So you just spent weeks — if not months — scouring the internet to find the best CPUs, GPUs, and other components so you can build a brand-new PC. Firstly, congratulations on your new tower. Building a PC might seem like a Herculean task at first, especially if you're a beginner, but it's a very rewarding process, and you almost always end up with a much better PC compared to what you may have grabbed from a store.
But building your own PC also means that you'll have to handle your post-build rituals before you can start using it. Besides the obvious step of installing the operating system of your choice, there are a few things that you must do after building a PC.
1 Basic check-up in BIOS
Right after you bench-test your PC parts and ensure they work, your PC will run a Power-On Self-Test (POST) before entering the BIOS or UEFI screen. You may have to press the F1 or some other key on your first boot. You may see a slightly different BIOS screen depending on the brand of motherboard you're using, but you'll see largely the same menu items.
The first thing you need to check is whether all your installed components show up properly on the BIOS screen. Look for things like your RAM sticks, SSDs, case fans, and any other parts. Ensuring they all show up here means you've seated them properly and everything works. If you see something is missing, then you'll have to go back and re-seat them or check the connections to ensure they work.
I also recommend keeping an eye on the CPU temperature to ensure it's not abnormally high. As you can see in my BIOS above, the AMD's Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU is sitting at 40 degrees Celsius, which is just about what I would expect. This particular reading could be more or less depending on the CPU and the CPU cooler you're using, so keep that in mind. A good rule of thumb is to make sure it's not steadily rising and is hovering around a particular acceptable limit.
2 Updating the BIOS
Before we jump into OS installation or tweak the XMP/EXPO settings on our memory sticks, it's important to run a quick check and see if you're running the latest BIOS for your PC's motherboard. It's a fairly simple task that needs to be done before you set up and start using your PC.
The easiest way to do this is by checking the BIOS version of your system and comparing it with the latest version that's available. A quick Google search can take you to your motherboard vendor's support page, where you can verify and download the latest BIOS should you need it. You'll need a separate computer and a thumb drive, but all you need otherwise is to update your new BIOS using the built-in flash utility of your motherboard.
This is a crucial step to ensure your motherboard's firmware has been patched properly to support the latest hardware. An outdated BIOS may cause stability issues and keep your system from running at its maximum potential. For instance, a BIOS update that was released a couple of months back for my motherboard had performance optimizations for Ryzen 7000X3D series processors. This means that if I was running an older BIOS, then I may not get the best performance from my CPU. Newer BIOS also brings better memory support and eliminates potential compatibility issues if you're using RAM that's newer than the BIOS.
3 Installing the OS and drivers
As soon as you're done updating the BIOS version of your motherboard, you'll want to proceed with the OS installation. This particular step is a no-brainer because, well, you'll need an operating system to use your PC. We have a dedicated guide on how to install Windows 11 and a Linux for beginners guide if you're new to the latter.
Either way, once you boot into your operating system, it's time to get started with drivers. I recommend grabbing all the motherboard utility and network drivers first to ensure all your basic functions are running properly. You'll find most of it within your motherboard's utility software, so just grab that and let the auto-installer do its thing. You can then grab the drivers for your GPU to ensure it's on the latest version as well. I personally let the GeForce Experience software download the latest drivers for my GPU, but you can also download and install them manually.
It's important to install and update the drivers before you start using your PC to ensure there are no performance issues and that everything works as advertised. Installing drivers for your components is a lot easier now compared to how it was a few years ago, as you no longer need to go hunting for the right drivers manually.
4 Enable XMP/EXPO
This is an optional step that's only applicable to those who splurge on RAM sticks that support XMP/EXPO to run at higher speeds.
You may notice that your BIOS reads a slower speed for your RAM stick during your first boot compared to what you paid for. A 6000MHz memory stick, for instance, will show up as 4800MHz out of the box when it's first installed. That's because you need to manually set the XMP/EXPO profile, which can boost the overall performance of your RAM, to enable faster speeds.
XMP, however, is a closed standard that the manufacturers need to license from Intel. AMD EXPO, on the other hand, is an open-source standard that anyone can use. You don't necessarily have to buy a RAM kit that supports EXPO instead of XMP to use with AMD's Ryzen CPUs, though. Just make sure your motherboards support these profiles as well as the advertised RAM speeds before you tweak the settings.
Changing the memory profile is as simple as selecting the right profile from a drop-down menu, so you can't go wrong with it here.
5 Run benchmarks to test all your components
Lastly, I recommend running a few benchmarks to see if your CPU, GPU, and other components are working properly. Not only will it allow you to see how those components perform under heavy load, but it'll also allow you to see whether their operating temperatures are under control. Running a multi-core test in Cinebench will push all cores of your CPU, giving you a good idea of whether your CPU cooler is able to keep the temperatures in check.
Similarly, running a stress test in 3DMark will push your GPU to its limits, allowing you to monitor all the important metrics. I personally use HWiNFO64 to monitor the temperatures of my CPU and GPU but feel free to use any utility app of your choice for it.
Keep in mind that this isn't about securing a high score or comparing your system performance with others based on the results. We're simply running these tests to see how your system behaves under stress. If you manage to run all the benchmarks successfully without noticing anything out of the ordinary, then you are ready to start using your new PC.
Enjoy your new PC
With all those steps out of the way, you are now ready to start installing all the programs on your PC. This is also a good time to remind you about all the different software you may need to install to control things like the RGB lights, fans, other utility software, etc. All those are optional programs, which is why I didn't cover them above, but after that, you should be good to go.
I hope your PC is running smoothly with no issues whatsoever. If you think your new tower is a bit too loud, then I'd like to point to our guide detailing everything you can do to make your PC quieter. Alternatively, if your system is running a bit too hot, then you might want to check out our PC airflow guide to see if you want to make some changes to the way air flows in and out of your tower.