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im thinking about buying a core 2 duo but my motherboard website says thats only PCB R2.0(or later version) supports Intel® Core™2 processor so i need to no what version my motherboard is before going out and buying a new cpu, on the front of the motherboard box it says intel core 2 duo(r2.0) but need to b 100% sure so any one know how to get my version my motherboard is
UPDATE* ive just put the cd in that i got with the motherboard then pressed show information about mainboard it says version: 1.x/2.x does this mean it is version R2
check the actual board for rev stamp
ive just opened the tower up and i think i fount the rev stamp it says REV 2.00G is that right?
Should be, what model is your board
P5VDC-MX apparently :)
yeah thats what model it is, it says on the mother board the model then next to it in smaller writing it says REV. 2.00G
Checked the asus site and it confirms rev 2.0
http://www.asus.com/products4.aspx?l...14&modelmenu=1
so you mean my motherboard is a rev 2.0 and does support intel core 2 duo?
Quote:
Originally Posted by slacky1230
I can't guarantee that it is, but from the information from you and the asus site, it looks like it a rev2.0
u might need to do a bios upgrade tho so keep that in mind
Without doubt you are right.Quote:
Originally Posted by d3fiant
It will need a flash!
hold on, let me get my parker.......sorry bad taste I knowQuote:
Originally Posted by Blitzen
is there any risks with bios updates i can use the disk that come with the motherboard it gives me an option to update the bios
there are always risks with bios flashing, its about managing those risks. I have flashed hundreds of devices, not just mobos, and have seen 1 or 2 devices bricked for various reasons. Take some time to read the website of ur mobo manufacturer they will have instructions and recommendations. Nowdays most enthusiast boards give u the ability to flash within windows, its down to personal choice
when i had xp it gave me a choice to do it within windows but now ive gone to vista my xp has been currupt and when i put the disk in it says not suppurted for this os system
not sure exactly what you are saying, if you mean that the bios flashing tool does not support vista then it may be an idea to go to the mobo manf website and look for an update, I'll see if I can find oneQuote:
Originally Posted by slacky1230
Latest Bios Update Tool - states ALL OS's, see how Vista likes it
Latest Bios - latest available bios from the Asus website, includes update for Conroe L support
P5VDC-MX Version 2.0 BIOS 0712 Release
1. Enable support for Conroe L processor
2. Fine tune CPU temperature offset
3. Drop CPU fan low limit to 600RPM when Conroe processor is in use.
Please please make sure u understand the risks involved, while they are minimal the result would be a dead mobo. Make sure if u use the Windows flashing tool that u shut down ALL other apps, even anti virus.
Another Vista concern is UAC (User Access Control), I run with this disabled as its a pain in the arse but it can interfere with admin type actions, this can be temporarily disabled by typing MSCONFIG in the search bar from START and selecting the tools tab and scrolling down to the Disable UAC option, same place for re-enabling it afterwards
Let us know how u get on
well im currently running version 0709 version bios, do i just run the bios utility tool in windows or is there any other things to do? any safety measures to take before flashing the bios, is it nessercary to flash it as it doesnt seem that many versions behind the lastest version
0709 is the initial bios for the rev2.0 and apparently supports Conroe (Core2Duo), the conroe L mentioned above is a low budget single core version of conroe so not a major concern.
I spose the only way to find out is to try a Core2Duo chip, if it works then all is fine, if you have any problems then just flash the bios using the windows-based util I linked to above.
One curious question which I am not sure is that if u r currently using a single core CPU u might be best considering a rebuild once u have ur new CPU , there used to be HAL issues going from single to multicore, not sure if thats the case with Vista
well ill try it 1st im getting a core 2 duo in a couple of weeks so if i have any problems ill pm u if thats alright?
