Less expert users always have a lot of doubts about what to do and what not to do with their PC when it comes to changing any component. It is always better to err on the side of caution rather than daring, especially when it comes to a GPU, because what should you keep in mind after installing a graphics card ? Is there something really important that we should know?
First of all we are going to assume that we have removed the graphics card from the PC and we are going to install or have already installed the new one. But in case you have not already done so, the ideal would be to use DDU before removing it, since it has a specific option for this type of case.
Likewise, there are a series of guidelines to follow if we want everything to go correctly.
What to do after installing a new graphics card?
The answer should be short and brief: enjoy it, but unfortunately this is not so simple on many occasions, although with the four sections that we are going to see there should be no complications.
First of all, you have to make sure that the installation is done correctly. Although it may seem like it, many times the card does not finish fitting well in the PCIe slot, so make sure that it is fully inserted and that the card is completely straight, if possible using some rear bracket or reinforce, so we will not have too much pressure on the connector and the card will not buckle either.
With this in mind, the next step is to check that the PCIe power connectors for the GPU are connected (as long as the graphics card is clear on them). It will not be the first or the last that does not finish firmly pressing the connector to its end and the card either does not show the image or ends with a worrying burning smell. Remember that the connectors only have one posture and that the 8-pin connector of the PSU should not be confused with the 8-pin connector for the GPU.
Software is as important as hardware
If you have not uninstalled the drivers with DDU, it is a good time to do it. As we saw in our manual, it is prepared for both the option to uninstall the driver and remove the GPU, and to uninstall the driver and restart. Before this, it is convenient to have downloaded the new driver and in both cases do not forget to disable the network card to prevent Windows from downloading a driver from its repository, since in that case you would have to start over.
Once in Windows and after installing said driver, we will enable the network card and restart the PC, after which and seeing in the Windows device manager that everything is correct, we will proceed to uninstall the software that owns the card if necessary.
Normally it is not, since, at most, the software should detect that if the graphics card is from a different brand, it should not enable certain sections, such as lighting and some other exclusive control or monitoring. This happens a lot with EVGA X1 or ASUS GPU Tweak II and less with Afterburner .
If we did not have pre-installed proprietary software, it may be advisable to install the one that corresponds to our card, because as we say, it may have some specific option that is interesting. After this, everything should work correctly and the first time after installing our graphics card.