Updating BIOS. With utility?

[FredeGail]

Hello guys.

I saw several of threads saying that, updating your BIOS in the Asus P8Z68-V PRO, would stabilize your system and have better effectivity and such things.

If you direct to this page (Link), and scroll down a little, choose Windows 7 64-bit (as it's my system), and click + on the BIOS utility.

Would it be the best idea? Is there any danger in doing it?

Best Regards,
FredeGail

 

[Sardonicus]

Stability has a lot to do with how your settings are. No BIOS update can stabilize your system if
it's being pushed to it's limits.

A BIOS update addresses certain issues and you should only update your BIOS,
if it addresses those issues.

With all that being said, having used an ASUS board, I would recommend ASUS Easy Flash 2.
Get a USB thumb drive and follow the ASUS instructions for updating the BIOS using Easy Flash 2, if you "must update".

 

[bobkn]

The "bupdater" utility only runs under DOS. I use it on a bootable DOS flash drive.

That's my preferred method for flashing the BIOS. Other ways are to use EZFlash from within the UEFI, or Asus update from Windows.

Any BIOS update can render the PC unable to boot. I've had it happen with a couple of P67 boards (one Asus, one MSI). The Asus Crash Free utility (BIOS recovery) seems to be of marginal utility if that happens. You'd either RMA the board, or get a replacement BIOS chip (with a usable BIOS pre-installed).

The standard disclaimer is to not update the BIOS unless you need a new feature, or if it solves a problem.

Whatever way you do it, the safest ritual appears to be:

Note your BIOS (UEFI) settings. With UEFI, it's possible to print them.

Restore the setting to optimized defaults.

Update the BIOS.

Reboot the machine. Let it load Windows.

Shut down.

Clear the CMOS settings (jumper).

Start the machine. Go into the UEFI setup. Restore your settings.

 

[FredeGail]

Right so it sounds a bit difficult.

I just felt some small glitches on my system you know. Either it's because it's all new, and will need to be used, you know. My motherboard, CPU, and RAM is all new, I got it a couple of days ago- The only thing that isn't new is my Harddisk and my Graphic Card. I believe that's what's "holding me back". Like the power of the CPU and that stuff cannot be unleashed because of the Harddisk. So I was considering to buy a GTX 560 Ti, and a WD Black Caviar 6gb/s as my motherboard supports 6gb/s.
Also, I will not be able to handle a lot of games with my current GTX 260. And I'm sure you certainly agree with that.

Thanks for your replies.

 

[bobkn]

Right so it sounds a bit difficult.

I just felt some small glitches on my system you know. Either it's because it's all new, and will need to be used, you know. My motherboard, CPU, and RAM is all new, I got it a couple of days ago- The only thing that isn't new is my Harddisk and my Graphic Card. I believe that's what's "holding me back". Like the power of the CPU and that stuff cannot be unleashed because of the Harddisk. So I was considering to buy a GTX 560 Ti, and a WD Black Caviar 6gb/s as my motherboard supports 6gb/s.
Also, I will not be able to handle a lot of games with my current GTX 260. And I'm sure you certainly agree with that.

Thanks for your replies.

Difficult? Not really. Safe? Not as safe as I'd like.

Comparison of GTX260 to 560ti:

AnandTech - Bench - GPU11

(The 560ti gives a major gain over a 260. Whether the 260 would be inadequate is another matter.)

You may as well get a 6GB SATA drive, although I think the benefit with conventional HDs over 3GB SATA is minimal. If you could support an upgarde to an SSD large enough to serve as an OS drive, going for 6GB would be justified. (Example: OCZ Vertex 3. 120GB is now around $200US.)

 

[stormy13]

Updating on Asus motherboards is as easy as putting the bios ROM file on a USB key and using the Asus EZ Flash 2 utility (check the mobo manual) built right into the bios. That isn't to say that something can't still go wrong, but no need for the old floppy or doing it from Windows.

 

[FredeGail]

Updating on Asus motherboards is as easy as putting the bios ROM file on a USB key and using the Asus EZ Flash 2 utility (check the mobo manual) built right into the bios. That isn't to say that something can't still go wrong, but no need for the old floppy or doing it from Windows.

Great thank you!

Both of you..