What happens if you put CPU in mobo that doesn't have updated BIOS?

S

stm

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 2, 2013
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Oops - should have checked BIOS versions before I bought a 4790K (going on a Gigabyte UD4H). Going to assume that if unsupported by BIOS the computer won't POST so there's no way to flash the BIOS with the new CPU. This pretty much the gist?
 
Sometimes they won't post, sometimes they'll post but, report unknown CPU or something similar.
 
Not necessarily. If it's close enough (a 4790k is very similar to the launch 4770k), it'll likely post but say unknown CPU and automatically throttle it.
 
MSI Z68A-G43 (G3) with BIOS 4.xx would work with Sandy Bridge but not at all with Ivy Bridge. Worse, the first BIOS upgrade for Ivy Bridge removed Sandy Bridge compatibility.

In case you ever upgrade to a Socket 7 motherboard: VIA had a motherboard that was discontinued before AMD came out with their K6-2+ and K6-3+ CPUs, but it worked with them. However the successor motherboard, which was still in production when those CPUs were made, would not boot with them.
 
Tsumi said:
Not necessarily. If it's close enough (a 4790k is very similar to the launch 4770k), it'll likely post but say unknown CPU and automatically throttle it.
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Z87 Maximus VI Hero at least won't boot with Devils Canyon without an updated BIOS. Though there is a procedure to flash the BIOS regardless of that problem. Sometimes machines have a built-in BIOS recovery feature that you can access to do this. I had an old laptop that had a recovery feature I needed to use to update the BIOS for Core 2 Duo (it was a VBI/whitebook - Compal HEL80 with a 945 chipset).
 
Alrighty then. Guess I'll try hooking it up this week and hope I don't see smoke :)
 
Some boards have a recovery-flash-thing built in to them where, even if there's an unrecognized CPU installed, you can insert a flash drive with a BIOS file on it and it will automatically update.

Of course, you need a second PC to set up the flash drive in the first place, but it's better than nothing.
 
deruberhanyok said:
Some boards have a recovery-flash-thing built in to them where, even if there's an unrecognized CPU installed, you can insert a flash drive with a BIOS file on it and it will automatically update.

Of course, you need a second PC to set up the flash drive in the first place, but it's better than nothing.
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I know the newer ASUS boards have a built-in processor that will allow you to update the BIOS without any CPU installed at all, but I don't think the Gigabyte boards have this feature that I'm aware of.
 
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