When to install Wifi PCIe card and install drivers

[h22lude]

I will be building my PC today. I have a Gigabyte wifi card. Do I install it with all the other parts or should I get the PC up and running then install it? Should I update the motherboard LAN drivers and the drivers for the wifi card?

 

[Gingerbread]

Doesn't matter. They are separate. You can first install your whole system and then add the wifi card or you can add it at the same time. Won't make a difference. Think of it as plugging in a Mouse which requires drivers.

 

[helpstar]

Follow the recommendations in the manual.

 

[10tacle]

I have always installed the minimum peripheral card(s) when building a new rig (video card only) and then install the OS. Doing this minimizes any conflicts and makes it easier to diagnose problems with the initial build, instead of just throwing everything in there at one time. But you *can* do it either way.

Then go back and add each device (sound card, WiFi card, second GPU for SLI/Crossfire, etc.). This also gives you more control over being able to get the latest drivers for each device from the manufacturer website and upload to a USB drive from another PC, as the CD/DVD disk that came with the card may not have the most recent driver update (an obvious necessity if you are only able to use WiFi and cannot temporarily connect a network cable to the motherboard's ethernet port and get a hardwire internet connection).

The manual's instructions are most likely written assuming you adding the card after the OS is already on it anyway...not for a scratch build with loading up the OS.

 

[h22lude]

I have always installed the minimum peripheral card(s) when building a new rig (video card only) and then install the OS. Doing this minimizes any conflicts and makes it easier to diagnose problems with the initial build, instead of just throwing everything in there at one time. But you *can* do it either way.

Then go back and add each device (sound card, WiFi card, second GPU for SLI/Crossfire, etc.). This also gives you more control over being able to get the latest drivers for each device from the manufacturer website and upload to a USB drive from another PC, as the CD/DVD disk that came with the card may not have the most recent driver update (an obvious necessity if you are only able to use WiFi and cannot temporarily connect a network cable to the motherboard's ethernet port and get a hardwire internet connection).

The manual's instructions are most likely written assuming you adding the card after the OS is already on it anyway...not for a scratch build with loading up the OS.

Thanks. Figured either way would be ok but this is a good solution. The wifi card is the only other device I have. My plan is to load Win7 via USB boot and have the mobo LAN driver on the USB too. Update the driver so I can plus the CAT cable in to update to Win10 and get all the device drivers. After that I will add the wifi card.