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WannaKatana
Guest
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 Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:09 am Post subject: GA-965G-DS3 different versions? |
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I see different versions of this motherboard. Some of the online
retailers have great prices but don't tell the version. What is the
difference between the versions? I thought it was just the BIOS
version but I've been told it's more than that.
Thanks,
Joel |
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Barry Watzman
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 10:00 am Post subject: Re: GA-965G-DS3 different versions? |
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The differences are greater than just the bios. I know that the Vcore
power supply had been beefed up to support quad-core CPUs in the later
versions, and the sound chip was changed to a later (and better, but
completely compatible) model. I'm not sure of all of the changes,
however. There are several 1.x models, plus at least a 2.0 and 3.0
model, and perhaps other 2.x and 3.x models. However, in the worst
case, 1.0 (which I have) is still fine for Core 2 Duo E6600.
WannaKatana wrote:
| Quote: | I see different versions of this motherboard. Some of the online
retailers have great prices but don't tell the version. What is the
difference between the versions? I thought it was just the BIOS
version but I've been told it's more than that.
Thanks,
Joel
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Phil, Non-Squid
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 1:03 am Post subject: Re: GA-965G-DS3 different versions? |
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Barry Watzman wrote:
| Quote: | The differences are greater than just the bios. I know that the Vcore
power supply had been beefed up to support quad-core CPUs in the later
versions, and the sound chip was changed to a later (and better, but
completely compatible) model. I'm not sure of all of the changes,
however. There are several 1.x models, plus at least a 2.0 and 3.0
model, and perhaps other 2.x and 3.x models. However, in the worst
case, 1.0 (which I have) is still fine for Core 2 Duo E6600.
WannaKatana wrote:
I see different versions of this motherboard. Some of the online
retailers have great prices but don't tell the version. What is the
difference between the versions? I thought it was just the BIOS
version but I've been told it's more than that.
Thanks,
Joel
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From what I've read, they're all good boards and there isn't a real reason
to pay different prices. I just got my Rev 1 in and will try it out later
this week since the C2D bulk price dropped today.
--
Phil |
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Barry Watzman
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 1:03 am Post subject: Re: GA-965G-DS3 different versions? |
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The version 1 boards (any of them) are fine for Core 2 Duo dual core
processors, but may not support quad-core processors.
Phil, Non-Squid wrote:
| Quote: | Barry Watzman wrote:
The differences are greater than just the bios. I know that the Vcore
power supply had been beefed up to support quad-core CPUs in the later
versions, and the sound chip was changed to a later (and better, but
completely compatible) model. I'm not sure of all of the changes,
however. There are several 1.x models, plus at least a 2.0 and 3.0
model, and perhaps other 2.x and 3.x models. However, in the worst
case, 1.0 (which I have) is still fine for Core 2 Duo E6600.
WannaKatana wrote:
I see different versions of this motherboard. Some of the online
retailers have great prices but don't tell the version. What is the
difference between the versions? I thought it was just the BIOS
version but I've been told it's more than that.
Thanks,
Joel
From what I've read, they're all good boards and there isn't a real reason
to pay different prices. I just got my Rev 1 in and will try it out later
this week since the C2D bulk price dropped today. |
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Bill
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:46 am Post subject: Re: GA-965G-DS3 different versions? |
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I have a version 1 board, and I am running the F4 BIOS. Can the newer
bios's be used with the version 1 board, and do you think there is any
advantage is upgrading the bios For the next few weeks I can't afford to
take the risk of a system failure, so I'm going to wait (until school is
out) to upgrade.
Thank you,
Bill |
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Barry Watzman
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:53 am Post subject: Re: GA-965G-DS3 different versions? |
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Yes, the bios' are all compatible, I'm running F9 on a version 1 board.
You really should update, there were SERIOUS problems with the early
BIOS' for these boards. In fact, many, many people with pre-F5 BIOS'
had to return them due to memory incompatibility issues.
Bill wrote:
| Quote: | I have a version 1 board, and I am running the F4 BIOS. Can the newer
bios's be used with the version 1 board, and do you think there is any
advantage is upgrading the bios For the next few weeks I can't afford to
take the risk of a system failure, so I'm going to wait (until school is
out) to upgrade.
Thank you,
Bill
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Barry Watzman
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:57 am Post subject: Re: GA-965G-DS3 different versions? |
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By the way, after you update the bios, you will probably have an
"unidentified item" in device manager. It will do no harm, but
installing the "HECI" driver will make it go away. [HECI = Host
Embedded Controller Interface]
Bill wrote:
| Quote: | I have a version 1 board, and I am running the F4 BIOS. Can the newer
bios's be used with the version 1 board, and do you think there is any
advantage is upgrading the bios For the next few weeks I can't afford to
take the risk of a system failure, so I'm going to wait (until school is
out) to upgrade.
Thank you,
Bill
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Bill
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 12:27 am Post subject: Re: GA-965G-DS3 different versions? |
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"Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:462eded2$0$27111$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
| Quote: | Yes, the bios' are all compatible, I'm running F9 on a version 1 board.