looking more into ur mobo I would have to say that ur current DDR1 memory may limit any performance increase u may see, to be honest I didnt think Conroe worked with DDR, but was DDR2 only, Ill have a read
some Core2duo chips require the 0712 bios, go HERE for the full list
The more I read into this mobo the more I would suggest u consider replacing it if u want to upgrade. The mobo does not support dual channel memory configurations and apparently is very picky about DDR2 modules in single channel. Considering u r using DDR PC2700 I would comment that a Core2Duo would be wasted on this mobo, however obviously you would need to buy both a mobo, new DDR2 and the Core2Duo to correct this which is pricey
I'd agree with d3fiant.. if you are getting a C2D then you aren't doing it justice. You'd be looking at about £260 for a C2D, mobo and 1 gig of DDR2 RAM- maybe get 2 gigs for future purposes and just transfer your hard drive etc into it
well im getting a e6400 which only needs bios 0709 so that will be alright and im going tp upgrade the ram to 2 GB sticks
well im going to get the e6400 and that only needs bios version 0709 so that will be alright also im going to upgrade the ram to 2 GB sticks of DDR2
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=121626
will this ram be alright in my motherboard
That will do the job, however I'm not sure how many of the BIOS options you are allowed to change in order to OC an C2D chip. If you have an extra £120 then I'd recommend a P5B wifi does a nice job with my E4300 :)
i dont really wanna overclock it at the min can some body post how to flash the bios with that bios utility thingy as i want to be sure of what to do before trying it
I dont have an Asus mobo so have not used that util for several years, however they are normaly very straight forward to use. Normally just a case of selecting the bios file that u download before hand and telling it to flash. DO NOT POWER CYCLE DURING FLASH otherwise mobo dead
I still think you should consider replacing ur mobo as I cannot find a memory compatibility chart and the asus forums have a few people bitching about DDR2 modules in that board. If you replace the mobo then get DDR2 800Mhz rather than 533MHz
well i downloaded the utility tool and ran it, a command prompt opened up then closed and then nothing else happened.
right click on it and select run as administrator see if that does anything
actually that is a DOS update program that needs to be done from a boot floppy, my mistake sorry
Update - cannot find a Vista version but try ASUS UPDATE TOOL, INSTRUCTIONS HERE otherwise u need to create a bootable DOS disk and follow the instructions HERE
so what do i need to do put the utility tool on a floppy or the lastest version of the bios?
sorry fella but in my last post check out the linked instructions, they are far better than anything I could write, just hover over the underlined text.
Option 1 - Use the Asus Update Tool within Vista IF IT WORKS
Option 2 - Put the DOS tool on a bootable floppy with the latest bios file
so a core 2 duo and 2 sticks of ddr2 ram should be alright shouldnt it?
the instructions you have posted for the asus windows update tool is instructions of how to make a dos bootable disk and how to flash in dos but i wont need to do this if i use the windows tool will i?
I dont fink anyone here is going to okay that statement conclusively, alot depends on ur mobo, its a little dated and may have issues. That being said personaly having moved from P4 to C2D recently I was very impressed with the upshift in performance and a significant drop in heat generation. My take is that if u can then consider moving to a new mobo soon.
If u lived in the Milton Keynes area I would happily drop my C2D and DDR2 into ur machine to test before u purchase but obviously that depends on location :)
well i live in nottingham so its abit of a distance, ill try the RAM and cpu 1st then if it **** then ill think about getting a new mobo but aint the minute i cant afford all 3. im going to post on the asus forums to see if the ram that im going to get will be alright with my current mobo, when i get the new ram will i have to do any configuring or just slot them in and away i go
no the ram is plug and play fella, the CPU may also be the same, if not u will soon find out ;) Good luck
Note: U cannot us ur existing ram and the new ram at the same time
k thanks for all the help if i have any problems is it ok to pop you a pm
yep, pm is fine but post in here as well as there are quite a few knowledgable peeps around that could also help :)
k thanks alot
do i need to flash the bios for a e6400 as on the site you posted says:
Core 2 Duo E6400 (2.13GHz,1066FSB,L2:2MB,rev.B2) ALL 0709
Core 2 Duo E6400 (2.13GHz,1066FSB,L2:2MB,rev.L2) ALL 0712
im abit scared of doing the bios as i might mess up my motherboard
its not as bad as u fink, onviously depends on the revision of the c2d u buy as to wether or not u have to flash
but they both say e6400 and thats the one im going to be buying but on the site linked it says i need 0709 for one and 0712 for the other and dont no whats the difference between them