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7 critical checks to remember before booting up your PC for the first time
There are multiple stages associated with a new PC build where things can go wrong — you might buy the wrong components, inadvertently break some of them and cost yourself hundreds of dollars, or end up stressing about the wrong things after you build the PC.
Well, this time I want to shed light on the stage just before you boot up your new PC for the first time. The first boot, especially for new builders, can be extremely nerve-wracking, since a failed boot can convince them that something is seriously wrong with their PC. Fortunately, there are checks you can do before powering your system on which can bring crucial misses to your attention. This checklist doesn't include obvious signs of damage, such as broken CPU pins or bent PCBs.
You wouldn't believe these 7 PC building blunders I've made in the past
These PC building mistakes from my past almost became PC breaking blunders
Ensure your motherboard has the right BIOS
Your brand-new hardware isn't faulty
This is something you might overlook if you're building a PC for the first time. If you've paired one of the latest CPUs with a slightly older motherboard, it's possible that the board shipped with a BIOS version incompatible with your CPU. Booting your newly built machine in such a situation will result in a failed boot or boot loop as the motherboard tries (and fails) to recognize the CPU.
The process of updating your BIOS to the right version will differ depending on your motherboard model. If it has a BIOS flashback button, you can simply insert a USB stick with the newer BIOS file and flash it onto your motherboard. With no BIOS flashback, you'll have to seat another CPU that's actually compatible with the older BIOS version, and only then use the USB stick to update the board to the newer version. Then you will be able to swap to your new CPU and continue booting your PC.
6 things you might be missing out on if your BIOS isn’t up to date
These days, technology moves fast and the old adage of 'leave it alone if it's working' doesn't apply to BIOS updates.
Use the right fan & RGB headers
It can get tricky for first-time builders
When building a PC, you sometimes need to deal with too many fans and ARGB components. With your CPU cooler fans, multiple case fans, RGB cable extensions, LED strips, and more, getting your connections right can get stressful. Most importantly, you need to ensure you're using the right CPU_FAN and CPU_OPT (if needed) headers for your CPU cooler. If your cooler has an RGB/ARGB cable, it might need the appropriate header on your motherboard.
Additionally, the more case fans you have, the more fan and ARGB connectors (if applicable) you'll need on your motherboard. Unless you have a fan hub handling all your case fans, you might also run out of headers on your motherboard. Before booting your PC, ensure you have connected all the fan and ARGB cables to the right headers, otherwise, the fans might not spin or light up on booting the PC.
Plugging RGB fans into ARGB headers can potentially damage them, so make sure you double-check the connections, even if they physically look fine.
CPU_OPT vs CPU_FAN headers: How are they different and which one to use for the CPU cooler?
Is there such thing as a wrong header for your CPU cooler?
All power cables should be secure
Even experienced builders can miss one
It sounds obvious that one should connect all power cables properly to the respective slots before booting the PC. However, depending on your expertise and familiarity with the hardware, you might miss this seemingly simple check. While ensuring common connections like the 24-pin motherboard cable, 8-pin CPU power, and GPU PCIe cables which are hard to miss, you might forget to plug in other cables.
One of these is the additional CPU power cable that's required on higher-end or overclocked processors. You'll find the slot next to the regular 8-pin CPU power slot; forgetting to connect it can result in a boot failure if your CPU needs more power than it can get from a single 8-pin connector. Another issue you could run into is improperly inserted cables, especially those that require a lot of pressure, such as the 24-pin motherboard cable.
While less common, you could also forget to insert a power cable at both ends, i.e. the PSU and motherboard end. If you boot your PC without ensuring all the connections, you'll end up with an unresponsive PC and wonder what went wrong.
Should you use a second CPU power connector?
With two CPU power connectors on your motherboard, should you use them both?
No loose cables should be hanging around
Keep them away from fans
If you've built a PC before, you know how many cables are running around inside the case. If you've spent hours assembling your components, you might be too spent to properly route everything to make it look neat, even on the front side of the motherboard. This can result in, say, an AIO fan cable or CPU power cable coming in contact with a spinning CPU cooler or radiator fan when you turn the PC on.
To avoid that, simply take a moment to give your PC a second look to confirm there are no loosely routed cables going where they shouldn't. If a cable has a lot of slack, you can give it a few folds and tie it with a small zip tie. You can also push such cables snugly next to areas of the motherboard that won't cause any issues, such as between the RAM slots or near the CPU socket.
3 cable management tips to make your gaming PC look its best
Treat your PC to a new look.
Push your RAM all the way in
The click isn't enough
You might have seen PC building guides and other people recommend waiting for the latch to "click" to ensure you've inserted your RAM modules all the way in. Well, it turns out that even after hearing the click, it's possible the pins on your memory aren't making complete contact with the slot. This happened to me once — a newly built PC wasn't working, and I noticed some of the gold contacts of one of the RAM sticks were still visible.
I removed and reinserted the DIMM till I could no longer see the contacts anymore, and the PC booted correctly. Installing RAM sometimes requires more pressure than new builders are comfortable with, and hence, they often leave it improperly inserted. Another thing to remember is that you should always release the latches at the end of the RAM slots before pushing the sticks in.
When building a new PC, how much RAM should you have?
Is 32GB of RAM the new 16GB?
Don't break your M.2 SSD
Well, duh!
This is another blunder that new PC builders often commit. Installing an M.2 SSD usually involves removing the pre-installed heatsink (if available), inserting the SSD into the slot at an angle, pushing it gently till it's secured, installing the standoff (if not already there), then screwing the SSD in place (with the screw going through the SSD/heatsink into the standoff).
A couple of things can go wrong during this process. If you want to double-check whether you've made one of those common errors, inspect your work and see whether you've used a standoff before screwing the SSD/heatsink in. Otherwise, the SSD would become bent, experiencing undue pressure. Another thing to check is if you've peeled the plastic off of the heatsink before installing it on top of the SSD. With the peel on, the heatsink won't cool the SSD properly.
How to install an M.2 SSD in a PC: A beginners guide
One of the easiest components to install on a PC.
Ensure you've mounted the cooler correctly
I've messed this up more than once
I've seen this on multiple builds in the past — unusually high CPU temps on a new build with an AIO cooler even after applying an aftermarket thermal paste. More often than not, the culprit turns out to be an improperly installed CPU cooler. Just like RAM modules, pushing the heatsink down requires more pressure than you'd think. Insufficient pressure will lead to improper contact between the heatsink and the CPU's IHS, leading to high temperatures.
To ensure you don't discover this afterward, remove your cooler heatsink, clean the thermal paste, apply a fresh coat, and reinstall the heatsink with enough pressure. Check your idle CPU temperature — if your CPU isn't thermal throttling and is running in the 50-60℃ range or below, then your cooler is doing its job well.
5 signs your CPU cooler is not enough and needs an upgrade
Sometimes, it's the CPU, case, or fans - or perhaps it's your CPU cooler that needs an upgrade
A few quick checks can save your first boot from failure
The first boot (technically, POST) after building a PC is a precious moment, one that can bring a sigh of relief or a sinking feeling of despair. Maybe that's too dramatic, but that's how it can feel to a first-time builder. If you've followed your chosen build tutorial to the letter, you only need a few extra checks to ensure the first boot goes smoothly. These checks won't take much time, and will ensure that your PC building memory will be untarnished by a failed boot.