GA-A75M-D2H F4 BIOS Fails

[QuantumRand]

I recently grabbed a GA-A75M-D2H and put an A6-3500 CPU in it. It worked well, but for whatever reason, the HDMI would only output if the D-SUB was connected to a monitor as well. I figured a BIOS update would help.

Sadly, after updating to the F4 BIOS, the board doesn't even post anymore. It seems as though the USB ports aren't delivering power anymore either. The CPU fan still spins up, as do the HDD and ODD.

This has happened with two units now (the first one I flashed with DOS, the second using Q-Flash). Both times it said the flash was successful (I re-downloaded the flash file just in case the first one was bad). Both times had this same result.

Any idea how to get it to work again?

[QuantumRand]

Can anyone confirm that the A75M-D2H F4 BIOS does indeed work? Specifically, the "America" link one, and with an A6-3500 CPU.

I installed it with a USB Keyboard and USB mouse plugged in to the USB 2.0 ports below the Ethernet port. A 2GB FAT flash drive held the BIOS image in the USB 3.0 port (I'm thinking this may have been the issue). I had my HDTV connected via HDMI and D-SUB (since HDMI wouldn't work without the D-SUB occupied). D-SUB was outputting the display, not HDMI, during the flashing process.

My only other thought is that the F4 BIOS made it incompatible with my RAM (WinTec DDR3-1333 2x2GB, pretty standard stuff). However, since the new BIOS seems to kill the power to the USB ports (and it looks like my PCI slot as well), I'm thinking my RAM isn't the issue.

[absic]

Hi there,

sorry I can't answer your question as I don't actually have your motherboard. However, I did notice that there is a newer F5 BIOS on the download page here: http://uk.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3930&dl=1#bios that might improve things and is worth trying. Another option is to go back to the F3 BIOS, if that worked OK.

It might also be a good idea to contact Tech Support here: http://ggts.gigabyte.com/tech.asp?ClassID=2&Country=U.S.A.&SourceWeb=B2C as they would be in a better position to tell you if there is an issue with the F4 BIOS that they are aware of.

[QuantumRand]

Hi Absic, thanks for the response.

I sent a support request into Gigabyte a few days before posting this thread. Unfortunately, I have yet to hear back from them.

My 15-day return window was coming to a close, so I've since returned the motherboard and opted for an Asus F1A75-M. I would have MUCH preferred the Asus F1A75-M Pro, but Fry's doesn't seem to carry it. I would have been willing to give a different FM1 Gigabyte board a chance if Fry's carried other models, too.

If I could have figured out a way to flash to a different BIOS, I would have given that a try, but the board wouldn't even get to post. Since flashing the BIOS was successful, the backup BIOS got overwritten with the faulty F4 BIOS as well, so I was pretty much SOL.

I will say that the Gigabyte board had a LOT more useful BIOS options than the Asus board I'm using now. Kind of a shame, really. On the plus side, it's just a little media box rig, so it doesn't need to be too fancy.

For anyone curious about the AMD A75 chipset and A6/A8 APUs, it's been pretty impressive so far. I'm using it with XBMC to stream shows and movies from my NAS. As a media box, the idea is that it would be on pretty much 24/7, so I didn't want to have a high wattage system, but I wanted enough juice to play occasional games like Civ V. The A6-3500 is pretty much perfect for that. The integrated HD 6530D totally does its job, and I don't even need a video card. It's a Blu-Ray Player/Gaming Rig/Media Server all-in-one for just $350. I'm pretty happy.

[absic]

Sorry to see you have switched brands but I can understand your reason for doing so and I hope that you comeback to Gigabyte when you next upgrade or change systems. Sadly, it can take several days for Tech Support to respond and this is one area  where things could be handled a little better. Even an automated response via e-mail to acknowledge receipt of your enquiry would help.

I have heard a lot of good things about the FM1 socket systems and AMD have released some new Athlon processors which will add another element into the mix for systems built around this platform. A home HTPC for around $350 (£221) is an really good price for the all round options these systems offer.