I recently ordered the parts for my first gaming PC build and have selected a MSI Z97M-G43 motherboard for my build. While my orders are shipping I am in the process of researching how to install the OS, drivers, and BIOS for my new system for after I build it. I have a couple questions about the BIOS and drivers.
1. Which drivers are necessary to install for the system? So far I've predownloaded:
GPU driver: GTX 970
Audio driver
LAN driver
Chipset driver
Wireless adapter driver
VGA driver
SATA/RAID drivers
2. There are a few drivers from the motherboards website labelled as "other drivers" are these necessary to install or should I rely on windows update to fill in any gaps?
3. Should I update my bios? and if so should I do so before or after I install my OS?
The bios for my Z97M-G43 is at version 1.9 and I'm assuming that the original board comes with 1.0 installed. The 1.9 bios adds 5th gen intel support as well as a bunch of other compatibility options, of which I am not sure what applies to me and what does not (my CPU will work it's a i5-4670k). Does this justify a BIOS update and if it does is it better to install before or after I install the OS? And if I install the OS first should I then update the BIOS or do my drivers first and update the BIOS last.
sorry for the wall of text, bit of a noob here.
1. Which drivers are necessary to install for the system? So far I've predownloaded:
GPU driver: GTX 970
Audio driver
LAN driver
Chipset driver
Wireless adapter driver
VGA driver
SATA/RAID drivers
2. There are a few drivers from the motherboards website labelled as "other drivers" are these necessary to install or should I rely on windows update to fill in any gaps?
3. Should I update my bios? and if so should I do so before or after I install my OS?
The bios for my Z97M-G43 is at version 1.9 and I'm assuming that the original board comes with 1.0 installed. The 1.9 bios adds 5th gen intel support as well as a bunch of other compatibility options, of which I am not sure what applies to me and what does not (my CPU will work it's a i5-4670k). Does this justify a BIOS update and if it does is it better to install before or after I install the OS? And if I install the OS first should I then update the BIOS or do my drivers first and update the BIOS last.
sorry for the wall of text, bit of a noob here.