Official GIGABYTE Forum
Questions about GIGABYTE products => Motherboards with AMD processors => Topic started by: Thrall on May 20, 2012, 04:42:40 pm
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Hello.
I am kinda a newbie and probably have done something stupid.
Recently I bought a new computer with Windows 7 and I got it delivered and everything was working well. However there was this one game I wanted to play on my computer which is Shogun 2 Total War and when trying to launch it I got some errors.
After reading on their official forum the suggestion that had been given by the team there was to update the BIOS. Normally I don't touch that kind of things but I really wanted to play the game so I tried updating from version F4 to F5 using the @BIOS tool through Windows. Then after I installed it I rebooted my computer and now I can't boot Windows for some reason. I get a message saying Windows didn't boot correctly and I then get the option to try to recover or boot Windows normally. When trying to boot Windows normally I get as far as the Windows logo and then the computer reboots. I have tried to use the recover options but it doesn't solve anything.
I don't know what to do or how to solve this. So hopefully someone here can help me.
My rig is:
Motherboard: Gigabyte ga-970a-ud3 rev version 1.1
PSU: Corsair TX 750W
Processor: AMD FX6100 3,3 GHz
Ram: Crucial DDR3 8GB
Graphic: Sapphire Radeon HD6870 1GB
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium Service pack 1 64 bit version.
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This thread can be closed. I managed to fix the problem by reinstalling Windows 7. I will never touch BIOS again....
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I tried updating from version F4 to F5 using the @BIOS tool through Windows.
Never-ever update tru Windows ,you can get your motherboard killed.
With Gigabyte use Q-Flash.
After you flash BIOS always Clear CMOS and reload settings in BIOS.
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Well I certainly feel like I dodged a bullet there.
I have never updated BIOS before on any computers I have had so I didn't knew which way to do it correctly. I really got a bad feeling when I was unable to boot Windows after running the @BIOS tool and figured I was screwed. And that would be bad since the computer is brand new.
But luckely I was able to reinstall Windows and now everything works again. No issues so far and the computer been on for many hours. But I don't think I will be updating the BIOS ever again as long as things works.
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You are right , if it works let it be.
But when you do update put the BIOS settings on a paper first and make sure you use an update method that doesnt use Windows :)
Most probable in your case the boot order of HDD-s got changed or something.
That CPU may need an update though , asap , to the next version (when it comes).
Check for CPU throttling , if you observed under-performing ,strange slow downs.
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I am sorry, I am not sure I understood you. What do you mean by updating the CPU? Like a driver update or buying a new one?
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I am sorry, I am not sure I understood you. What do you mean by updating the CPU? Like a driver update or buying a new one?
No ,updating a BIOS in relation to the CPU.
If you observe abnormal performance now ,with what you have, you may still need to update the BIOS in the future .
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Ahh I see. Well I haven't noticed any problems and the system seems to run good now.
But if I was to update the BIOS I assume the correct way is to download the BIOS version that matches my motherboard and revision number, unzip it and then put it on a USB flash drive and then run Q-Flash during startup by pressing the END key?
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Exactly ! :)
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Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.
And thanks to you I do know that I should never update BIOS through Windows again. So if I ever have to update the BIOS atleast I know how to do it now as safely as possible.
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I'd like to add that you should do a clear cmos for 10minutes minimum. Then when you start your system, go immediately into the BIOS and load system default, then save settings and go directly back into the BIOS and set the time and any other settings.
Sometimes old settings can get stuck in the BIOS and need resetting. Probably why you had to reinstall windows.
-=Mark=-
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Thanks, I will keep that in mind if I decide to make another go at updating BIOS again.
Maybe thats what I did wrong when flashing my BIOS that I didn't clear the CMOS and I also didn't go to BIOS to load system default first before trying to boot.
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Thrall what temperatures you get with that CPU ?
I am just curious :)
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Well at first when I got the computer without doing any upgrades to the case and having 4 fans (If you include PSU fan, CPU fan and GPU fan and having one fan in front of my case) I got temps between 30-45c on idle and about 50-65c on load through Core Temp and HWmonitor.
