ISSUE 382|COMPUTER SHOPPER|DECEMBER 2019 9999
PUTYOURCASEBACKTOGETHER
ANDPOWERONYOURPC
N
ow,your computer is built.To makeit
ready forinstalling Windows,you’ll
needto put ittogether and sort out the
crucial BIOS settings.
FITTHESIDESOFTHECASE
Stand your PC up and grab thecase sides.
Slide them back in, lining up thecatchonthe
sides with the mounts inside thecase. Once
they’veslid in to position, lock them in place
with the screwsthat youremoved.
You’ll needyour Windows 10 installation
USB drive.Youshould havehad installation
instructions whenyoupurchasedaWindows
10 licence, andyoucan createaWindows 10
installation USB drivebygoing totinyurl.
com/382buildpc.Connect this USB driveto
your computer.You cannow connect the
power, keyboard, mouse andyour monitor,
and turn onyour computer.
CONFIGURERAM
Whenyour PC bootsforthe first time, go
into the BIOSby hitting the appropriatekey.
Usually,it’sDelete,but we’veseen F2 and
F10 used before:the on-screen message
shouldtell youwhich keytopress.
Younow needto configureyour RAM, as
it will havebeen settorun at the slowest,
mostcompatible speeds.Using the XMP
profile will makeyour memory run at full
speed. XMP settingscantypically befound
in theAdvanced settings mode, and may be
located inamemory menu,overclocking
section or hardwaresection.In other
word s, youmay havetohuntaround abit.
Whenyoufind it, enable XMP and select
the first profile. This will makeyour RAM
run at itsfastest speeds. 1
CHOOSEBOOTDEVICES
Next, youneed to find the optionforboot
devices. Ifyouhaveanew harddisk or SSD
that hasn’t been used first, this should be
setasthe priority.Ifyou haveadrivethat
has had Windows on it, youneed to setyour
USB driveasthe first bootdevice.
Depending on the UEFI, thiscanbedone
in tw oways. With some models,every
storage deviceisl isted in order.Select the
first entry and chooseyour main harddisk
or SSD.For some UEFI BIOSes,youfirst
havetogoi ntothe harddisk priority menu,
and setyour main drivetobefirst in that list.
Then, go backto the bootpriority menu and
you’ll seeyour main drivelisted; setthis as
the first bootdevice. 2
CONFIGUREFANSETTINGS
Modern UEFI BIOSes arevery in telligent
and cancontrolfanspeeds based on heat.
Typically,inthe fansettings menu,you’ll find
multiple profiles. We find that theSilentor
Quietoptions arethe best:your computer
will only run itsfans when there’s afair
amountofheat, helpingto keep your
computer virtually silentotherwise.
You’ll also find custom options, but try
using the profiles first. 3
SAVESETTINGSANDREBOOT
Saveyour newsettings and chooseto
reboot, andyour computer willrestart,
ready to go. You’ll nowneed to install
Windows 10 so thatyoucan useyour
brand newcomputer.
TOPTIP
Failingto se tthe right
bootorder maymean
thatyou getalarming
warnings, suchas nooperating syste
m
found. Make sure your primar
ystorage
deviceiss et as thepriorityint he BI OS
to avoid issues like this.
1
2 3
BUILDYOURDREAMPCFROMSCRATCH
