BIOS: Update or don't update?

[Elcs]

Disclaimer: I searched. Didn't find anything solid or concrete.

My AMD X2 6000+ AM2 socket is making way after 4 years to an Intel i5 2500k which will be with me later this week.

As part of my preparation to make a mess, I've started to download the latest chipset drivers and all other drivers expected for a fresh install. During this I noticed that there was an updated BIOS for the board and thought "Do I update the BIOS before I start?"

I've got the ASUS P8Z68-V LE board coming my way and the information from the BIOS update looks like this:

1. Improve memory compatibility
2. Improve system stability

It sounds like it could be a good thing but I've always been scared by BIOS flashing (my first flash back in the TX/BX chipset days did not go well and I had issues with one and my Slot A Athlon board too).

Opinions? Should you only flash your BIOS if you are having issues with your system? I'm probably getting a little ahead of myself here but I want to be prepared

 

[discerning]

Well, I don't know about you, but for me, improve system stability is good.

Seriously, it's up to you. Yes, you could wait until you have issues. Yes, there may be more revisions in the future. Personally, I would flash it. It removes that part of the equation if I run into problems later on.

As for being scared of flashing, yes, there is a possibility of bricking your board. But if you follow instructions, there should be no problems. Looking at your MB support page, the updater is a DOS program, which usually is rock solid. Just say a little prayer for no power interruptions before starting. :awe:

 

[mmaestro]

The Asus boards also have a recovery option for if the flash goes bad, you copy the BIOS to a USB key, and there's a way to make a board with a bad BIOS automagically pull a replacement off the key. I'd need to look up exactly how you do this, but I know the option's there.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

What the Maestro said about the ASUS boards is correct. I think there's a similar feature for the Gigabyte boards.

I think I've been flashing BIOS' since 1993. Usually, I'd never hesitate to flash a new BIOS version, although I might procrastinate . . . But for no other reason than it wasn't a pressing concern. But in those days, I was buying inexpensive mainstream motherboards and just slapping systems together with no tweaking or OC'ing.

In 2007, for an LGA-775 "high-end" mobo, the board's life-cycle went through two generations of Intel multi-cores. And one discovered that a BIOS upgrade for an earlier processor was optimal for that processor, but one needed to update the BIOS even if only for a newer stepping of the same CPU. Of course, there might be other features that were buggy and benefited from a BIOS update.

I was always careful when flashing the BIOS, but there was never, ever a mishap. The main thing to remember: if your system was over-clocked, restore the system to its optimal default settings before you run the flash.

Again, going back to 2007, there were cases and instances for motherboards where some people reported failed BIOS upgrades, or systems that resulted in more instability. I never saw this firsthand. But this is 2011. It's not the timeframe, but the improvements the mobo-makers and BIOS programmers have been able to make. I'm inclined to think that today's mobos are safer than ever to flash.

For the Z68 chipset, we gambled and won that the antecedent P67 chipset would make the Z68 release an "early maturity" for ironing out the bugs. There have been two BIOS updates released for my P8Z68-V-Pro since I bought it, and I flashed both of them as soon as I discovered there was an update. Whatever glitches came with ISRT and other features, they were quickly eliminated with those two updates which occurred over a two or three month period. The last of these updates corrected an inaccuracy in temperature monitoring, so even that update was quite helpful.

If you're building this new system, I would recommend downloading the BIOS update and flashing it when you have the basic components put together. You shouldn't even need to install the OS first, if you can download the BIOS update on another machine and get it on a USB flash drive or a floppy-drive for use on the "machine-in-progress."

 

[bryanl]

Companies issue BIOS updates to add features, including support of new CPUs, and to correct mistakes (such as instability or incompatibility). I would flash it, provided the new BIOS had been released at least a month ago and I had searched discussion forums for bug reports related to it. Also do not flash unless the computer is completely stable.

 

[BD231]

If the board has a flash utility provided by the vendor that's compatible with your OS its usually pretty safe.

 

[zlejedi]

I got a simple rule regarding bioses and drivers- don't fix it if it's not broken.

 

[KingerXI]

BonzaiDuck gives good advice. I build a lot of computers, and I always flash the BIOS. I have only had one issue when flashing the BIOS, and that was on a 2004 socket 754 board. I have never had a problem on a modern board (and I have built over 100 computers in the last 2 years). The flash memory on the motherboards is so much better, there is rarely, if ever a problem, so the benefits of flashing the BIOS outweight the negatives IMO. Good luck.

 

[Kristijonas]

I have i3 2120. The games I play work about 50% faster now that I upgraded my BIOS a few months later. It's just miraculous. So I think it's really worth it. Do it according to the instruction and it will be fine.

 

[Philgag]

Personnaly I like to always flash the bios up-to-date before installing the OS. You can manage to skip lots of problem this way and get a stronger system from the start. Take for example my mobo had about 5 versions released between the one it shipped with and the latest.

The new bios are so easy to flash by simply placing the file on a usb drive. Gone are the days of booting from a floppy. You can do it with confidence.

 

[Elcs]

Just flashed my bios using a USB memory stick. So simple although I was still squeamish doing so with my past record.

Now all I have to do is find out if I can flash my Vertex Plus's firmware via USB memory stick and how to do so! Then install Windows 7 again which takes about 20 minutes... damn slow USB2.0

 

[Elcs]

Flashed my motherboard BIOS. Was simple but scary and went off without a problem. Still would not look forward to doing another one

Also flashed my SSD's latest firmware which has only just came out in the past week or so. That was just as scary but took even less time and now everything's hunky dory!

Thanks for the advice everyone!

 

[videopho]

Flashing bios on newer mobo's is not as risky as it used to be in the past.
Most mobo mfgs would even let you do it in windows.
But as someone has said..if it ain't broke then don't.
But if it deems necessary then I will do it in a flash.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

i always flash to the latest BIOS before putting the system together.

build out of case with min. requirements, flash BIOS, install OS, test for stability, install in case.

always better to do it right away before the system becomes critical.
last thing you want is to have a system that won't POST and you don't have a capable spare system and a project due soon.

 

[MichaelD]

The Asus boards also have a recovery option for if the flash goes bad, you copy the BIOS to a USB key, and there's a way to make a board with a bad BIOS automagically pull a replacement off the key. I'd need to look up exactly how you do this, but I know the option's there.

This AND...

Your Z68 is a new chipset/new MB/new to the market. When a manuf (any of them, not just Asus) releases a new BIOS(es) so soon after a new board is out, it means they discovered something substantial that needed to be fixed. I would flash it.

Here's what my general guidelines are for flash/dont' flash:

If the chipset/MB is an established board, such as say an X58 board, and it comes with a "later BIOS revision" I won't flash. I.E. if the released initial BIOS was v1.0, my board comes with v1.4 and the latest is v1.5 I will not flash. If it's v1.2 or v.1.3 I generally will flash.

In your case, I would flash, b/c it is a brand new board and a v1.1 type bios usually has some major fix. Memory timings/compatibility/voltage tweaks/etc.