Now after I replaced my PSU (Silver Power SP-SS500 500W power supply) which came with the computer to a new PSU (Corsair TX 750W) in my computer and also added 2 extra 120mm fans to my Cooler Master Elite 430 Midi Tower Black case I got the following temps:
Idle temps: http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/6605/idlecputemp.jpg
Temps after loading Skyrim for a couple of minutes: http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/4986/loadcputemp.jpg
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Thanks for the feedback.
Temps look indeed excellent :)
Enjoy your system. ;D
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Thanks I certainly will. I am very happy with the temps as I have never had such low temps on any other computer before. Normally as a AMD user for many years the CPU's usually have been running at temps between 40-50 idle and maybe 60-70 load on my old computers. But then again I never had 3 extra fans so obviously that helps.
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Hi all :)
I'll bet IDE/AHCI mode had something to do with windows not liking the new bios.
Tip: disable 'performance boost' and 'load line control' (if its available), and those temps will only get sweeter. 8)
pEACe
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Where would I look for those functions (If they are available)? Is it a Windows 7 feature or a BIOS function?
My first time using Windows 7, been a XP user for a while so I am not really up to date on all functions.
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DOH .. I assumed you were familiar with the mobo's manual. Those settings are in the bios.
Core performance boost/turbo core, is under M.I.T.
LLC, if there will be in the Advanced section.
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Core Performance/turbo boost is already disabled.
LLC however is set on auto and I only get 3 options which are regular, extreme or auto so should I just leave it as it is?
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Set it to regular and watch the gaming temps drop. :)
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Thanks for the advise. I will try that setting when I get home from work and see if it makes a difference, I might post new pics :D
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DOH .. I assumed you were familiar with the mobo's manual. Those settings are in the bios.
Core performance boost/turbo core, is under M.I.T.
LLC, if there will be in the Advanced section.
LLC is not present in my 970A-UD3 BIOS it seems.But i can t complain about temperatures neither so ... :)
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Well I tried changing the LLC setting to regular but I don't really notice much difference on my temps.
Anyways I am very happy with my new computer and the temps are good so I am going back to gaming I guess :)
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Just wanted to add that unfortunately I had to do a new BIOS update. The reason for that was the last time when I did this using the @BIOS tool from Windows 7 it didn't actually update my BIOS to the newest version for my board which is F5 but instead it updated to the same version I had installed which was F4.
And the main reason for having to update my BIOS which was the reason I tried to update it in the first place was that I had a problem with a game that apparantly requires a BIOS update. And that game is known as Shogun 2 - Total War. I know that some might say that BIOS shouldn't have anything to do with running a game but in fact it seemed it did because when using the F4 version with all my other drivers updated and trying many different solutions I was unable to boot the game.
Basically what happened was that when I tried to boot the game it wouldn't get past the load up screen and then after a little while my computer would reboot itself and when getting back in to Windows 7 it would give me a blue screen error message. I tried alot of things such as applying the hotfixes for FX Processors released for Windows 7 and also tried running the game in Windows XP Service Pack 3 compatibility mode.
Anyways the reason I am making this post is because I want to thank Vezina and Hippe Tech for their help with explaining how a proper BIOS update should be done and when following their advise using the Q-Flash utility I was able to apply the F5 version without any problems. Didn't even have to clear the CMOS, just had to apply the BIOS and then load default optimized setting and I was back to gaming :D
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Hio Thrall and np :) Just pay the geek karma forward ! lol
While clearing the CMOS may not be necc., its highly recommended.
Glad to see everything is okie. xD
pEACe
HT
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I gave you some karma points. :D
Anyways I have been thinking about maybe doing AMD Crossfire.
And well with this motherboard I am going to assume it isn't really the best for that job as it only have 1 PCI Express x16 and 1 PCI Express x4 and I am guessing both cards will then run at x4 speed which could limit the cards performance or am I wrong?
If I am correct I have been looking at the Gigabyte GA-990FXA-D3 and GA-990FXA-UD3 but I am not sure whats the difference between those two motherboards, so which is best?
