[dzacbbb]

WELL...I was looking at http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819115043

But not it's "Currently Unavailable"

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I e-mailed abit regarding...

Core 2 Quad Q8200 1333 All 一 Test
Core 2 Quad Q9400 1333 All 一 Test

...to see what this "Test" thing is about. I will let you know what they say...

Edited by dzacbbb, 10 March 2010 - 10:55 AM.

[dzacbbb]

I e-mailed abit regarding...

Core 2 Quad Q8200 1333 All 一 Test
Core 2 Quad Q9400 1333 All 一 Test

...to see what this "Test" thing is about. I will let you know what they say...

Edited by dzacbbb, 10 March 2010 - 10:55 AM.

[Ferrari]

Sounds good, lets be sure this time.

[dzacbbb]

Gooood Morning!

So my RMA was approved and I have been applied store credit

abit has yet to get back to me or even send a confirmation e-mail saying they will...

Should be able to purchase a new CPU next week

Edited by dzacbbb, 11 March 2010 - 01:05 PM.

[dzacbbb]

Good morning!

I received the replacement CPU yesterday. Intel Quad Core Q9550 which is on the list for my mobo. I installed and my CPU did the same thing as the CPU that wasn’t compatible with my mobo.

So here’s what I am thinking...

On the list you provided it says bios version "15" and I currently have "11" so I am thinking that once I update my bios it will recognize the CPU as compatible.

So I have a few questions to go with that...

1. Do you think this is the cause?
2. Should I update to BIOS version 15? Or the most current version "18"?
3. Any tips besides their directions?

I was checking out this site I think I am going to download the version they are saying will work... http://forums.anandt...ad.php?t=312853

Thanks in advance,

danieL

Edited by dzacbbb, 16 March 2010 - 12:10 PM.

[Ferrari]

Grrrr...

Yes, not having the BIOS Version that supports the CPU will definitely cause problems. It means it's pretty much incompatible until you flash the BIOS to the newer version. 15-18. What upsets me is that every processor on that list provided by ABIT lists BIOS 15 so I assumed that no flash would be needed when confirming compatibility. It even lists old Pentium 4 processors as 15! I'm mad at ABIT ...it's not very good documentation on their part.

So yes, flash the BIOS to at least 15. I've honestly never done it, so I'd say just follow the instructions that worked for the posters in the link you provided. I'd recommend researching how to do it if you have any questions. It can be a bit risky. If you screw up your motherboard is worthless, but I've been told that newer modern boards flash BIOS's fairly easily and have many safe guards.

[dzacbbb]

Looking on youtube it look pretty simple.

Instructions for abit http://www.abit.com....oad/guide.php#4

Steps 4 & 5 confuse me though. I do not know what they mean by 4a 4b blah blah...

I formated a system boot floppy and am not sure what I should be extracting onto it...

[Ferrari]

Well, you have an AwardBIOS according to the pictures you took of your BIOS earlier in this topic. So you follow this one...

The case of AWARD BIOS

Example: In Windows, BIOS file of AB9: "AB914.ZIP"

4.a) Please double click AB914.ZIP file.
4.b) The self-extract file extract the .BIN file only..
4.c) The self-extract file extract 5 files which including AB9_14.txt, AB9_14.BIN, awdflash.exe, abitfae.bat and runme.bat.

I think 4a you double click the .zip file. 4b you extract the contents of the .BIN file, and 4c you extract 5 files of AB9_14.txt, AB9_14.BIN, awdflash.exe, abitfae.bat and runme.bat. Where 14 is will probably be 15 or 18 for you.

But then it says...

5.a) If the bios file extracted in step.4 contains the .BIN file only (step 4.b), you may need copy 2 files to floppy. The first is the BIOS flash utility " awdflash.exe " and the other is the decompressed BIOS binary file (from step 4 ).
5.b) If the bios file extracted in step.5 contains 5 files (step 4.c), copy all files to the floppy disk.

So it seems you may only do either 4b or 4c depending on exactly what the download contains.

And notice it goes on to say this for the AwardBIOS... (refering to which steps you needed to take, 4b or 4c.)

After booting from the floppy, flash the BIOS in pure DOS mode by following instructions:

The case of AWARD BIOS

If the self-extract file in step.4 extracts the .BIN file only (step 4.b, 5.a) , excute awdflash.exe by this way please.

A:\>awdflash AB9_14.BIN /py /sn /cd /cp /cc /cks /R

Otherwise the self-extract file should extract 5 files which including runme.bat (step 4.c, 5.b). Just execute runme.bat by typing "runme" and enter.

And by the way, I think you extract these onto the floppy disc because you will be booting to the floppy. See?

Hope that helps.

[dzacbbb]

It says to make a bootable floppy disc and add the files...

All the files wont fit so I am guessing I use 2 floppys?

This is way above my pay grade lol...I might need to track down some computer buddies for help...

