My new PC has arrived. What should I do first?

Your new desktop PC could be ready to go with very little effort: connect everything and boot up. However, there are also a few not-so-obvious details that are easy to miss - and that you may later regret not taking care of earlier.

The following chapters guide you through the initial setup in a sensible order. Our aim is to enable you to get the most out of your PC and your peripherals from day one.

Before the first boot

Your PC has already been fully assembled, configured and tested by us. Your task is now to unpack it safely and prepare it for use. This includes removing the internal transport protection foam and taking a quick look if anything got loose during shipping, however unlikely.

Keep the original packaging

We recommend keeping the original packaging for at least the duration of the warranty. The box, moulded inserts and other packaging elements are designed for the size and weight of the PC and provide the best protection if the PC ever needs to be transported again.

Be careful with glass side panels

If your PC has a tempered-glass side panel, take particular care when opening it.

Never place the glass panel on tiles, stone, concrete or other hard surfaces. Even the most casual contact with an edge, corner other pointed surfaces can, in the worst case, cause tempered glass to shatter immediately. Instead, place the side panel on a clean, soft and flat surface. Please read more about this here:

• How can I protect my PC's glass panel from damage?

Completely remove the internal transport protection

High-performance graphics cards and some CPU coolers are large and very heavy. To prevent unnecessary stress during shipping, our PCs contain additional transport protection made from hardened foam inside the chassis.

This transport protection must be completely removed before the PC is switched on for the first time.

Please observe the following:

• Carefully open or remove the side panel.
• Remove the transport protection slowly and without using force.
• Make sure that no pieces of the transport protection remain inside the chassis.
• Avoid unnecessarily touching or moving cables, fans or other components while removing it.

Depending on its shape, the transport protection may be slightly difficult to remove. Do not pull on it abruptly. Instead, carefully work the foam loose piece by piece.

The permanently installed mechanical graphics-card support, on the other hand, is part of the system and remains installed.

Notice: The hardened foam transport protection can only be used a single time, as it will most likely be damaged or deformed during removal. The material consists of cured polyurethane foam (PUR) enclosed in a polyethylene film (HDPE). Depending on country and region, you might be able to dispose it with other general mixed plastics recycling. Local disposal regulations may differ. Official manufacturer information of these packs is available here.

Check for obvious shipping damage

You do not need to check whether every single connector is seated correctly or whether we have installed your components at all. You can rely on us for that - we do not ship systems with loose connectors or missing parts. And a connector that is genuinely 100% fully latched will not come loose from a bit of rough normal handling in transit.

Nevertheless, a careful look inside the chassis is useful to identify any more substantial shipping effects, however unlikely, before the PC is turned on for the first time. Examples of things to look out for include:

• a graphics card that is visibly crooked or loose inside the chassis,
• a visibly bent or broken component,
• loose parts inside the chassis,
• major damage to the chassis itself.

If the shipping box is already unusually badly damaged, the PC should be checked particularly carefully before it is switched on.

If anything looks unusual, do not boot up the PC yet. If possible, document the condition with photos and contact our support team.

Connecting the PC

If everything looks normal and the transport protection has been completely removed, the PC can now be connected. Most of this is self-explanatory, but there are a few details that that we would like to point out, so please read on carefully.

Connect the power supply

Please plug the supplied power cable fully into the power supply on the rear of the PC and then connect it to the wall socket. These ports might be a bit tight at first. Use some force to make sure it is really fully plugged in.

Most desktop power supplies also have their own master switch directly next to the power connector.

• | or — means "on".
• 〇 means "off".

So far so easy.

The keyboard, mouse and other USB devices can then be connected to the USB ports on the front or rear of the PC. If a wired network connection is available, connect the corresponding network cable to the RJ45 Ethernet port on the motherboard.

Connect the monitor to the graphics card - not the motherboard!

Your PC most likely has a dedicated graphics card - an AMD Radeon or NVIDIA GeForce. This means that the monitor must be connected directly to one of the display outputs on the graphics card, not to the display outputs that may also be present on the motherboard.

The corresponding connectors are located further down on the rear of the PC, away from the array of USB, LAN and audio ports.

You do not want to use the display outputs on the motherboard on a PC with a dedicated graphics card. Depending on the processor and configuration, they either provide no picture at all or they will use the processor's integrated graphics unit. The monitor would then not be driven directly by the high-performance graphics card.

For gaming, high refresh rates and features such as G-SYNC, FreeSync or Adaptive Sync, the monitor cable must be connected directly to the graphics card.

Should I use DisplayPort or HDMI?

Modern graphics cards and monitors usually offer both HDMI and DisplayPort. DisplayPort is a digital video interface developed specifically for computers and PC monitors and is generally our preferred choice for a PC monitor.

