Setting up your new gaming PC: the first hour

Your new gaming PC has arrived. Here is what to do in the first hour, step by step, so it runs at its best from day one. Take your time. None of it is hard.

1. Find a good spot for it

A gaming PC makes heat, and it needs air to keep cool.

• Leave space around it, especially at the back and the sides with vents. Do not push it hard against a wall.
• Do not stand it on carpet. Carpet blocks the vents underneath and lets in fluff. Put it on a desk, a hard floor or a flat board.
• Keep it out of cupboards with closed doors, and away from radiators and sunny windows.
• Keep drinks away from the top of the case.

2. Plug the monitor into the graphics card

This is the most common mistake we see, so it is worth a careful look.

The back of a gaming PC often has two sets of screen sockets. One set is near the top. That belongs to the motherboard. The other set is lower down, usually in a row lying sideways. That belongs to the graphics card.

Always plug the monitor into the lower set, on the graphics card. If you use the top sockets, the PC uses weak built-in graphics, or nothing at all. Games will run badly, or the screen will stay black. Many people think their new PC is broken when the cable is just in the wrong hole.

Use a DisplayPort or HDMI cable. The one that came with your monitor is usually fine.

3. Switch on and set the refresh rate

Plug in the power, keyboard and mouse, then switch on. Follow the Windows set-up screens if they appear.

If you have a high refresh screen, Windows may still be showing it at 60Hz. To change it:

1. Right-click on the desktop and choose Display settings.
2. Scroll down and click Advanced display.
3. Under Choose a refresh rate, pick the highest number.

Not sure what refresh rate means? Read frame rate and refresh rate explained.

4. Run Windows Update

Go to Settings, then Windows Update, and click Check for updates. Let it install everything and restart when it asks. You may need to do this more than once. It keeps the PC safe and fixes known problems.

5. Update the graphics driver

A driver is the software that lets Windows talk to the graphics card. New ones come out often, and they can help new games run better.

• For an NVIDIA card, get NVIDIA's own app from the NVIDIA website.
• For an AMD card, get AMD's own software from the AMD website.

Only download from the maker's own website, not from other download sites. The app will tell you when a new driver is ready.

6. Install your game launchers

Most PC games are bought and played through a launcher. This is a free program that holds your games library. Popular ones include Steam, the Epic Games Store, Battle.net, the EA app and the Xbox app. Install the ones your games need and sign in with your own account.

Big games can take a long time to download, so start the biggest one first. If you are setting up a PC for a child, see our parent's guide for keeping it safe.

7. Back up what matters

Games can be downloaded again. Your photos, documents and school work cannot. Set up a backup early, to an external drive or an online storage service. Many games also save to the cloud through their launcher.

8. Keep the packaging for a while

Keep the box and the packing inside it. If the PC ever needs to travel back to the shop, or you move house, the original packaging protects it best.

Stuck?

If something will not work, call us on 01905 673738. We build and test our PCs on our own bench in Worcester, so we know them well. Once you are up and running, read how to keep it cool, clean and fast.

Questions people ask