You’ve somehow managed to get your hands on all the components for a brand-new PC, including RAM and storage, hopefully without paying inflated prices. That alone deserves some credit. You’ve put everything together, hit the power button, and the system boots on the first try. At that point, it’s tempting to call the job done. But that would be a mistake.
A PC that powers on is not necessarily ready for real-world use. Fresh builds often run outdated firmware, default memory speeds, and untested thermals, all of which can impact performance or stability. There are a few essential post-build steps that help iron out these issues and ensure the system runs as intended. Some are straightforward, while others require a bit of digging, but none are particularly complicated.
I thought my CPU was maxed out until I tweaked these BIOS settings
A few BIOS tweaks made my PC feel brand new without a hardware upgrade.
Update your BIOS to the latest version
Your motherboard is probably living in the past
Before you dive into installing the OS on your new PC, take a minute to check whether your motherboard is running the latest available BIOS version. That’s because most boards don’t ship with the latest firmware, and running an older BIOS can cause instability and leave performance on the table. The easiest way to go about it is to first check your current BIOS version, then look up the latest version from your motherboard manufacturer.
A quick search with your exact model name usually gets you there.
Say, for instance, you’re using the MSI Z890 Gaming Plus Wi-Fi. For that, you’ll have to follow these steps:
- Navigate to MSI’s support page.
- Open the BIOS section.
- Check the latest version along with its release date and file size.
You can replicate the same by searching for the exact model you’re using. If there’s a newer version available, download it onto a USB drive. You will need access to another PC or laptop to download the file, along with a USB drive formatted to FAT32 with at least 1GB of free space. Once it’s ready, plug it into your new system and use the board’s flash utility to handle the rest.
Make sure the PC doesn’t turn off during the BIOS update.
Install the OS and update drivers
Your hardware is ready, now feed it software
Once your BIOS is sorted, the next step is getting your operating system up and running. This will require a clean install of Windows 11 or Linux, depending on your preference. Now, the next step is getting your drivers in order. Start with your motherboard utilities and chipset drivers, then proceed to network drivers.
This part is more important than it sounds because features like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will not appear in the settings until the drivers are installed.
It’s something I personally ran into with a fresh batch of Z890 motherboards around the time the Intel Core Ultra Series 2 chips launched. Since both the platform and the boards were brand new, the system booted fine, but had no internet access because the network drivers simply weren’t installed. You can follow the same process as the BIOS update here:
- Head over to your motherboard manufacturer’s website.
- Search for your exact model.
- Open the drivers or support section.
You’ll usually find neatly organized categories such as onboard audio, onboard VGA drivers, chipset, or system drivers, LAN, and more. Download what you need from there, or install the manufacturer’s utility tool to handle everything automatically.
Once that’s done, move on to your GPU drivers. If you’re using an Nvidia card, installing the Nvidia app is the easiest way to get the latest drivers. On AMD, the Adrenalin software handles the same job. Install the software, let it fetch the latest drivers, and you’re good to go.
Taking the time to install the right drivers early on ensures your system runs as it should. It avoids unnecessary performance issues, fixes missing functionality, and saves you from chasing down problems that shouldn’t exist on a brand-new build.
Enable XMP/EXPO for your RAM
Unlock the speed you already paid for
This is one of those things that catches a lot of people off guard. You see the label on your RAM kit showing a certain number, install it, expect it to run at full tilt, and then notice the BIOS reporting a much lower number. In my case, I’m using a Kingston Fury Renegade non-binary kit rated at 7200MT/s, but on first boot, it was running at just 4800MT/s. It works perfectly fine like this, but it’s clearly not what I paid for, especially in the middle of this RAM price madness.
That’s where XMP and EXPO come in. XMP, or Extreme Memory Profile, is meant for Intel systems, while EXPO is AMD’s equivalent for Ryzen platforms. Both are essentially pre-tuned profiles that tell the RAM to run at a certain rated speed, timing, and voltage. Once inside the BIOS, look for a setting labeled XMP, EXPO, or sometimes Memory Profile, depending on your motherboard. It’s usually visible right on the main screen or tucked under advanced memory settings. Here, you’ll see one or more profiles, each with its respective speed, timing, and voltage.
Pick the profile that matches your kit’s rated speed, save the changes, and reboot. That’s all it takes. Once the system boots back up, your memory should be running at its advertised speed rather than the safe default.
Stress test your new PC build
Don’t skip the trial by fire
This is the step where you stop blindly trusting the build and actually put it under pressure. I usually run a few quick stress tests to make sure both the CPU and GPU are behaving the way they should. It’s also a great way to catch simple mistakes that are easy to miss during the build. I’ve had a system run perfectly fine at idle, only to realize later that the AIO cooler wasn’t mounted with proper pressure, and the CPU would shoot past 90°C the moment it was pushed.
For the CPU, I usually stick to tools like Cinebench R23 or Cinebench 2024 since they’re free and easy to run. If you’d rather not download anything extra, you can simply use Windows’ built-in benchmarking tool, WinSAT. I keep HWInfo64 open alongside it to monitor temperatures, clock speeds, and overall behavior under load. You can compare your scores online to see where your system stands, but that can quickly turn into a rabbit hole that’s not always worth going down.
For the GPU, I prefer a more real-world approach. I’ll fire up a demanding game with a built-in benchmark, something like Cyberpunk 2077 or Black Myth: Wukong, and let it run for a few passes.
The goal here isn’t to obsess over FPS numbers. You’re simply checking if temperatures are under control, clocks are stable, and nothing crashes under load. If everything looks normal here, chances are your build is in a good place.
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You can be sure nearly every PC builder has made these mistakes, but you can skip them now you know.
Now you can actually enjoy your PC
Getting a new build up and running is easily the most satisfying part of the process, but there’s still a bit of groundwork left before it’s truly ready. This phase can take some time, so it’s worth setting aside a proper window to get through everything without rushing. Dialing in the BIOS, installing the right drivers, enabling XMP or EXPO, and stress testing the system all add up to a PC that feels complete, not just functional.
Once that’s done, you can finally move on to the more enjoyable part. And that’s setting up your apps, downloading the games, and everyday tools. There are a bunch of tools that can make this part of the process a lot faster by installing multiple programs in one go, saving you from downloading them individually.
