First Boot: BIOS Settings, Windows and Drivers

Plug in the monitor, keyboard and mouse, switch the power supply on at the back, then press the case's power button. The monitor cable must go into the graphics card, not the motherboard, unless the processor has its own graphics and there is no graphics card.

The first start can take a minute or more with a black screen. New memory is being trained, and the board may restart itself two or three times while it does. Give it at least two minutes before deciding something is wrong.

1. 1Wait the full two minutes for memory training.
2. 2Check the monitor cable is in the graphics card and the monitor is on the right input.
3. 3Check both power cables at the top of the motherboard (the 24-pin and the CPU power) and the graphics card's power cables are pushed fully home.
4. 4Reseat the memory: each stick should click at both ends. If the manual says which slots to use for two sticks, use those.
5. 5Try one stick of memory on its own, in the slot the manual names first.
6. 6Look at the debug lights, or the code display if the board has one, and look the code up in the manual.

Press Delete or F2 as soon as the PC starts to open the BIOS (the manual says which key). The settings below are off or on a safe default out of the box, and the first one in particular is worth turning on.

• Memory profile: memory runs at a slow default speed until its profile is turned on. It is called XMP on Intel boards and EXPO or DOCP on many AMD boards. Turn it on and pick the first profile.
• Boot order: set the USB stick first while you install the operating system.
• Fan curves: the defaults are fine for most builds, so leave them until you know you want it quieter.

Save and exit, usually with F10. Check the memory speed the BIOS now shows matches the speed on the memory's box. If the PC will not start after turning the profile on, the board will usually reset it by itself after a few failed tries; if it does not, the manual explains how to clear the settings.

1. 1On another computer, make a USB installer with Microsoft's Media Creation Tool, using a stick of 8 GB or more. It erases the stick.
2. 2Put the stick in the new PC, start it, and pick the stick from the boot menu or the BIOS boot order.
3. 3Follow the installer and choose the new SSD as the drive to install on. If more than one drive is fitted, check the size so you pick the right one.
4. 4Remove the stick when Windows restarts into its own setup.

Windows Update installs a working driver for nearly everything, so run it first and restart until it has nothing left. Then get these two from the makers, because their own versions are newer:

• Graphics: from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel, whichever made the chip on your card.
• Chipset: from your motherboard's support page, or from AMD or Intel directly. The board's page also has its network and audio drivers if Windows did not find them.

• In Task Manager, under Performance, check the memory shows its full size and the speed you set.
• Check every drive appears in File Explorer. A second drive that is missing usually needs setting up in Disk Management first.
• Watch processor and graphics temperatures in a game or a long task. A processor that climbs quickly to its limit at idle usually means the cooler is not seated or the plastic film is still on it.
• Check the monitor's refresh rate in Windows display settings. It often starts at 60 Hz even on a faster screen.

A BIOS update is only worth doing if the board's support page lists a fix you need, or a newer processor needs it. Follow the board maker's steps exactly and do not switch off while it runs.

Still choosing parts for the next one? The build planner picks a compatible set for a budget, and choosing parts that work together explains what it checks.