HELP SHEET FOR NEW PC'S with tips for existing PC's
If you can not view this page try downloading the PDF
and download the PDF for Headphones here
or download here setup
When you contact us please have your warranty code which is on the back of your PC.
Summary
Thank you for your recent PC purchase - we appreciate that you have a lot of choice in places to buy and we want you to know that we are there for you after purchase as well.
With this in mind we have created this little guide to help you get the most out of your system. Whilst a lot of customers are experienced with computers and may find this guide too simplified we know that there are also a lot of our customers who are first time buyers and may not know the complexities of a gaming computer.
Unlike an Xbox or PS4, a PC settings and configurations are very customisable. Depending on the level of customisation that you have purchased i.e. budget (£299 and under), mid range (£300-700) or high end (£700 +) will determine the range of games that you can play comfortably. All games are not equal in their demands and each one will have it’s own settings, i.e. low, medium high or ultra.
Some games will automatically detect your hardware and set themselves at the optimal for your hardware. However not all games do this and some games may require adjustments in the video card settings to get the game to run smoothly, and this is especially important on budget systems.
Settings
The budget system will allow you to run simpler games like Minecraft, Warcraft, Roblox etc but some more advanced first person shooter games like Battlefield, Call of Duty and Fall out 4 etc usually have to be set from low to medium if you want a high FPS (frames per second). We suggest you start low and tweak the settings until you find the best settings for playability.
If you have difficulties setting optimally we are here to help regarding the settings on the pc. If you require game specific support you are often better to contact the games manufacturers who know their game a lot better than we would.
Christmas Opening
If you have purchased a Computer for Christmas please bear in mind that our opening hours over Christmas will not be our regular times. As our staff also want to spend with their families they may not be able to respond to emails or facebook messages at all on Christmas Day.
With this in mind we strongly recommend that if you have purchased a PC as a Christmas present you plug it in and check that it is running as expected prior to Christmas day. This way we will allow time for any minor issues to be ironed out. If you do have any problems then please contact us at least a few days before so that we can give you our help.
Please bear in mind also that most games come from online stores such as Steam or Origin, and once you have paid for your games you will need to download them before you can play. On some internet connections this could take over a day or so.
CHECK LIST
1. Internet – Not all PCs come with built in wireless. If you have wireless this may be an internal card at the back that came with aerials which you may need to connect. Or you may have a small USB wireless dongle in one of your USB ports. If you do have wireless then you should have an icon at the bottom right of your desktop screen, you need to click on this, choose your connection and add the code from the back of your router.
If you are finding that your wireless signal is not very strong then you could be too far from your router. In this case you can purchase a Powerline HomePlug which will enable you to increase the range of your wireless via your electrical system in your home, be advised though that you need to connect these direct into a power socket and not use with a 4-way adapter.
If you have an internal wireless card with antenna then you need to angle the aerials. The best reception is normally when the antennas are aligned to the antennas on the router or perpendicular to the router.
Most modern routers have a choice of connections, 2.4GHz or 5GHz. The faster connection is the 5GHz and this signal is best used when your router is close to your PC where the 2.4GHz works best if your signal needs to go through walls or floors.
2. CD/DVD Drive – Most of our new cases do not come with a DVD drive or have a bay to fit one. This is because most games and movies are now purchased online and downloaded. If you need a DVD then we sell an external DVD drive for £25.3. Connection – All of the USB ports are equal so it doesn't matter if you use the ones at the front or the back of the tower. The same goes for the audio ports (mic and headphones)
If your microphone doesn't work in Discord then make sure that you have set it up in Windows, click on the search and type Microphone and follow the set up instructions. Often the mic on built in headphones are not very sensitive so set it up in windows with the mic as close to your mouth as you can.
Please check that you have enough cables. You should have a mains cable for the tower, a mains and video cable for your Monitor.
If you are connecting to an existing monitor then please check that it has the corresponding input. Some new graphics cards have MINI HDMI instead of the normal sized HDMI on a TV so if you are connecting to a screen please check that you have the correct cable. Check out the image for cables you may need to connect.
If you are getting an error of ‘No Signal’ from the monitor make sure that you have connected your cable to the graphics card and not to the onboard output as this is disabled if you have a dedicated gaming card. The VGA port is no longer available on the majority of gaming cards with a number higher than a 7xx ( for example 1030 etc) on these you must use a DVI, HDMI or Display Port cable.
4. Keyboard – The keyboard that you have may have a backlight to illuminate the keys, if so then you often need to tap a button or sequence of buttons to activate or change the colour.
The most common buttons are either the SCROLL LOCK button or the PAUSE BUTTON. Some brands will need you to press the FN button (normally near the space bar) at the same time as the SCROLL LOCK or PAUSE button. If your keyboard will show multiple colours then tapping repeatedly will change the colour and then turn the lights off. Most keyboards will have a little icon of a light bulb or sunshine on the key that you need to press. The MS120 deskset needs you to press the FN and the F5 key together.
If you find that your keyboard has the @ symbol on the number 2 key then you may have a US layout. All of the other keys are the same so it won't cause any issues other than the @ and the " being on different keys.
5.Games – Most games come online from Steam or Origin and you will need to create an account to use these. Please bear in mind that many games can take hours or days to download so you may want to try to download these in advance of Christmas day or Birthdays.
6. SOUND – If you have headphones then some models need you to connect multiple connections for example a USB, a microphone and a headphone wire. If you are not getting any sound check that the headphones do not have a volume on which is often switched to OFF or very low when shipped. As most monitors do not have speakers built in you will need to connect either speakers or headphones to get sound. If you are getting just sound or just the microphone to work then make sure that your headset has a separate wire to connect the headphones and the microphone. Cables that have just one wire will not work on a gaming PC.
If you are having issues with a microphone then first check that you have the correct type of headset and that you have gone through the information on the sheet provided with the pc - you can find a copy here
If you have checked with windows that the microphone works and you are having issues with Discord then help can be found here
7. TEMPERED GLASS CASES with Remote control – Please check that you have removed the film from the glass panels as they can look scratched but this is just the protective film. If you have a remote to change the colour of the fans then check that the sensor eye hasn't moved in transit. The eye is located just behind the glass on the front panel and can move in transit so if you are having difficulty with it reading the remote start from very close to the sensor and gradually move away. You won’t need to change the batteries in the remote as we check this before dispatch. It will be just that you are too far or not in alignment with the sensor.
8. CREATE A RECOVERY USB – Windows 10 has a built in recovery tool which you should use when you first acquire a PC or Laptop.
A recovery drive can help you troubleshoot and fix problems with your PC, even if it won’t start. To create one, all you need is a USB drive.
From the taskbar, search for Create a recovery drive and then select it. You might be asked to enter an admin password or confirm your choice.
When the tool opens, make sure Back up system files to the recovery drive is selected and then select Next.
Connect a USB drive to your PC, select it, and then select Next > Create. A lot of files need to be copied to the recovery drive, so this might take a while.
9. HOW TO RESET WINDOWS - If you are having issues like windows restarting then often a reset can fix this. You can do this from within Windows by pressing the search and looking for 'Reset this PC' then just follow the instructions.
If you can not load into windows then you can reset by going through the Troubleshooting. To access this, power on the PC until you get the Windows Logo then power the PC down completely. Do this 3 times and then your computer will load the troubleshooting. You can reset retaining your information or reset completely to factory settings if you don't have anything to save.
Thank you for reading all of this as we really do hope that by going through all the checks in advance and downloading games you can avoid any minor issues.
If you have further questions please email – customercare@ac-technology.co.uk