Hi everybody, i just joined tomshardware community(which looks very nice) and here is my first question i will of course try to help ppl out when i can. Contrary to all my friends at uni buying xbox360s, wiis and ps3s i decided to build a gaming pc(i already own a laptop).

I have my eyes on a e8400 core2duo thats coming out on 20th and for a motherboard i'm going for a gigabyte p35 express ultra durable 2 series, 1333fsp etc etc. The motherboard manual says that it supports the upcoming 45nm cpus but i've seen a lot of ppl saying that its going to need a bios update. So how am i supposed to update the bios when my motherboard is sitting in the case without windows installed yet and a cpu that it does not support? sorry if its a newbie question, this is the first time i build a pc.

Thank u in advance

you need a another cpu - buy a really low cost one that works with your mobo.

thats quite bad news, i might go for a quad6600 or e6750 then

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819116040

That should work in the meantime to get the bios updated. You could probably return it after your finished for a 15% restocking fee or something.

thats really cheap to be honest and would be good to have an alternative if sth goes wrong, thank u for your replies ppl

Really? So if I was building a new PC, and bought this mobo with an E8400 I'd have to flash the BIOS? Is there any way around this? Such as using a floppy or disc, or would that not work without Windows?

hmm firebird how would your computer start up without a cpu..

Link to an identical thread with a solution:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] w=0&nojs=0

Ask On Gigabyte's Forums.
They should tell you what level of functionality you should see on different boards.

I'm actually getting the exact same board, from what I can tell, and am also planning on getting the E8400 in a few days here. I've already ordered all of the parts other than the CPU, and have gone the route of ordering the Celeron 420 Conroe. It would be my suggestion as well, it's always good to have a backup CPU on hand anyway, and if you don't have any other LGA775 ones around, this one would be a good one to get.

Plus, in my case, I'll be getting these parts earlier than the E8400 comes out, so I can work out the kinks in my setup before getting it. That way when I get the E8400 I can hopefully pop it in and go ^_^

I bought my last motherboard locally specifically because of this reason. I had them flash the bios before I left the shop.

With the suggestion of getting a chip and returning it, maybe look in your local craigslist or other on-line trading forum (even eBay, for that matter), and pick up the cheapest chip that will fit your needs. Then you can turn around and sell it, probably for the same as you paid for it. You could probably also sell a new chip for 15% off locally as well, if you don't feel good ethically about returning something like that.

Clint

That is a good question, I'll get back to you when I find an answer. Haha sorry, I'm still a newbie, I thought maybe it would recognize a chip just not run right or something. Wishful thinking I guess.

Anyways, would a P4 out of my Gateway work? The specs don't say this is a supported CPU type, but its still socket 775. I'm guessing not, but its worth asking.

Actually, after reading some reviews on Newegg it seems some people are running P4s on that board. I'll try and see what happens.

Edit - Mine isn't socket 775 anyways...

Any good P35 mobo's that support a E8400 out of the box? Or do they all need a bios flash?

The Asus website has a page to check processor support, if that helps.

Clint

Do all mobos come with the first release BIOS? Or are they updated and shipped out to retailers with the newest BIOS?

Lol, I am starting to think that there is no P35 mobo's that support penryn without some sort of bios update =0
Darn, I really didn't want to have to buy another CPU just to update lol. Well I guess I should start looking for a good X38 mobo =-0