Summary

• Update your BIOS before changing settings for better performance and compatibility with modern CPUs. Don't skip this step for a new PC build.
• Enable Secure Boot in BIOS for Windows 10 or 11 to enhance security against malware. It's a must-have feature for modern hardware.
• Adjust RAM speeds in BIOS to maximize performance. Look for XMP or EXPO settings to unlock the full potential of your RAM.

Building your own PC is a rewarding process, and it allows you to learn a little more about the components that go inside the PC's chassis. Once you've sidestepped the common mistakes when building a new PC for the first time, there's one more thing you need to do. Even before installing your operating system, it's time to dive into the BIOS to change a few settings. That way, you have a solid foundation to install the OS and any apps and games, without missing out on any performance improvements.

6 The update process

Update the firmware before changing any settings

While it's true enough that you don't usually have to update your BIOS with every available update, that advice is for already built and running computers. If you're building a brand-new PC, it's often a wise choice to have the latest available BIOS version installed. There are a few reasons for this, but the most important one is to ensure compatibility with the CPU that you picked for your build. Modern motherboards tend to support several generations of processors, and it's entirely possible that the BIOS version on the board won't initially support running the latest CPUs.

In addition to that, there could be essential security updates, improvements to RAM compatibility and speeds, or other expanded features that you'll want to take advantage of. Whatever the reasons, you should do this before changing other settings when you first boot up your new PC. That way, you're starting from a fresh slate when setting up your computer and not introducing potential issues.

5 Secure Boot

Windows 10 or 11, and some Linux users will want this on

Most first-time PC builders will install Windows 11, which sets a few requirements for BIOS features that must be turned on. One of these is Secure Boot, one of the most important security features on modern hardware. It checks all the installed software to ensure it can be trusted before the computer boots up, including UEFI firmware drivers, EFI applications, and the installed operating system. Enabling it helps keep you safe from malware, and it's supported by Windows 10, Windows 11, and some of the major Linux distributions.

If you bought a prebuilt PC or laptop with Windows 11 installed, Secure Boot should already be enabled. If you built your own computer, you'll want to enter the BIOS and find Boot option or Security, which should have the settings for Secure Boot. Set it to Enabled or On if it isn't already, and reboot. The only time you might disable this setting is if you are installing another OS besides Windows 11 on your PC because it might stop you from booting into the second operating system. Some Linux distributions like Ubuntu support Secure Boot, so you can get a dual-boot system working with the feature.

4 Make sure TPM is enabled

If you're installing Windows 11 it's a requirement

Windows 11 brought a whole new set of requirements for PC builders to worry about so they could run the latest operating system. One of those requirements is a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) to be installed and active, so owners of laptops or prebuilts with Windows 11 are already all set. For everyone that built their own computer or perhaps upgraded from earlier versions of Windows, you'll probably need to head into the BIOS and enable the digital TPM. TPM is built into the BIOS on newer motherboards, so you can easily use it. While most motherboards have a TPM socket for a physical module, it's only needed on older machines, so you don't need to worry about that if you're building a PC today.

For those who aren't sure if TPM is enabled, it's time to reboot into BIOS. AMD users want to use the search function (usually F9) to look for TPM 2.0 and enable it. Owners of Intel motherboards will want to search for Intel PTT, or Platform Trust Technology. It's the same thing, just renamed, and once enabled, you're ready to go. If you have to go the physical route, physical TPM devices are fairly inexpensive, but make sure you buy one that says it works with your motherboard's manufacturer, and that it's version 2.0.

3 XMP or EXPO for your RAM

Don't leave performance on the table

If you've just finished building your PC, your BIOS settings are set for a default mix to make that first boot as easy on your hardware as possible. Part of this initial configuration is that your RAM will be set to its default JEDEC profile, which can be pretty different from the performance numbers quoted when you purchased your hardware. Leaving these speeds on the default profile can leave substantial performance on the table, but the good news is that it doesn't take long to rectify.

Boot into your BIOS and look for the section or sections mentioning RAM speeds. Sometimes, this will be in the overclocking section, or it might be on the main page. For Intel systems, you want to look for XMP or A-XMP and try Profile 1 first, because that has the settings your RAM was marketed with. You can try Profile 2 if that has issues, or sometimes you might need to tweak the frequency down a level manually. For AMD systems, look for DOCP, EOCP, or possibly EXPO if you have a recent AM5 motherboard.

2 Change fan curves

Your hardware temperatures (and your ears!) will thank you

Like everything else in the BIOS defaults, the cooling curve for your fans isn't optimized. That includes the fans helping lower your CPU's temperature and also the case fans that supply airflow to every component. It's important to change the fan curve not only for temperature goals but also to get the noise profile you want. If you're always gaming with active noise-canceling headphones, having the fans ramp up to high speeds might not be terrible. Or, if you prefer silence, you might want to set the curve to more of a flat line so that your fan noise is always the same. Some fans make annoying sounds at particular speeds, so you can experiment to find where your fans get irritating, then set them to never stay at that speed.

1 Enable Resizable BAR

Get better gaming performance with a click

Modern motherboards have advanced features that speed up communication between hardware components. One of those is Resizable BAR, which improves gaming performance by improving the flow of information between the CPU and GPU. That means a few more FPS, even from the best graphics cards, which is always a nice bonus. Before this feature, CPUs could only access the VRAM on the GPU in 256MB chunks at a time. That was fine when GPUs only had that much VRAM in total, but nowadays, you could have up to 24GB of VRAM. With this enabled, it can read the entire VRAM allocation, which could gain up to 12% of performance on Nvidia cards and 15% on AMD cards, although those are best-case estimates.

In your BIOS, the setting to toggle for Resizable BAR might be on the main page, or it could be on the PCIe Subsystem Settings page, or somewhere else. Search for Resizable BAR, or Smart Access Memory (SAM) if you have an AMD motherboard. It should be a single toggle to enable, and you can get a decent performance boost for just a few seconds of work.

Now your BIOS is taken care of, it's time to game

Once you've tweaked the settings in your BIOS for peak performance, it's time to get on to the real work - deciding what to play. The good news is, whatever you decide, you can be sure that your BIOS and your hardware will give you every last frame it can. Enjoy using your new PC, knowing that you won't have to dive into your BIOS settings again for some time.