AMD San diego Might be a problem

[buzz_lips]

Hi all,

Just got off the phone with Scan computers (UK). I asked them if the AMD San Diego CPU would work with the Asus A8N-SLi (Standard). They said that the mobo would need a bios update. (fair enough) but.......... i asked how am i supposed to do a bios update if i cant get my cpu (san diego) to work with that mobo???? He said i looks like to be a bit of a catch 22 situation!!!!! arghhhh!!!!

What should i do guys? Should i buy the San Diego or go with the 3800 venice? Is there going to be that much difference with the 512 cache vs the 1mb? Or can anyone advise me on what to do if i was to buy the San Diego cpu? OR EVEN BETTER is anyone using the San diego cpu with this mobo?

Cheers all.

Darren

Have you not emailed tech support at Asus? With my epox board you didn't neccessarily have to have the bios flashed. The chip would still work but on POST it might come up with AMD Athlon XXXXX instead of the true model no. If you can get the San Diego it rocks i'm @ 2.8 on stock volts lol other people on water are surpassing 3gig easy

[ozzyo99]

Indeed i've seen bench's of people with 3250mhz on air @ 1.7v

[prehensile]

No offence, but those are mostly lightweight ways of doing it. if you want to be a brazen power user, you have to hot flash it. kind of like changing the wheel on a car.

Get the computer you're using at the moment and see if the motherboard uses a standard BIOS chip.
boot the computer so that the BIOS chip is accessible, once msdos/Windows is running, fish out the first BIOS chip with a plastic toothpick and replace it with the BIOS chip from your new motherboard. Flash this BIOS chip with the right BIOS, switch off and change the chips round again.
I had to reflash my motherboard about 12 times like this last year thanks to abit reliability and it's really really easy. the BIOS chip is kind of like a memory card. there's plenty of guides on the net, the only important thing is allegedly using a nonconductive metal pin covered in sticky tape to safely slot the BIOS chip in and out.
anyone going to bash me on the head about this, are there any drawbacks?

[ozzyo99]

Yer electrocution

[Rave]

One drawback of hotflashing I discovered was that if you're incompetent and put the chip in back to front it gets very hot very quickly and then dies.

[prehensile]

If you put on your girlfriend back to front that is understandable, she also gets very hot very quickly and then dies, but a BIOS chip is different, one of the edges is notched, so it's rather like putting on a processor backwards. How is it possible?

Electrocution? meteorite strike?

[KnightWhoSaysNi]

The notch is an indication, it doesn't stop you putting it in the wrong way. Been there, got the puff of magic smoke.

[nvening]

plastic toothpic or wood coctail stick would be better

[derthballs]

if you buy a DFI board - you get a bios chip removal tool with the board - which i thought was quite nice of them

[iMc]

How do you know if BIOs chips on different motherboards are compatable for hot flashing?