bios update

[muzza]

ok i want to update my bios m2n-sli deluxe i have tried many web sites and cant find what im looking for can any1 help me with this 1??

thanks

[A True Folder]

Methodology: Instructions from your manual

Section 4 - Page 1 onwards (http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socketAM2/M2N-SLI%20Deluxe/e2651_m2n-sli_deluxe.pdf)


Bios d/loads (http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us&model=M2N-SLI%20Deluxe)


WARNING

Do not use AsusUpdate if you are running a 64bit operating system

Use EzFlash2 or AFUDos

[muzza]

for some reason my asus updater doesnt work... of when im playin a game the sound will stuff up and sound all weird will this have any thing to do with the bios. i just want to narrow down the problem and make sure it is the bios before i do anything else

[A True Folder]

probably not, is it onboard sound then?

Have you installed the latest sound drivers?

[muzza]

yer but even if i needed to update sound driver surly that wouldn't have any thing to do with the freezing/ restarting

[A True Folder]

You didn't mention freezing / restarting in your previous posts so I never took it into account, you started with bios then went to sound, lol

Have you done all the usual virus / malware / spyware scans?

Have you run Memtest86+ ?

It may be the board, have you checked it for leaking/bulging caps?

Basically you're saying that the pc isn't stable, yes? Trouble shoot from the beginning, reset it to stock if it is overclocked and test your components.

What are your temps like? Have you checked your fans etc for dust buildup?

[muzza]

ok sorry about that iv got mixed up with the other forums i have posted. well its been freezing/ restarting every time i watch a video or play a game so i thaught it could be my bios needs updating.. the weird thing is i have just tried updating my mobo i downloaded the xp 64bit and it says " setup has detected that the os in use is not windows xp x64 edition' which my computer is thou

AMD Athlon(tm) x64 x2 dual core 5200+

oh and all temps are fine, cleaned and rebuilt whole computer, mem test came back fine, no viruses "altou i did have a pretty bad virus before but i had to reformat windows"

[A True Folder]

Mate, when you look at the d/loads it is not for 64bit capable cpu's it is for a 64bit operating system as in XP x64 or Vista x64.

The fact that it is graphics intensive apps that cause the freezing / crashing and that you state your temps are OK and memtest returned no errors leads me to suspect your video adapter, do you have a graphics card or is it onboard?

Have you tested your psu with a multimeter to ensure it is delivering enough voltage? Even a quick check with a software programme will give an indication.

[muzza]

ok thanks, how do i foind out if my xp is 32 or 64 bit? yer iv got a graphics card its not onboard its a nvidia geforce 7950gt (512). also i play juiced and i dont think the graphics card is really performing like it should it has little glitches every now and then.
thanks.

[A True Folder]

i have just tried updating my mobo i downloaded the xp 64bit and it says " setup has detected that the os in use is not windows xp x64 edition" That's pretty conclusive that your os is XP x86 (32bit) wouldn't you say ??? :rolleyes:

Remove any graphics card overclocks and run 3DMark05 to see if it shows artifacts, it sounds as if your card may be overheating, when you said your temps are OK did that include the graphics card? Other than that it may be on the way out.

Have you checked that the graphics card heatsink isn't full of dust?

You'll need to remove the shroud to be sure and if it were me I'd remove the cooler and replace the thermal compound while I was in there.

If the video card memory is on the way out there's nothing you can do except RMA it (if it is still under or has lifetime warranty)

[muzza]

ok thanks. so is there much performane difference between 32 and 64 bit?
when you say "You'll need to remove the shroud to be sure and if it were me I'd remove the cooler and replace the thermal compound while I was in there" do you mean cpu? and three is no dust in my computer because i have just cleaned it out. oh and when you say temp for the graphics card that the gpu temp isnt it?? because that is fine runs about 60c when playing a game.

on everest home it tells me that my video bios is more then 2 years old update if necessary could this be a problem??

[A True Folder]

ok thanks. so is there much performane difference between 32 and 64 bit? Not for gaming, no

when you say "You'll need to remove the shroud to be sure and if it were me I'd remove the cooler and replace the thermal compound while I was in there" do you mean cpu? No I mean the video card

and there is no dust in my computer because i have just cleaned it out. So you cleaned out the graphics card heatsink, that's OK then

oh and when you say temp for the graphics card that the gpu temp isnt it?? because that is fine runs about 60c when playing a game.60°C is fine if that is the temp under full load


on everest home it tells me that my video bios is more then 2 years old update if necessary could this be a problem??I've never updated a video card bios, do you know if there even is a bios upgrade for your video card?