HDMI is also a digital video interface, but it is primarily developed for TVs, game consoles and consumer electronics. Both connections can carry high resolutions and refresh rates. But which combinations are actually available depends on the monitor, the interface version used and, in some cases, the cable.

Some gaming monitors only reach their maximum refresh rate or support certain Adaptive Sync features via DisplayPort. If both the monitor and graphics card provide DisplayPort, we therefore recommend connecting the monitor via DisplayPort first.

If the monitor includes a DisplayPort cable, this is normally a good first choice. For separately purchased cables, make sure that they are specified for the desired resolution and refresh rate.

We have compiled an overview with a number of examples showing the differences that can exist between HDMI and DisplayPort on current high-end monitors:

• HDMI vs. DisplayPort in Popular High-End Monitors

In one of the following sections, we will ask you to check which refresh rate is actually being used by Windows - as it may not automatically be the one that we'd want you to use. Before that, we will talk about Wi-Fi for a moment.

Connect the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas

If your PC supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, the motherboard will normally come with external wireless antennas. These must be attached to the corresponding connectors on the rear of the PC.

Depending on the motherboard, the antenna may consist of two individual rod antennas or a single antenna unit with two cables. In either case, both antenna connectors are used.

The antennas are used for both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Without the antennas connected, wireless connections may still work over short distances, which is why some users may not even notice that the antennas still need to be attached. Proper range, speed and connection stability are only achieved with the antennas connected.

If the antenna unit can be positioned freely, avoid hiding it behind the metal chassis.

Once everything is connected, your PC is ready to be turned on for the first time.

Installing the operating system

If you ordered the PC with Windows pre-installed, you can proceed directly with the Windows initial setup after the first start. The drivers and basic system settings intended for your configuration are already prepared.

If you ordered the PC without an operating system, you will first need to install Windows yourself. A detailed guide is available here:

• How to do a clean Windows reinstallation

You can then find current drivers and firmware for your desktop PC here:

• Where can I find the latest drivers and firmware updates for my desktop PC?

Configure the monitor correctly

Once Windows displays an image, your monitor is obviously working – but wait! It may not yet use its full potential. Particularly with gaming monitors, it is worth checking the resolution, refresh rate and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) directly after the first start.

Is the monitor really running at its maximum refresh rate?

A 144, 180, 240 or 360 Hz monitor does not necessarily run at its maximum refresh rate automatically under Windows. In the worst case, a fast gaming monitor may initially run at only 60 Hz.

This is particularly deceptive because nothing is obviously "broken": the monitor displays a normal picture and games look fine (to the untrained eye). The difference only becomes apparent in fast motion. A higher refresh rate makes mouse movement, scrolling and any fast-paced gaming appear considerably smoother. It allows the monitor to actually display the high FPS that your graphics card is generating.

The current setting can be checked in Windows here:

• Settings → System → Display → Advanced display

Select the desired monitor and, under "Choose a refresh rate", select the highest refresh rate intended for that monitor. If multiple monitors are connected, the setting must be checked separately for each display.

The resolution should also match the monitor's native resolution. This can be checked under:

• Settings → System → Display → Scale & layout → Display resolution

Windows normally marks the native resolution as "Recommended".

The maximum refresh rate is not available - what now?

If, for example, a 240 Hz monitor only offers 144 Hz under Windows, this is not necessarily caused by the PC or an incorrect Windows setting. The current connection often limits the available display mode.

First check the following:

• Is the monitor connected directly to the graphics card as described in the earlier section?
• If you have installed Windows yourself, have you installed AMD's or NVIDIA's graphics driver yet? Or any drivers at all?
• Does the monitor perhaps offer different refresh rates depending on whether HDMI or DisplayPort is used? (see below)
• Does the cable support the desired resolution and refresh rate?
• Does a function such as "DisplayPort 1.4", "Overclocking", "Adaptive Sync" or a comparable mode need to be enabled in the monitor's on-screen menu?

The difference between HDMI and DisplayPort can vary significantly between monitors. In our 2024 study of eleven popular gaming monitors (already linked above), all of them reached a higher maximum refresh rate via DisplayPort than they did via HDMI. On four of the eleven models, Variable Refresh Rate was additionally available only via DisplayPort, not via HDMI.

A few examples from that focus group:

• Acer Predator XB241H: 60 Hz via HDMI, up to 180 Hz via DisplayPort
• ASUS ROG PG27AQN: 240 Hz via HDMI, up to 360 Hz via DisplayPort
• Samsung Odyssey Neo G9: 144 Hz via HDMI, up to 240 Hz via DisplayPort

The differences are model-specific. More recent HDMI versions are able to carry very high resolutions and refresh rates - but it depends on each monitor's support. The user manual of your monitor will tell you exactly what each port supports, as can be seen in these examples: [1] [2] [3].