You really should update, there were SERIOUS problems with the early BIOS'
for these boards. In fact, many, many people with pre-F5 BIOS' had to
return them due to memory incompatibility issues.
|
Thank you for your help! Of course, I was one of the people who read the
MB manual before I bought anything and bought 1.8v memory for fear that I
would not have been able to boot otherwise. Do you think it's safe to go
straight from F4 to F9, or is taking "smaller steps" still good advise to
follow? I am guessing that any bios change could potentially cause an
OS-hardware compatibility problem, since drivers rely on the bios. Is this
line of thinking correct? Thank you also for letting me know about HECI (in
your other post)!
-Bill
| Quote: |
Bill wrote:
I have a version 1 board, and I am running the F4 BIOS. Can the newer
bios's be used with the version 1 board, and do you think there is any
advantage is upgrading the bios For the next few weeks I can't afford to
take the risk of a system failure, so I'm going to wait (until school is
out) to upgrade.
Thank you,
Bill |
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Barry Watzman
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 7:35 am Post subject: Re: GA-965G-DS3 different versions? |
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You don't understand how a bios update works. The new bios TOTALLY
replaces the old bios. 100.0% All at once. Lock, stock and Barrel.
Period. Thus, your question about upgrading in "steps" makes no sense.
Once you install F9 [or any other bios, later or even earlier], what
had been present previously becomes totally irrelevant.
[and, actually, the latest bios is F10, I think]
Bill wrote:
| Quote: | "Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:462eded2$0$27111$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
Yes, the bios' are all compatible, I'm running F9 on a version 1 board.
You really should update, there were SERIOUS problems with the early BIOS'
for these boards. In fact, many, many people with pre-F5 BIOS' had to
return them due to memory incompatibility issues.
Thank you for your help! Of course, I was one of the people who read the
MB manual before I bought anything and bought 1.8v memory for fear that I
would not have been able to boot otherwise. Do you think it's safe to go
straight from F4 to F9, or is taking "smaller steps" still good advise to
follow? I am guessing that any bios change could potentially cause an
OS-hardware compatibility problem, since drivers rely on the bios. Is this
line of thinking correct? Thank you also for letting me know about HECI (in
your other post)!
-Bill
Bill wrote:
I have a version 1 board, and I am running the F4 BIOS. Can the newer
bios's be used with the version 1 board, and do you think there is any
advantage is upgrading the bios For the next few weeks I can't afford to
take the risk of a system failure, so I'm going to wait (until school is
out) to upgrade.
Thank you,
Bill
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Paul
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 4:08 pm Post subject: Re: GA-965G-DS3 different versions? |
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Bill wrote:
| Quote: | Barry,
I appreciate what you are saying. But I know I have read in more than one
place not to skip over too many BIOS versions at a time. I'm not sure of
the reason why; maybe it only applies to older hardware--or maybe you are
right and I am wrong about this. I'll try to locate a reference.
Thanks,
Bill
|
The possible reason could be due to boot block updating, and how it is done.
Occasionally, I've seen BIOS updates offered, where for a certain number
of releases, the manufacturer gives warnings about how to do the update.
And suddenly they stop. The BIOS flash tool may offer options to flash
just the main BIOS code, the boot block code, or both. Some BIOS downloads
include a wrapper, that passes the necessary command line options to flash
both. Later BIOS may not come with the wrapper, or with a special version of
flasher, and then the boot block may not get flashed. It is unclear
to me, why there should be any dependencies between the two pieces of code,
because like any software, the two blocks of codes should leave hardware
in a known state (i.e. designed to a spec). So most of the time, I would
not be too concerned about jumping versions. But if the web page with the
BIOS updates has a lot of warnings and mumbo-jumbo about only using the
flashing tool that comes with the BIOS, I'd at least Google or ask around,
to see what the history and approach of the product is. For the manufacturers
who don't have robot exclusion on their websites, you can also use web.archive.org
to examine earlier snapshots of the BIOS download page, and see what the
issues might have been.
Why is flashing the boot block scary ? If the manufacturers would only leave
the boot block alone, it would mean you could reliably recover from a flashing
failure on the main BIOS code. But if a particular release attempts to flash
both sections, and the BIOS flashing tool erases the whole chip before it
begins flashing, then there is no code present to allow recovery, and the
product is thus bricked.
Any sin can be corrected by a trip to badflash.com , so you're never more
than $25 away from a solution. The only time that won't work, is when the
manufacturer solders the flash chip directly to the motherboard. I recommend
visually examining your motherboard, before you flash, to see if the BIOS
is socketed (PLCC square socket). As long as the BIOS is socketed, you can
pull the old chip, and install a $25 replacement, flashed and delivered
by badflash.com or one of the many similar suppliers. In some countries,
the motherboard manufacturer may even offer a similar service, at about
the same prices.
