ISSUE395|COMPUTER SHOPPER|JANUARY2021 77
PUTYOURCASEBACKTOGETHER
ANDPOWERONYOURPC
N
ow,your computer is built. To makeit
readyfor installing Windows,you’ll
need to put it togetherand sort outthe
crucial BIOS settings.
FITTHESIDESOFTHECASE
Stand your PC up and grab the case sides.
Slide them back in,liningupthe catchonthe
sides with the mounts inside the case. Once
they’veslid into position,lock them in place
withthe screws that youremoved.
You’ll need your Windows 10 installation
USB drive. Youshould havehad installation
instructions when youpurchased aWindows
10 licence, andyou cancreateaWindows 10
installation USB drivebygoing totinyurl.
com/ 395 buildapc.Connect this USBdriveto
your computer.You cannow connect the
power, keyboard, mouse and your monitor,
and turnonyour computer.
CONFIGURERAM
When your PC bootsfor thefirst time,go
into theBIOS by hitting the appropriatekey.
Usually,it’sDelete,but we’veseen F2 and
F10 usedbefore: the on-screen message
should tell youwhichkey to press.
Younow needtoconfigure your RAM, as
it willhavebeenset to run at the slowest,
mostcompatible speeds.Using the XMP
profile will make your memory run at full
speed. XMP settings cantypically be found
in the Advanced settings mode, andmay be
located in amemory menu, overclocking
section or hardwaresection.Inother
words, youmay havetohuntaround abit.
When youfindit, enable XMPand select
the first profile. This willmakeyour RAM
run at its fastest speeds. 1
CHOOSEBOOTDEVICES
Next, youneedtofind the option forboot
devices. If youhaveanew harddiskorSSD
that hasn’tbeenused first, this should be
setasthe priority.Ifyou have adrivethat
hashad Windows on it,you need to setyour
USBdrive as the firstbootdevice.
Depending on the UEFI, this canbedone
in twoways. With some models, every
storage deviceislisted in order.Select the
firstentry and choose your main harddisk
or SSD.For someUEFI BIOSes, youfirst
havetogointothe hard diskprioritymenu,
and setyour maindrive to be first in that list.
Then,goback to the bootpriority menuand
you’ll see your main drivelisted; setthis as
the first bootdevice. 2
CONFIGUREFANSETTINGS
ModernUEFI BIOSes arevery intelligent
and cancontrol fanspeedsbased on heat.
Typically,inthe fansettings menu, you’ll find
multipleprofiles.Wefind that theSilentor
Quietoptions arethe best:your computer
willonly runits fans when there’s afair
amountofheat, helpingtokeep your
computer virtually silent otherwise.
You’ll also find custom options,but try
using the profiles first. 3
SAVESETTINGSANDREBOOT
Saveyour newsettings and choose to
reboot, and your computerwill restart,
ready to go.You’ll nowneed to install
Windows 10 so that youcan use your
brand newcomputer.
TOP TIP
Failingtosettheright
bootordermaymean
thatyougetalarming
warnings,suchasnoopera
tingsystem
found.Makesureyourprim
arystorage
deviceissetasthepriority
intheBIOS
toavoidissueslikethis.
1
2 3
BUILDYOURDREAMPCFROM SCRATCH