For monitors that have both HDMI and DisplayPort inputs, we are not aware of any examples that offer less on DisplayPort than they do via HDMI. DisplayPort is therefore almost always the first or best choice: it avoids many of these model-specific limitations from the outset.

Even with DisplayPort, however, you should always check in Windows which resolution and refresh rates are actually set-up. The chosen setting may depend on Windows, the graphics driver, or the display modes reported by the monitor when it was first connected.

Check G-SYNC, FreeSync and Adaptive Sync

Many gaming monitors support a variable refresh rate, or VRR. This allows the monitor to continuously adjust its refresh rate to the frame rate actually being output by the graphics card. As a result, fluctuating frame rates appear smoother and screen tearing is virtually eliminated within the VRR range supported by the monitor, for example from 48 Hz up to its maximum refresh rate.

Depending on the manufacturer, this technology is marketed under names such as NVIDIA G-SYNC, G-SYNC Compatible, AMD FreeSync or Adaptive Sync.

If your monitor supports one of these technologies, please check directly after setup whether it is enabled. On some monitors, Adaptive Sync or FreeSync must first be enabled in the monitor's on-screen menu.

With an NVIDIA graphics card

NVIDIA App → Display → Set up G-SYNC

Check whether "Enable G-SYNC/G-SYNC Compatibility" is enabled and whether the correct monitor is selected.

NVIDIA provides this option both for genuine G-SYNC monitors and for so called "G-SYNC Compatible" displays, including monitors that are marketed with AMD FreeSync or Adaptive Sync.

With an AMD graphics card

In AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, search for "Display" and open the settings for the corresponding monitor. The status of AMD FreeSync is shown there. Original instructions from AMD:

• How to Enable AMD FreeSync with AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition

If multiple monitors are connected, make sure that the correct display is selected here as well.

That covers the three most important basic settings: native resolution, maximum refresh rate and, if supported, Variable Refresh Rate. These points should be checked on the first day rather than leaving part of the available hardware performance on the table, unused.

Do I need to configure anything in the BIOS?

No, you don't.

When you buy a desktop PC from us, the BIOS settings intended for your hardware have already been set up completely. After unboxing, you do not need to enter the BIOS to make sure that the memory, processor or other components are running at their intended performance. We already got you covered on that.

For example, if your configuration includes particularly fast memory, it will already be running with the optimal settings – i.e. with the corresponding XMP or EXPO profiles. The same applies to power limits, fan curves, and any other individual BIOS optimisations.

In short: your PC is already fully configured - exactly as we planned, built, tested and shipped it for you.

Do not reset the BIOS!

Mainboard BIOS setup environment include functions such as "Load Optimized Defaults", "Load Setup Defaults" or similarly named options. For your initial setup, these reset options are neither required nor recommended.

Resetting the system to the motherboard manufacturer's default settings will most likely remove settings that we deliberately put in place for your system. Perform BIOS resets only when required as part of a troubleshooting procedure or when otherwise instructed by us.

Do I need to install a BIOS update right away?

This is also not required for the initial setup. Between assembly and testing, we already install the latest BIOS version intended for your system.

A BIOS update may make sense later, for example if a newer version fixes bugs, expands compatibility or introduces other relevant improvements. However, there is no reason to install a BIOS update as a precaution immediately after unpacking the PC.

If you do update your BIOS later: back up your settings first

A BIOS update may reset existing settings to the motherboard manufacturer's default values. Before such an update, it is therefore worth taking a quick look at the current configuration.

Many motherboards can also save BIOS settings in a profile or export them to a USB drive.

Whether a saved profile can be imported again directly after changing the BIOS version depends on the motherboard and BIOS version. So, on top of saving a profile, it will be worth your time to familiarise yourself with the setup and to take photos of any customized options, so that you can again restore them manually afterwards. A guide is available here:

• How can I restore your BIOS tuning after a BIOS update?

For the initial setup, however, it is very simple: switch the PC on and use it. The required BIOS settings have already been taken care of.

Where should the PC be placed?

Ensure sufficient fresh air

A high-performance desktop PC moves large volumes of air through the chassis under load. Desktop PCs typically draw in cool ambient air through the front, bottom or side of the chassis and expel warm air through the rear and/or top.

This also applies to PCs with water cooling: the water transports the heat to a radiator at the edge of the chassis. From there, an air cooling system takes over to ventilate the heat into ambience.

The placement of your PC will therefore have a major impact on cooling performance and noise levels.

At the risk of stating the obvious:

• All air intakes and exhaust vents must remain unobstructed!

The PC should therefore not be squeezed tightly into a closed desk compartment or directly between pieces of furniture. There must be sufficient space in front of the air intakes and behind the exhaust vents for air to circulate freely.