[Ferrari]

Yeah, I would if I were you. Flashing the BIOS is risky, you don't want to mess that up.

[dzacbbb]

Good morning,

Yesterday I decided that I started this and I was going to finish it! I upgraded my mobo BIOS to version 17 turned on CPU and it ran fine. Powered down and installed the new CPU(Intel Quad Core Q9550) once again. Powered it up and my system booted!! So I looked at temps in BIOS and I am registering at 98’c! So I powered down and reapplied thermal paste as well as checked made sure fan was nice and tight. When I turned back on it was still registering 98’c(Grrrr) So I disabled the auto shut off and it let me boot into windows. Core Temp showed I was at 38c and the other program registered at 98'c. So I downloaded the 3rd party BIOS that were recommended here http://hardforum.com...d.php?t=1435880 , flashed it and BAM everything is working perfect. FYI this is a trend with the IP35-e and Quad core CPU's. Here is a link to the BIOS that worked. http://www.abitshop.eu/bios/m630a.bin I downloaded the BIOS from abit.com and replaced the bin files. Everything we have went through made the final far more rewarding. I am glad I decided to give it a try and have really learned a LOT from you Ferrari as well as from my trials and tribulations.

Thanks again sir!

Edited by dzacbbb, 19 March 2010 - 11:12 AM.

[Ferrari]

Awesome!!!!

You Sir, have some potential. You did a lot and I'm very impressed at how you continued to research things as you went along. Even the most experienced geeks must do that. I do it everyday. Very well done.

Is your game play any better? Here is my canned speech for benchmarking... (some may not apply)

Now that the computer is built, here are a bunch of free programs for benchmarking your computer. You can run these on your old computer or a friend's computer to compare. Also, you can go online and see what other geeks computers are benchmarking at with similar or better hardware.

• Cinebench R10 is a popular one for benchmarking. When you click on "(rendering xcpu)" how many seconds does it take to load the image? Mine takes 56 seconds with 8 logical processors... your processor has 4 logical processors.
• 3D Mark Vantage is another one. The free version is a one time run and you have to give them your email address to get the trial key. I scored P5357 3D Marks, 31159 CPU score, and 4198 graphics score.
• PC Wizard 2010 is an excellent System Tool that shows you temperatures, fan speeds, all of your hardware, and more. (If you do a custom install, keep the "web updates" as your hardware is so new... it may not even be fully recognized by PC Wizard 2010 yet)
• CPU-Z is a useful utility to see ALL of your CPU info. What does the QPI or FSB in mhz register? Let me know. My QPI is 2388mhz, about 2 times faster than a core 2 duo or core 2 quad with a FSB of 1333mhz.
• HD Tune will benchmark your hard drive. The higher the mb/s the better.
• Speedtest.net Click on different cities to see if you internet is the speed you pay for.
• Another real world test is open 5 programs right in a row (all at once) and if your computer handles this fairly well... Some computers would die.
• Also Windows 7 (as does Vista) has an assessment score it gives. Do this: Click start (windows logo), click Control Panel, Click Performance Information and Tools. What is your score for each component? You may need to run the "assessment test" for the first time to find out. My scores are: Processor 7.4, Memory 5.9(I only have 3gigs), Graphics 6.8, gaming graphics 6.8, Primary hard disk, 5.9.

You can go HERE and download the latest DirectX for your computer.

[dzacbbb]

I have some of those programs I will download the rest tonight or tomorrow and update.

As far as the Speedtest I work for my ISP so thats one thing I am really familar with

One thing that concerned my was I downloaded a Intel stress test and my core temps shot up quite a bit. at one point they got to 69'c... I might be purchasing a new heat sink next check...

I am thinking I should be going to Windows 64 bit too if I can find a copy at work. I have 32 now and not all of my RAM is showing up. I have 4gigs and it only registers 3.2...Thoughts?

Edited by dzacbbb, 19 March 2010 - 12:01 PM.

[Ferrari]

at one point they got to 69'c...

That sounds about right for a stock heatsink when stressed tested. A aftermarket heatsink will help drop that some. A very affordable one, and the same one I use is the Dark Knight by Xigmatek. I'm very happy with it. They invented the direct touch heatpipe technology. HERE It requires a back plate, but most after market ones will.

I have 32 now and not all of my RAM is showing up. I have 4gigs and it only registers 3.2...Thoughts?

A 32bit OS will only allow you to see and use about 3.2-3.5gb of RAM. A 64bit OS allows you to see more, I think the max is something like 120gb or so. So upgrading to a 64bit will let you have all your RAM. Just an FYI... 64bit OS's are much more common than they used to be and work very well. The problems with them in the past don't really exist anymore unless you are using extremely old programs (legacy) that still have some 16bit code left in the programs files.

[dzacbbb]

Yeah the old Cooler Master I had had the back plate(Which I LOVE) compared to messing with those stupid pins on the stock Intel ones.