First boot on a new gaming PC: BIOS, drivers and Windows
The parts are in and the side panel is off: what to check before power-on, the BIOS settings to change, installing Windows 11 and the driver order.
Dept. 01 of 08
PC Builds
Complete gaming PCs at fixed Canadian-dollar budgets, from a first build to an upgrade, for members who would rather build than buy.
3 articles
A build is a budget turned into a parts list, and what was given up for it. The Build Sheet, our three priced parts lists, lives here. Start with Prebuilt vs custom gaming PC in Canada: which costs less?, then First boot on a new gaming PC: BIOS, drivers and Windows; for the PC you own, What to upgrade first on your gaming PC, and how to tell.
In this section
- Builds by budget tier
- First builds for beginners
- Small form factor builds
- Upgrading an old PC
- Prebuilt versus self-built
- Prebuilt gaming PCs sold in Canada
- Assembly step by step
- BIOS, drivers and first boot
- Cable management and airflow
- Build mistakes and fixes
- Builds for specific games and resolutions
The articles 3 articles in PC Builds, newest first
Prebuilt vs custom gaming PC in Canada: which costs less?
Our $2,000 Build Sheet priced against the prebuilts Best Buy and Costco.ca sell this month, with Windows, warranties and spec sheets counted in.
What to upgrade first on your gaming PC, and how to tell
A ten-minute check with free tools shows what your PC is waiting on. Then the order to upgrade in, the compatibility traps and Canadian prices.