Some motherboard manufacturers have gone to great lengths, to putz with
the simplicity of how the BIOS and BIOS updates work. And occasionally,
they leave their customers up the creek without a paddle. One poor
bugger, for example, had a BIOS that was trying to reflash itself, and
apparently the recovery code was looking for a BIOS image that had been
stored on the hard drive. By using another hard drive, there was no
longer a hidden partition with the BIOS in it. And while the manual suggested
the BIOS would eventually look elsewhere for a replacement copy, the recovery
code seemed to get stuck at the stage of looking at his hard drive.
Schemes like that are pretty scary, and obviously are only as good as
the "rocket scientists" who dreams them up. Three cheers for QA and
testing :-)
Paul
| Quote: |
"Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:46300fea$0$1413$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
You don't understand how a bios update works. The new bios TOTALLY
replaces the old bios. 100.0% All at once. Lock, stock and Barrel.
Period. Thus, your question about upgrading in "steps" makes no sense.
Once you install F9 [or any other bios, later or even earlier], what had
been present previously becomes totally irrelevant.
[and, actually, the latest bios is F10, I think]
Bill wrote:
"Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:462eded2$0$27111$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
Yes, the bios' are all compatible, I'm running F9 on a version 1 board.
You really should update, there were SERIOUS problems with the early
BIOS' for these boards. In fact, many, many people with pre-F5 BIOS'
had to return them due to memory incompatibility issues.
Thank you for your help! Of course, I was one of the people who read
the MB manual before I bought anything and bought 1.8v memory for fear
that I would not have been able to boot otherwise. Do you think it's
safe to go straight from F4 to F9, or is taking "smaller steps" still
good advise to follow? I am guessing that any bios change could
potentially cause an OS-hardware compatibility problem, since drivers
rely on the bios. Is this line of thinking correct? Thank you also for
letting me know about HECI (in your other post)!
-Bill
Bill wrote:
I have a version 1 board, and I am running the F4 BIOS. Can the
newer bios's be used with the version 1 board, and do you think there
is any advantage is upgrading the bios For the next few weeks I can't
afford to take the risk of a system failure, so I'm going to wait
(until school is out) to upgrade.
Thank you,
Bill
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Bill
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 4:08 pm Post subject: Re: GA-965G-DS3 different versions? |
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Barry,
I appreciate what you are saying. But I know I have read in more than one
place not to skip over too many BIOS versions at a time. I'm not sure of
the reason why; maybe it only applies to older hardware--or maybe you are
right and I am wrong about this. I'll try to locate a reference.
Thanks,
Bill
"Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:46300fea$0$1413$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
| Quote: | You don't understand how a bios update works. The new bios TOTALLY
replaces the old bios. 100.0% All at once. Lock, stock and Barrel.
Period. Thus, your question about upgrading in "steps" makes no sense.
Once you install F9 [or any other bios, later or even earlier], what had
been present previously becomes totally irrelevant.
[and, actually, the latest bios is F10, I think]
Bill wrote:
"Barry Watzman" <WatzmanNOSPAM@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:462eded2$0$27111$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...
Yes, the bios' are all compatible, I'm running F9 on a version 1 board.
You really should update, there were SERIOUS problems with the early
BIOS' for these boards. In fact, many, many people with pre-F5 BIOS'
had to return them due to memory incompatibility issues.
Thank you for your help! Of course, I was one of the people who read
the MB manual before I bought anything and bought 1.8v memory for fear
that I would not have been able to boot otherwise. Do you think it's
safe to go straight from F4 to F9, or is taking "smaller steps" still
good advise to follow? I am guessing that any bios change could
potentially cause an OS-hardware compatibility problem, since drivers
rely on the bios. Is this line of thinking correct? Thank you also for
letting me know about HECI (in your other post)!
-Bill
Bill wrote:
I have a version 1 board, and I am running the F4 BIOS. Can the
newer bios's be used with the version 1 board, and do you think there
is any advantage is upgrading the bios For the next few weeks I can't
afford to take the risk of a system failure, so I'm going to wait
(until school is out) to upgrade.
Thank you,
Bill
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Phil, Non-Squid
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 4:08 pm Post subject: Re: GA-965G-DS3 different versions? |
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"Bill" <Bill_NOSPAM@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:JsWdnSllwclKBq3bnZ2dnUVZ_vCknZ2d@comcast.com...
| Quote: | Barry,
I appreciate what you are saying. But I know I have read in more than one
place not to skip over too many BIOS versions at a time. I'm not sure of
the reason why; maybe it only applies to older hardware--or maybe you are
right and I am wrong about this. I'll try to locate a reference.
|
Probably refers to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantra. Updating
the BIOS in steps however doesn't really matter because you can flash back
to an older version if you want. I would flash to the very latest, see if
there are any problems, and *then* go back and do the incremental thing if
there are problems.
--
Phil |
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Barry Watzman
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 6:01 am Post subject: Re: GA-965G-DS3 different versions? |
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The boot block is very rarely flashed by a bios update.
Re: "Any sin can be corrected by a trip to badflash.com"
Not true. Some BIOS' are now stored in flash inside the chipset. And
on some motherboards, the BIOS flash rom, while a standard separate
part, is soldered. |
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