (SSD/M.2) for your games, as they can take up several hundred GBs of space.
The Steam gaming platform is popular, providing one-stop access to your games.
A big “Thank you” to
@mengelag, @BigAl01, and @cpurpe91 for helping keep articles like these coming!