Which driver are you running?

The only other thing I can think of is the card is failing.

[muzza]

thanks heaps for your help man i really appreciate it:D . ok here is every thing bout my card


Field Value
Video Adapter Properties:
Device Description: NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GT
Adapter String: GeForce 7950 GT
BIOS String Version: 5.71.22.42.86
Chip Type: GeForce 7950 GT
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Installed Drivers: nv4_disp (6.14.11.7824 - nVIDIA ForceWare 78.24)
Memory Size: 512 MB

Video Adapter Manufacturer
Company Name NVIDIA Corporation
Product Information http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=products
Driver Download http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

[A True Folder]

That driver (assuming the last number is a typo and the driver version is actually 178.24) is the latest available for your card.

The only thing left if you are sure it is not overheating is the option that the card is dying, they were a good card in their day but they are old tech now.

The fact that you didn't know about removing the shroud to clean the heatsink on the card leads me to wonder once more about the video cards temps under full load, but if you're certain they're OK then I guess hardware failure is the last option.

The card isn't overclocked is it?

[muzza]

yep ok, i downloaded the card driver again just in case and there was no change, another thing is when i convert a video from it will freeze or restart would that have ant thing to do with the card? and no the cards not overclocked and im pretty sure it never has. whenmy computer is at idle my gpu reads around 46 is that a bit high?

[A True Folder]

46°C sounds fine but it is the load temp that counts. Video conversion is more likely to raise cpu or memory problems than graphics, have you run prime95 blend test at all to check for stability?

[muzza]

ok so i ran prime 95 for 2 hours and 8 minutes the out come was 1 error 0 warnings. so how do i find out what the error is?

[A True Folder]

run the small FFT test, it is mainly cpu intensive, if the problem is with the cpu you should get errors.

You never did reply when I asked if you had run Memtest86+, have you run it?

Your problem may just be a faulty memory module

[muzza]

oh sorry yer i ran memtest and that all came back fine

ok so i just ran the small ftt and my cpu was running up around 80-90c so i didnt want to go through with it other wise i wouldnt have a cpu left... so does this il be getting a new heatsink and fan??

[A True Folder]

I would reseat the cpu cooler with a fresh application of thermal compound first just to see if it improves your temps / stops the problems.

I presume it is a stock cooler?

You may have inadvertently bumped / dislodged it during your clean out, hell, even I've done that lol.

Try reseating it with new TIM first would be my suggestion.

Tuniq-TX2, Arctic-MX2 or even Artic Silver 5 would be my recommended TIMs, use isopropyl alcohol to clean off the old stuff.

[muzza]

yep stock cooler and heatsink, iv reseated the heatsink and no difference :(

[A True Folder]

I'm pretty much out of ideas mate, your cpu is overheating so there has to be a problem with the cooler there somewhere yet you state you've reseated it. Could there be a problem with your methodology?

What exactly do you do when you reseat the cpu cooler?

[muzza]

well i cleaned the bottom of the heatsink and the top of the cpu really well then put about the size of a piece of rice on the top of my cpu then put my heatsink back on.

[A True Folder]

When you lift the cooler to reseat it is the thermal compound spread evenly over the IHS?

[muzza]

Ihs??

[A True Folder]

The nickel plated copper top of the cpu

[muzza]

yer sure did

[A True Folder]

What Vcore are you feeding the cpu?

Also what is your case ventilation like?

What are your ambient air temperatures?

Can you post pictures of the inside of your case?

[muzza]

http://s455.photobucket.com/albums/qq277/muzza91/

heres some pics.
um how do i find out vcore i am running?
and ambiant temp?

http://s455.photobucket.com/albums/qq277/muzza91/

[A True Folder]

Are the top and rear fans both exhaust?

Is that a passive cooler on your video card?

CPUz will show vcore

Ambient temp is room temperature, thermometer?

