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Questions about GIGABYTE products => Motherboards with Intel processors => Topic started by: Takis_M on December 27, 2017, 06:37:44 pm

Title: Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS5. Will it work with Intel C2 Extreme QX9650 Stepping C1?
Post by: Takis_M on December 27, 2017, 06:37:44 pm

Good day to the community.
My best wishes to all for these days.

I own a Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS5 motherboard long time now, that was initially used with an Intel C2D E8400 CPU. That PC became obsolete, mainly because its Operating System went out of date (Windows Vista).

I had left it aside and I was using another PC with a Gigabyte GA-EP35C-DS3R motherboard and a C2Q Q6700 CPU for everyday use, among some other more modern PCs, that I have managed to build through the years.

Not long ago, my son asked me to give him a desktop PC, to get rid of his small laptop, which has become very slow and it does not serve him for his everyday use.

I managed to get an Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 (https://ark.intel.com/products/33921/Intel-Core2-Extreme-Processor-QX9650-12M-Cache-3_00-GHz-1333-MHz-FSB) with Stepping C1 (SLAWN), which initially seems to be an excellent choice to pair it with the GA-EX38-DS5 motherboard. I also managed to get two matched sets of DDR2-1066 DIMMs of 8GB total (4x2GB) and it all seems to me a very decent set.

However, when I checked the CPU Support List (https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-EX38-DS5-rev-11#support-cpu) of the motherboard, I saw that it supports the QX9650 with a C0 (SLAN3) Stepping. The list says that this CPU is supported from BIOS version F2 and up. In my case, I have managed to update the BIOS to the latest F5B version.

So, my question is very simple:
Will my CPU be supported by the motherboard, when I put it on it or not?

Thanks in advance.

Title: Re: Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS5. Will it work with Intel C2 Extreme QX9650 Stepping C1?
Post by: shadowsports on December 28, 2017, 02:17:05 pm

Board is 10 yrs old.  Should work with BIOS F3 or later.   

Title: Re: Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS5. Will it work with Intel C2 Extreme QX9650 Stepping C1?
Post by: Takis_M on December 28, 2017, 02:45:40 pm

Quote from: shadowsports on December 28, 2017, 02:17:05 pm

Board is 10 yrs old.  Should work with BIOS F3 or later.   

Thanks for the response, mate.

Yes, I have already noted that this is an old motherboard. It is something that I have to deal with, anyway.

In my case, I have already moved up to BIOS F5B, as I wrote.
So, according your suggestion, I am going to test it and see if it works.

One more question only.
If it works, should I consider the matter solved or are there any more issues to check, in terms of any discrepancies or possible faulty operation.
I mean to say:
With the CPU installed am I going to see the system working fully or not working at all?
Or is there any inetermediate situation (system working, but with flaws)?

Thanks again.

Title: Re: Gigabyte GA-EX38-DS5. Will it work with Intel C2 Extreme QX9650 Stepping C1?
Post by: shadowsports on December 28, 2017, 05:59:05 pm

Greetings,
Seems there are 2 revs for this board.  Rev 1.0 has BIOS F5B that supports QX9650 since rev F2.  It has the slower 1333Mhz bus.

And the Rev 2.1 that supports QX9650 as of F3 (no F5b) for this rev board listed. 

Refer to this chart:

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-EX38-DS5-rev-11#support-cpu

You will need at minimum, CPU, memory, and CPU cooler connected to the CPU_FAN header for the system to POST and enter BIOS.  You should be fine :)