BIOS, Drivers, and OS questions

[JoeyPockets]

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.

 

[Emerald]

What OS?

Are you going to have a Video card or will you use the build in one?

In some cases you will need to upgrade the BIOS before installing the OS so the CPU is supported correctly. The i5-4670k came out in 2013 so the motherboard should support it. The motherboard will most likely have FW 1.7 or 1.8

 

[JoeyPockets]

What OS?

Are you going to have a Video card or will you use the build in one?

In some cases you will need to upgrade the BIOS before installing the OS so the CPU is supported correctly. The i5-4670k came out in 2013 so the motherboard should support it. The motherboard will most likely have FW 1.7 or 1.8

I will be installing Windows 8.1 64 bit and my video card that I'm using is the Nvidia GTX 970.

So the motherboard will most likely come with the BIOS semi updated (1.7 - 1.8)? If that's the case then I probably shouldn't bother messing with it, correct?

 

[Paul NZ]

A mobo can be shipped with any version of a BIOS. It doesnt have to be the 1st one

Sometimes its a good idea to keep it up to date. Most updates fix bugs / add new features.

But dont flash beta BIOS's. Theyre beta for a reason, and can be buggy

The PC I built last yr has been updated twice since I built it. Because the latest updates support NVME and USB 3.1 cards.

If I didnt update it then if I wanted to use the above, I cant. Because the system wouldnt support them

 

[JoeyPockets]

A mobo can be shipped with any version of a BIOS. It doesnt have to be the 1st one

Sometimes its a good idea to keep it up to date. Most updates fix bugs / add new features.

But dont flash beta BIOS's. Theyre beta for a reason, and can be buggy

The PC I built last yr has been updated twice since I built it. Because the latest updates support NVME and USB 3.1 cards.

If I didnt update it then if I wanted to use the above, I cant. Because the system wouldnt support them

Okay cool, I've checked 1.7 and 1.8 and they seem to update most of the compatibility features etc. that I need. I will probably only flash the bios if I need to update it for a new 5th gen Intel CPU or something along those lines.