Question Building a new PC - help me make sure I'm not missing some crucial steps (turn this on, etc).

[Zeze]

I am repurposing this thread with more questions: I'm finally Building a new PC - help me make sure I'm not missing some crucial steps (turn this on, etc). It's been over a decade.

My current/old rig:
27" 1080p 60hz monitor
i7-3770
16gb DDR3
RTX 2070
635W PSU Bronze rated
2TB SSD nvme whatever

New rig:
LG 32GP850-B 1440p 165hz monitor
MSI B650-P Pro WiFi mobo
Ryzen 7 7800X3D
32gb DDR5-6000
Same RTX2070
Same PSU

Steps:
1. Put together mobo/RAM/GPU/CPU/Heatsink/Power cables/front connectors/SSD
2. Use the bootable USB and install Windows 10 Pro (my current copy)
3. Get to the desktop, install drivers (printers, headset, whatever)
4. Migrate backup files.
5. Apparently I need to upgdate the BIOS of the monitor via usb cable?
6. Do I need to update the BIOS of the mobo too?

Questions:

1. What settings do I need to check or change any settings in BIOS so everything is as fast as intended? Anything needs to be turned on or off? RAM or CPU settings? Does the CPU need to have some turbo mode turned or what? Don't want to assume everything is automatic and fine out of the box.
2. Turn on G-sync on Nvidia Control Panel right? Do I need to install Geforce Experience? That thing is so bloated and I wonder if it's required for best gaming.
3. Anything else?

Thank you all.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Yeah, you're gonna need to do a fresh install thanks to the completely incompatible chipset drivers.

I was able to get away keeping the same W10 install between a A420M and B550M board thanks to them both being AMD and using the same drivers.

Y'all would BSOD so fast if you tried to boot into the same windows install, and even if it did, would you trust it?

 

[mikeymikec]

I'm going to a new motherboard/CPU/RAM, but using the same SSD.

Going from:
i7-3770 (lmao, serves me well still)
16gb DDR3 or whatever
RTX 2070

To:
7800X3D
32gb DDR5
same RTX2070
same power supply

It's been awhile. I should obviously reinstall Windows right?

If you have a spare storage drive, I would recommend doing a test install of whatever version of Windows you intend to run on the new setup, test it thoroughly, then re-use the old drive and possibly even re-use the old install if that's particularly advantageous for you.

If I was going to attempt to re-use an old install in this way I'd probably uninstall as many drivers for Intel-related stuff as I could then attempt the switch.

I presume you're running Win10 on the old setup, do you intend to use Win10 for the foreseeable future or upgrade to Win11 asap through win10? If Win11, I think I would save myself the bother and have a cleaner install from the start by just going for Win11 straight away, especially given that Win10 has just shy of two years of security updates left (Oct 2025).

I'm traditionally a "always clean install" kind of person re platform upgrades, but people here seem to be re-using old Windows installs more often these days so it might be worth a shot depending on your circumstances. I suppose I would factor in how much work it is to do a clean install and get it back to being ready to use vs having to do one later at a possibly inconvenient time.

 

[Zeze]

Yea, a clean install indeed. Thanks.

I updated the OP with more Qs.

 

[Brainonska511]

Given the nature of DDR5, I'd make sure You're running the latest BIOS. Consider just doing that upgrade up front, then you can adjust whatever settings you want.

Maybe turn XMP on for the RAM after you've completed all the Windows install and driver installs, so you don't end up with a crash during that process (again, some fickleness in DDR5 on some boards - it's mostly gone away, but why chance it during that install process?)

As for other bios settings, turbo stuff for the cpu should be enabled by default. There may be an option to set PL2 based on cooler type (my MSI B660 Intel board had this option and asked the first time I went in).

 

[manly]

Micro Center combo? Their bundled DDR5 kit gets a lot of complaints; if I ever make it over there to purchase, I'll try to get them to swap in the Ripjaws kit instead.

From a Reddit thread, you can flash this mobo even if there's no CPU/RAM installed:

 

[manly]

Couple things I missed.

First, replace your PSU while you're at it. Micro Center has Maingear Ignition (at least it's not Explosion) for around $100 if you're going there anyway. Otherwise, plenty of options online for Black Friday.
Second, these MSI boards are very slow to cold boot due to "DDR5 training." It's possible to optimize this if you do a lot of cold booting and can't stand the delay:

Finally, if you're clean installing Windows anyway, maybe consider Win11? Win10 is EOL in about 2 years?