Best Regards
Thrall
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I gave you some karma points. :D
Anyways I have been thinking about maybe doing AMD Crossfire.
And well with this motherboard I am going to assume it isn't really the best for that job as it only have 1 PCI Express x16 and 1 PCI Express x4 and I am guessing both cards will then run at x4 speed which could limit the cards performance or am I wrong?
If I am correct I have been looking at the Gigabyte GA-990FXA-D3 and GA-990FXA-UD3 but I am not sure whats the difference between those two motherboards, so which is best?
Best Regards
Thrall
lol ... 'paying it forward' means that you should help others as thanks/karma. :)
The UD3 board probably has a better power phase and /or more pci-e lanes. The phases and lanes will be easy to see and count.
Linus Tech tips.. pcie 4x benchmarks
http://youtu.be/vfXALgE7mVM
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Anyways I have been thinking about maybe doing AMD Crossfire.
Going for Crossfire may not be a good solution.
I would buy a better single card instead.
With a single card you have less latency in gaming ,no micro-stuttering danger ,less gaming issues due to bad crossfire implementation.
1+1 will not be 2, it will be less than 2 , some performance will be lost.Due to the 970 chipset (less lines) you will loose even more.
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Thanks Hippie. I try to help when I can but I am no expert :D
Anyways that video was very helpful and the performance drop from X16 to X4 seems to be quite alot and it was kinda what I expected. So performance wise if I was to do Crossfire it would be best to get a motherboard with two X16 PCI Express slots or more. So I take it that the UD3 out of those I listed would be better.
Vezina: Personally I would prefer to run a single card anyways but I am just looking at the possibilites.
I spoke with AMD as I had some questions for them such as what the maximum heat my graphic card could handle as I want to know what would be safe limits. Of course there is no problems with my temperatures but I like to know things like that.
Anyways I also asked them which is their best gaming card currently (As I find all these series and cards confusing, some is good for gaming while others are for other tasks) and they said if I was to upgrade then I should go for a HD 7870 as that would be a step up from the HD 6870.
They also said that their fastest card currently is the HD 6990 but performance wise they said that the 6870 isn't that far away so for now they wouldn't suggest an upgrade.
And they also said that if in the future I wanted/needed a upgrade it might be better to Crossfire two 6870 as that would be equal to the 6990 in performance.
So thats why I was looking at maybe buying a new motherboard if I was to do that. But for now I probably just stick with one HD 6870 as there is nothing wrong with my computers current performance.
Thanks for the advise guys, you are still awesome :D
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What games do you want to play and at what resolution ,this are the questions :)
Video card power is never enough for the future ,you need to change it like at every 2 years anyway.
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Well currently my HD 6870 is good enough for my usage.
And likely if I do upgrade in the feature I probably go for a single card instead of Crossfire but just looking at all the possibilities.
I mostly play Skyrim, Battlefield 3, Need for Speed - The Run, Witcher 2 Assassins of Kings, Assassin's creed Revelations and other games and I don't really have any bad experience right now.
Even when I run Skyrim on Ultra settings with a screen resolution of 1920x1080 I get like 60 fps (Limited due to vsync enabled which causes Fraps to only show 60 fps). Of course this is not all the time, sometimes it drops to like 40-50 fps but thats still good enough for me. I play at my monitors native resolution most of the times which is 1920x1080.
If I do however notice a drop in performance running that setting I lower the resolution and also lower the graphic settings which most of the times works well. :D
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If I do however notice a drop in performance running that setting I lower the resolution and also lower the graphic settings which most of the times works well. :D
Thats the thing everyone does before selling the old card and getting another one better :)
You have a good card ,i would wait for a price drop in the 78xx series.Selling the old one as long as it s still good will ease the new aquisition.
I wouldn t sell it until the new games show up though , MOH , Far Cry 3 , Hitman the new CS are almost here.
You can use a crossfire , but i say it s a waste of money.
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I am going to wait. So far the HD 6870 is doing a good job and when new games comes out and the HD 6870 isn't good enough anymore I will then see about buying a new card. Thanks for the help, I appreciate it :)