What to install after a fresh Windows reinstall?

A

Arvind

Member
Hello.
I had to reinstall Windows 11 a couple of days ago. I did it via the "keep my files" option, so my documents were safe. I have since reinstalled all my programs, but I'm not sure about any of the software that came preinstalled when I bought my PC. The ones I remember were "iCUE", something like "Armoury Crate/ASUS ROG/AI Suite", and "NVIDIA GeForce Experience".
The only ones I think I ever used were AI Suite and the NVIDIA ones, but that was purely just to update drivers - I never changed any of the fan settings or anything. I didn't get any other DVD with my PC other than one which says "ROG STRIX". X570-E/X570F Gaming".
Are all the software I mentioned essential? I don't really want to clog my PC up with things I'm never going to use. If they are essential, where can I download them from? I don't want to install the wrong ones and mess up my PC even more!

Here is my spec (received 12th Jan 2022): -

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Speakers
LOGITECH Z313 2.1 SILVER/BLACK SPEAKER SYSTEM
Cable Management
3 x PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

Thank you.
P.S. Where do I get the "Windows 11 Recovery Image" from? It says "Online Account", but I don't know where!
 
T

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
For the system image, if you go to your account page, then Tech Support button, you'll see a drop-down for [NEW MESSAGE] and [DOWNLOAD]. I don't know if this is the best option, or has the latest version, but this is just to show where it is on your account page.

Select [DOWNLOAD] and you'll be presented the options below:
2022-09-13_14-42-02.jpg
 
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B4zookaw

B4zookaw

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Don't install crate if you don't use it, it's unnecessary. You'll need iCUE to control your CPU cooler, and Geforce to update GPU drivers. Download these from Corsair and Nvida direct to get the latest versions.
 
D

DarkPaladin

Enthusiast
Whenever I reinstall Windows, I typically do the following:
  1. Download Windows Media Creation Tool
  2. Install the software to a USB
  3. Change the boot order to the USB
  4. Format all drives/partitions
  5. Install Windows 11 from the USB to the fastest drive (typically Samsung)
Once that's completed, I then do the following:
  1. Let Windows update the PC (takes a few hours for downloads + restarts)
  2. Check my motherboard vendor for potential updates and install the chipset etc.
  3. Download the usual software such as Chrome, Steam, HWInfo64, Samsung Magician
  4. Go to NVIDIA and download the newest GPU drivers directly from their site
  5. Once all of this has finished, I'll then check for updates one more time just in case I've missed something
  6. I'll then go through the Windows settings to enable/disable settings that either don't improve anything or hinder performance (e.g. OneDrive)
  7. Once everything has been installed, I'll then disable the unnecessary startup items (e.g. Steam, OneDrive, Teams)
In terms of software, I usually install the following (ignoring game clients such as Steam here):
When it comes to optimising performance in games, you should do the following:
  1. Install the NVIDIA Drivers
  2. Open NVIDIA Control Panel
  3. Configure Surround, PhysX processor to your GPU (RTX 3060)
  4. Manage 3D Settings
  5. Click program settings
  6. Click the "Add" button on program to customise
  7. For the games you need the most performance from, turn on power management mode to "prefer maximum performance", and texture filtering quality to "high performance"
  8. If you're playing a new game and your monitor refresh rate is 144hz, you could individually cap each game's max frame rates to 144fps in the control panel. This limits performance to your monitor's maximum refresh rate while reducing potential GPU heat/power
  9. If you're playing older/less intensive games, I'd leave them at default
  10. Windows settings > System > Display > Graphics > Default graphics settings > Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling "on"
Lastly, I would personally advise against installing Armoury Crate and (less so iCUE unless you want to change RGB lighting). These 2 use a lot of system resources and can be better utilised by using MSI Afterburner for GPU fan profiles and your BIOS Q-Fan settings for the CPU fan profiles.
 
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