i865PE Chipsets

  • Thread starter Thread starter WayneM
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WayneM

I have seen somewhere that this chipset and Prescott Cpus do not play well
with SP2. However, I can't find the info now. Is this true?

Before I build a new machine using a SOYO board with this chipset, what is
the preferred way around the problem? .

Wayne
 
Alvin,

I had ordered the SOYO board before I read about the issue and the board is
only exchangeable for another of the same.

Wayne
 
LOL, the board maker does not matter, though I highly prefer ASUS over
any other board. Soyo makes decent boards, but lets just say at least
they aren't ECS :)

Anyways, the problem with Prescott CPU's and i865 chipsets have to do
with the microcode in the BIOS. There may be a BIOS update available
for you from Soyo's website to fix this problem. This is another reason
I like ASUS is that they always release BIOS updates for thier products
as soon as something like this happens.

You will just have to test it out and see if you have a problem. If you
do, check for a BIOS update or complain to Soyo until they give you a
BIOS update to fix the problem ;)
 
Nathan,

I kind of thought there was a problem somewhere, but the board was "free"
from Newegg after rebates. I think SOYO does have a BIOS update but since
I've never flashed a BIOS I was trying to stay away from that option. SOYO
indicates that if the flash is bad the only way back is to send the BOIS rom
back to a SOYO vendor for fixing.

Maybe I'll avoid a Prescott Cpu or SP2. I think I can do most of what SP2
does with third party software. However, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get
future patches without having SP2.

Wayne
 
WayneM said:
I have seen somewhere that this chipset and Prescott Cpus do not play well
with SP2. However, I can't find the info now. Is this true?

Before I build a new machine using a SOYO board with this chipset, what is
the preferred way around the problem? .

Wayne
Click to expand...

The issue with the Prescott CPUs requires a motherboard BIOS update
and many motherboard manufacturers have just released this update or
are preparing to do so.

Here is some information regarding this issue:

Download the free Intel CPU utility from:

http://support.intel.com/support/processors/tools/frequencyid/

The "CPU Revision" as reported by the above utility must be at least 8
for the Prescott, Celeron D, and Extreme Edition CPUs. If it is not
then the work around is to boot into Safe Mode (disable L1 and L2
cache in the BIOS setup if there are problems) and then rename
%windir%\system32\drivers\update.sys so that it does not load. This
may cause stability problems with the computers so it should be
regarded as only a temporary work-around pending a BIOS update that
will bring the CPU Revision to the correct value. Then the file
should be renamed back to the original name again.>

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."
 
Flashing the BIOS is actually quite simple and can sometimes even be
done from within Windows. Some boards such as my ASUS P4P800 even come
with the ability to repair the BIOS even after a corrupt flash or failed
flash. It just depends on the motherboard. For a price of Free, don't
expect too much. I personally prefer the Pentium 4 C Revisions which
are the Northwood cores with 800 MHz FSB, but no 1 MB L2 Cache. The
temperature is better and the performance difference is negligable.
 
WayneM said:
I have seen somewhere that this chipset and Prescott Cpus do not play
well with SP2. However, I can't find the info now. Is this true?

Before I build a new machine using a SOYO board with this chipset,
what is the preferred way around the problem? .

Wayne
Click to expand...

The micro code was updated in March for my Gigabyte board.
 
WayneM said:
Nathan,

I kind of thought there was a problem somewhere, but the board was "free"
from Newegg after rebates. I think SOYO does have a BIOS update but since
I've never flashed a BIOS I was trying to stay away from that option.
Click to expand...

Time to learn as ultimately there is no option but to flash and that likely
applies to most all situations and not just this issue. Always flash the
latest BIOS.
SOYO
indicates that if the flash is bad the only way back is to send the BOIS rom
back to a SOYO vendor for fixing.
Click to expand...

Yes but the odds of a bad flash if you are even a little careful is near
zero.
Maybe I'll avoid a Prescott Cpu or SP2. I think I can do most of what SP2
does with third party software.
Click to expand...

You can't avoid SP2. It's a condition precedent to ever getting any more XP
fixes.
However, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get
future patches without having SP2.
Click to expand...

You wont so do SP2 and flash your BIOS as you should always do that anyways.
 
BIOS updates usually fix problems that the manufacturer has found or to
add new capabilities (rarely removing things that may not fully work).
The flashing process is very simple and safe. I'm not sure what
everyone's concern is about having a bad flash as most of the
motherboards now have a backup plan in case of a bad flash (which I have
never actually had even back on my Pentium Pro system).

I like to keep myself running the latest BIOS, but if your computer is
working fine, you don't need to update to the latest BIOS. If you are
having problems after installing some new hardware (and sometimes
software) or something of that nature, BIOS updates can help.
 
Nathan McNulty said:
BIOS updates usually fix problems that the manufacturer has found or to
add new capabilities (rarely removing things that may not fully work).
The flashing process is very simple and safe. I'm not sure what
everyone's concern is about having a bad flash as most of the
motherboards now have a backup plan in case of a bad flash (which I have
never actually had even back on my Pentium Pro system).

I like to keep myself running the latest BIOS, but if your computer is
working fine, you don't need to update to the latest BIOS. If you are
having problems after installing some new hardware (and sometimes
software) or something of that nature, BIOS updates can help.
Click to expand...

I'm agree with the above.

Further much of the stuff in new BIOSs is not documented. Therfore the
claim that one shouldn't flash the most recent BIOS unless it specifically
states some fix that one needs is bogus. Always flash the latest BIOS
unless there is a good reason not to. Wait until after the lightning storm
to do it.
 
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