Question Do You Need to Update the Bios on a New Build?

[Schleppy_1]

I'm going to building my first PC by myself after having built that last few with a friend of mine who's really good at it. Unfortunately, we don't have the same work hours anymore so I'm on my own with this one. He's always said don't update the BIOS unless you need to. With all my past new builds, I never have and everything ran fine. I've never had even a minor issue with past builds. That said, I do see a lot of folks on here suggesting to update the BIOS right away on a new build. So my question is, is that the best advice? I haven't built a PC in 6 years.

My parts:
i-5 13400F / Cooler: DeepCool AK400
Asus TUF Gaming B760 plus
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 gig (2x16)
Corsair RM850x psu
Asus TUF Gaming Nvidia 4070ti
Samsung EVO 970 2T m.2 drive
Lian Li Lancool 216RX
ASUS TUF VG27AQL1A 27" 2560x1440 IPS HDR 170Hz G-SYNC

 

[hotaru.hino]

I'm of the opinion that unless the system isn't compatible with the hardware until BIOS is updated or it fixes some annoying issue (like the AMD TPM stuttering bug), then don't update BIOS. Once the OS begins its boot sequence, BIOS is basically done doing its job and is no longer running.

The only reason why I think people say you should always update it is because we constantly update our other devices and those updates are usually called "firmware updates" and BIOS could be considered firmware. However, my argument against that is that firmware for those devices also includes the application, which is what you should make sure is up to date. The bootloader of the device is akin to its BIOS moreso than the "firmware" that gets updates, as bootloaders almost never get an update and its sole job is to... well... boot the device to launch the firmware. It's also possible that this bootloader is baked in ROM so it can't be updated (such as the case with the Raspberry Pi Pico)

 

[USAFRet]

Need? No.

But maybe, in the process of building up the system, maybe.

Just to get it, along with everything else, to current levels.

After that, leave it alone unless there is a specific issue.

 

[Schleppy_1]

I'm leaning toward not updating the BIOS unless I'm experiencing problems when the system is up and running, or if the system doesn't boot for some reason. So then the only thing I have to do is download Windows onto a flash drive and boot from that, correct?

 

[Lafong]

So then the only thing I have to do is download Windows onto a flash drive and boot from that, correct?

Not sure what you mean by that....but that is a general description of how you'd do a clean Windows install, using Media Creation Tool.

 

[Schleppy_1]

I'm not sure how that process works, actually. When and how do I get Windows onto the new build?

 

[Lafong]

I'm not sure how that process works, actually. When and how do I get Windows onto the new build?

Go to Microsoft web site. Locate Media Creation Tool. Download it onto a flash drive which I think has to be at least 8 gb in size. Disconnect ALL drives other than the one to receive Windows. Boot from the flash drive. Follow the prompts.

That's the basics. If you install Windows onto a drive that isn't new and already has partitions, you should delete them all when they are shown to you when you boot from the flash drive.

 

[USAFRet]

I'm not sure how that process works, actually. When and how do I get Windows onto the new build?

How To - Windows 10 clean install tutorial

If you are looking for the Windows 11 Clean install tutorial, you can find that here: Windows 11 Clean install tutorial (Click here) Otherwise, welcome to the Windows 10 Clean install tutorial This tutorial is intended to help you, step by step, to perform a clean install of Windows...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[Schleppy_1]

That's excellent information you guys, thank you. I wouldn't have know where to look otherwise. That's why I love this site.