[muzza]

the 2 fans blow in to the case
passive cooler??
room temp shouldnt be much

il have to check out cpuz

[A True Folder]

the 2 fans blow in to the caseThere's half your problem, they should be blowing out not in

passive cooler?? No fan, just the heatsink

[muzza]

oh really i thaught the fans should be blowing into the case il have to turn em around.

yer just heatsink on the graphics card

i dont kno where to look on CPUz so its now on http://s455.photobucket.com/albums/qq277/muzza91/

lol

[A True Folder]

OK, whats going on is the passive heatsink vents to the atmosphere and relies on good airflow to remove the heated air, instead of doing this your fans are forcing the hot air to "pool" inside the case, the cpu fan also can't disperse heat because of the heated interior of the case, they all get hotter, the heat has nowhere to go so they get hotter still until it finally crashes.

Flip both those fans over so they vent out of the case then check your temps while running prime95 small fft's once more, I'm sure you'll see a great improvement.

I'm also not a fan of cases on carpet, you should at least have a board or something between the carpet and the case.

[muzza]

yep will do all that.

thanks so much dude you'v been awesome help!!!

[A True Folder]

no worries mate, lets just hope this is the cure you've been looking for and it works.

;)

EDIT: That screenies says 2.256v for vcore, that can't be true can it?

What is your vcore set to in the bios?

It should be around 1.35v - 1.45v to the best of my knowledge, if it is indeed 2.256v you're lucky it's still running

[muzza]

lol yer i kno

fingers crossed:D

[A True Folder]

WTF???

That is the voltage then??? Really???

Man you're going to kill it in a short time at that voltage.

That'll be a major part of your problem too then, that high a voltage will cause excessive heat which will build up as above, you must have a death wish for your pc.

[muzza]

no the last reply wasnt about the cpu lol.
i just went to my bios

i went to advance> jumperfree then advanced voltage control (i think thats what im ment to go 2)

and this is what is said:
CPU/ chipset voltage 1.20v
chipset core voltage 1.40v
chipset standby core voltage 1.40v
chipset pci-e voltage 1.50
CPU vcore offset voltage (disabeled)


ok well i just checked CPUz and its reading around 1.20
another edit... well when i start prime95 the core voltage jumps to 2.256v and stays this high until i restart my computer

[A True Folder]

Is that the default bios settings?

2.256V seems unusually high to me.

I'd reset the bios to default to check if it were mine, I don't know much about AMD processors so I may be wrong and the AMD site is terrible to navigate, I couldn't find any info about the vcore maximum for your cpu on there.

It could also be a glitch in cpuz, what does something like Everest or Speedfan show the vcore as under prime95 load?

Did you reverse the fans yet? If yes, did your temps drop?

[muzza]

ok well i just started up the computer and started everest home and CPUz and they both showed 1.20v then about 2 minutes later they both show 2.256v so i dont kno wats the go with that.

yer i turned the fans around and every thing droped apart from the cpu. my gpu is reading 40c now and im pretty sure it was reading around 45-50c, even my hdd's have droped heaps :D

[A True Folder]

I'm asking some mates about the 2.256V issue, it must be a bios setting that is incorrect, a couple of people I've talked to have said the voltage is either an incorrect reading or something is seriously amiss.

Have you reset the bios to defaults, as in cleared the cmos?

[muzza]

yer iv talked to some people and they said it is basically impossible to get such a high reading. but since both programs show it, its really weird.

im not really sure how to reset it to the default, but il have to spec it now and il get back to ya.

[A True Folder]

Apparently people experience it to differing degrees when overclocking but no one I've talked to has seen figures like yours.

Are you overclocked?

Also to clear the cmos you need to use the jumper, if you look in the manual, section 2 page 3 there is a picture of the board, at the bottom right hand corner between the cmos battery and the 4MB bios chip is the CLRTC jumper, instructions on which pins to short will be in the manual.

I wouldn't bother resetting the cmos at this stage, just back off any overclock and see if the voltage returns a more normal reading under load.

I believe it is just an error in cpuz like I get with my pc and Intel Burn Test, IBT reads my cpu as 5.0GHz when it is running at 500MHz FSB x 8 multi because it doesn't have the funtionality to read the lowered multiplier in conjunction with the FSB so it assumes the multi is the default 10 ergo 5.0GHz (500MHz FSB x 10 Multi = 5.0GHz.)

[muzza]

nope haven't overclocked anything

[A True Folder]

What temps are you getting under load now then?

[muzza]

i cleared the cmos, i ran prime95 for about 25 min just to see the temps and i didnt see it past 80c so its a bit better id think. but for the freezing i havnt tested yet so il give that a go now.

*edit* still restarting grrrr