Which Drivers Do I Install?

Technology and Gaming
#1

Hey guys,

My new computer parts should be arriving in a day or two. But I’ve never done this before and I need a quick list of drivers. I already downloaded some but I need to know if that’s all I need. Here’s what I have:

Motherboard:

-Chipset
-VGA
-USB
-LAN
-Audio

GPU:

  • AMD Catalyst Driver Suite

So should this do it? And another question about the GPU. Do the drivers support multiple cards? For instance, the link to the download page said it was for the 7,000, 6,000, and 5,000 GPU’s and my GPU is a 7870. So am I correct in assuming that they support multiple cards?

Thanks!

#2

You motherboard should come with all the necessary drivers CD. As for the GPU, yeah, a single driver supports all the cards, just make sure to download the latest version appropriate for you operating system and pay attention to whether you’re getting 32 bit or 64 bit drivers.

#3

Yeah, but isn’t it usually recommended to download the latest from the manufacturer’s website beforehand?

#4

updating your motherboard is hardly essential, while it is nice, it’s not the top of your list. I’d say graphics card is your only real worry and like Maxey said, they come pretty neatly packaged.

#5

Actually, you may not even need the CD at all, since Windows 7 comes with most of the necessary drivers for the motherboard.

But yeah, it wouldn’t hurt to get the latest drivers from the motherboard’s manufacturer site.

#6

How about you post what hardware you have then we will actually know what driver is needed.

#7

No, he needs to do this by himself.

#8

No. I better help him and tell him he should also install the RTRD drivers or the IDT drivers.

#9

and the wtf drivers and the stfu ones too?

#10

it goes like this, open devmgmt.msc and check for drivers with the question mark icon, if it says unknown device, probably the chipset, otherwise it’s pretty clear like Standard VGA Controller, Ethernet Controller, Multimedia Audio Controller, Imaging Device, etc.

If your PC is brand new built from scratch, sometimes it can’t go to standby, it’s usually the drivers, but could also be in power options in the BIOS, or in Windows disable “allow USB wake from sleep”.

#11

So should I use the CD or downloaded ones?

#12

Start with the cd so everything works as it is supposed to out of the box. Then visit your motherboard manufacturer’s website, and update the drivers if they are any available. Motherboard drivers aside, update your video card drivers as well, paying close attention to what Maxey said, and after that you should be all set as far as drivers are concerned.

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