Z170-A - Do I need to Upgrade Drivers on initial startup?

[Pandabear90]

Will be my first build for my Gaming PC.

Once I have all the parts built, how do I go about installing the drivers for the motherboard. Do I need to do this or?

Also do I install the operating system first before updating the drivers or vice versa.

Can someone just walk me through the steps please?

Thanks

 

[theyeti87]

Once your system is properly assembled, you will begin with installing Windows.

Once Windows is installed, you will need to install system drivers.

For your motherboard, there should be an included disk with all the necessary drivers. You don't need the software packages that are often bundled with the drivers, but you may choose to install them at your discretion.

That being said, the most up-to-date drivers for your hardware are going to be found online, from the manufacturer's website. You'll navigate through the support page to find drivers for your specific hardware.

You'll also need to install a driver for your graphics card, again which will be found on the manufacturer's website.

Additionally, make sure to run Windows Update.

 

[Pandabear90]

Do I need to do anything with the BIOS when I do an initial boot in terms of the settings? or really just install windows 10 from my bootable USB as soon as my PC is assembled and once Windows 10 is installed I can update the driverS?

 

[theyeti87]

Do I need to do anything with the BIOS when I do an initial boot in terms of the settings? or really just install windows 10 from my bootable USB as soon as my PC is assembled and once Windows 10 is installed I can update the driverS?

In the boot device priority list, you'll need to set USB in front of the hard drive for the purpose of installing windows. Once that is complete, it is best to move the hard drive back to #1 boot priority.

You'll need windows to be installed to do anything with drivers.

 

[Pandabear90]

Thanks for the information Yeti. So, besides from that, I don't have to touch anything else in the BIOS right?

 

[theyeti87]

Thanks for the information Yeti. So, besides from that, I don't have to touch anything else in the BIOS right?

What is the full list of hardware for your build?

Considerations are to: Set hard drive mode to AHCI & Enabling the RAM's XMP - Extensible Metadata Platform
^ Depending on what you're using.

 

[Pandabear90]

Thanks for the information Yeti. So, besides from that, I don't have to touch anything else in the BIOS right?

What is the full list of hardware for your build?

Considerations are to: Set hard drive mode to AHCI & Enabling the RAM's Extended Memory Profile.
^ Depending on what you're using.

I5-6500
Asus Z170-A
G Skill 2400,16GB RAM
MSI GTX 970
Evga 650W PSU
PNY 240GB SSD
Cooler master CPU Fan

Fractal Design Define S Case

 

[theyeti87]

You'll want to set the hard drive mode to AHCI, as opposed to IDE. Your SSD will work as intended as either mode, but most prefer AHCI.

Here's a few links comparing the two modes:
http://superuser.com/questions/466254/should-ahci-be-enabled-for-an-ssd
http://archive.benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=505&Itemid=38

Also, you will want to enable XMP on your memory profile. In short, your RAM will operate faster with XMP enabled.