The rear of the PC should not sit directly against a wall. In addition to the warm exhaust air, the monitor, power, network and USB cables also require some space there.

The same applies to the top of the PC if fans or a radiator are installed there. Warm exhaust air should be able to escape freely rather than being blown directly against a the underside of your desk, or against objects placed on top of the PC, such as figurines, DVD cases or magazines.

Many cases also have removable dust filters on the front, bottom or top.

These should remain easily accessible so that they can be cleaned without much effort later. See also:

• How do I clean my PC's dust filters?

Shall I place it on the desk or on the floor?

Both are perfectly viable. What matters is a stable surface and unobstructed airflow.

Placing the PC on a desk has the additional advantage that it generally draws in less dust from the ground level. If it is placed on the floor, it should preferably not sit directly in a corner of the room, as general air circulation tends to cause more dust to accumulate there.

Do not place it on very soft carpet

Most PC cases have air intakes on the underside. Quite often, this is also where the power supply draws in its cooling air.

On thick carpet, the case feet can sink in and partially or completely block the airflow. A PC should therefore preferably stand on a firm, flat surface.

If the PC has to stand on carpet due to space constraints, we recommend placing it on a solid base that is at least as large as the footprint of the chassis.

Avoid heat sources

The PC should not be placed directly next to a heating radiator or any other strong heat source. A warm, poorly ventilated cabinet is also not a suitable location.

As a general rule, the cooler the air drawn into the system, the easier it is for the cooling system to keep temperatures and fan noise low.

All done!

That completes the initial setup. If the PC starts normally, the monitor is configured correctly and all connected devices are working, the system is ready to use.

What should I do if something's wrong from the start?

In the vast majority of cases, the PC will start exactly as intended after it has been connected. If anything still seems unusual when switching it on for the first time, it is worth taking a moment to assess the situation before reconnecting cables or removing components.

Give the first start some time

Systems with large amounts of memory may perform memory initialisation during the first start. During this process, the screen may initially remain black and the PC may also restart automatically several times. This is particularly relevant if you have installed your own RAM upgrade before putting the system into operation.

As long as fans, lighting or other components are visibly active, give the system some time and do not immediately interrupt the startup process. In some cases, first-boot times of five or even ten minutes are not completely unusual. Please wait patiently.

The PC does not respond at all?

If absolutely nothing happens when you press the power button, first check the basic power supply:

• Is the power cable fully connected to both the PC and the wall socket?
• Is the master switch on the power supply set to "On"?
• Is your power strip switched on?

If the PC still does not start, do not start removing components or reconnecting internal cables at random. We have summarised the next steps here:

• My PC won't start. What should I check first?

The PC is running, but the monitor remains black

If the fans and lighting start but no picture appears, first check the monitor connection again. On a PC with a dedicated graphics card, the monitor cable must be connected directly to the graphics card rather than to a display output on the motherboard.

Also check the following:

• Is the correct input selected on the monitor?
• Is the HDMI or DisplayPort cable fully inserted at both ends?
• If multiple ports are available, try a different port directly on the graphics card.

Further steps:

• My PC seems to start up normally, but I'm not getting a picture on the monitor.

Something sounds or behaves in an usual way

PCs with water cooling contain at minimum one pump, which can produce different sounds depending on the load - particularly if you put your ear directly against the chassis or still have a side panel open. Not every unfamiliar sound immediately indicates a defect.

If the PC has water cooling and the pump is noticeably audible, we have a dedicated article on this:

• The pump in my water cooling system is making noise. Is that normal?

However, if you notice scraping fans, loose parts, unusually strong vibrations or any other obvious symptoms, we recommend first documenting the noise with a short video. If the side panel is open, keep sufficient distance from running fans and other moving components. Then switch off the PC and contact our support team with the video.

Please do not immediately start removing components

With a fully assembled PC, it is normally not sensible to immediately remove and reseat the graphics card, RAM or other components when you encounter the first problem.

Doing so can make subsequent diagnosis more difficult and changes the condition of the system that our support team may first want to assess based on photos, videos or error descriptions.

When in doubt: document the situation and contact support

If the problem cannot be resolved with the basic checks above, it is best to briefly document exactly what happens:

• What happens after you press the power button?
• Does the screen remain black, or does an error message appear?
• Do any diagnostic LEDs or code displays on the motherboard remain illuminated?
• Are there any unusual noises or visible abnormalities?

Photos or a short video can be particularly helpful for mechanical or acoustic problems. The more information we have, the more precisely we can assess which next steps make sense. Further information:

• My PC has a problem. How do I contact support?
• Can I upgrade the PC myself without losing the warranty?
• A RAM module or SSD appears to be faulty. Do I need to send in the whole PC?