Should i update bios?

[PanicMaster85]

So i just upgraded to a z77-extreme6 motherboard and a i5-3570k... I do overclock as much as possible and i was wondering if you believe that upgrading my BIOS will increase my overclock ability... thank you in advance

 

[smorizio]

So i just upgraded to a z77-extreme6 motherboard and a i5-3570k... I do overclock as much as possible and i was wondering if you believe that upgrading my BIOS will increase my overclock ability... thank you in advance

depends on the bios patches. a lot of the z77 mb the patches are for windows 8. ram and usb devices and new cpu code.

 

[PanicMaster85]

any ideas on what i should do then? im a noob with this

note: 4 of my usb ports do not work

 

[DarkSable]

Your non-functional USB ports are probably a driver issue - do they happen to be the USB 3.0 ports? (The blue ones?)

I'd update the BIOS, personally, provided that you don't have close-ish to the newest. (You can also just look at the description of the BIOS updates and see if they're Win 8 oriented or not.)

Just... keep this in mind. If your power is spotty at ALL, or it happens to be a windy night, don't do the update. The reason people shy away from it is that if the power gets cut out while flashing the BIOS, the motherboard gets bricked. Other than that, it's perfectly safe.

 

[PanicMaster85]

yeah it is the 3.0 porst but 2 out of the 6 work :/ and i installed every driver... also what bios will help me in overclocking? i looked at them but i cant tell which one will help me... why cant they just have a windows 7 sweet

 

[PanicMaster85]

http://www.asrock.com/mb/download.asp?Model=X58%20Extreme6&o=BIOS
this is where i have been looking

 

[smorizio]

myself i download the bios files and then unzip it. i then put a copy of the rom/cap file on a formatted usb stick. I then plug the usb stick in and reboot and go into the advance mode in the bios. there bee a bios updater built into the bios. all you have to do is point to where the bios file for flashing is. once the mb bios flasher sees the file it ask you if you want to back up the old bios..say yes and let the bios updater run. the mb will power off on in own. on reboot your going to get a cmos check sum error (normal for some mb when you flash the bios). hit f1 to go into your bios. when there hit f key that loads factory default for the bios..save and exit. on reboot go back in to the bios make sure sata ports are set to achi mode and ram xmp mode is turned on. save and exit.

 

[smorizio]

also on the wrong driver page for your mb.
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme6/?cat=Download&os=BIOS

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme6/?cat=Download

 

[PanicMaster85]

myself i download the bios files and then unzip it. i then put a copy of the rom/cap file on a formatted usb stick. I then plug the usb stick in and reboot and go into the advance mode in the bios. there bee a bios updater built into the bios. all you have to do is point to where the bios file for flashing is. once the mb bios flasher sees the file it ask you if you want to back up the old bios..say yes and let the bios updater run. the mb will power off on in own. on reboot your going to get a cmos check sum error (normal for some mb when you flash the bios). hit f1 to go into your bios. when there hit f key that loads factory default for the bios..save and exit. on reboot go back in to the bios make sure sata ports are set to achi mode and ram xmp mode is turned on. save and exit.

ok thank you... but which bios to download? I want one that can aid me in overclocking and i have like 20 to choose from :/

 

[PanicMaster85]

also on the wrong driver page for your mb.
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme6/?cat=Download&os=BIOS

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme6/?cat=Download

ok, i will download a driver off that site and install it for the usb i will keep you posted

 

[smorizio]

painic go into you bios..look at the rev of the bios on the main screen. if it at the first rev then just flash the bios with the highest bios number. most vendors place all the bug fixes from lower bios into the last bios file. only have to do them in order unless the mb vendo says you have too.

 

[PanicMaster85]

ok ill will see... note i installed a usb driver l.0.4 and the 3.0 usb are still not working

 

[smorizio]

check in the bios that both usb 3.0 ports are turned on. also install the other usb 3.0 driver..
Etron USB 3.0 driver ver:0.109_0220

 

[PanicMaster85]

ok I will try that as well... i have version p1.70

 

[PanicMaster85]

ok what should i format my USB to? i think im going to install the first one or 2.4 of instant flash
http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme6/?cat=Download&os=BIOS
waht do you think?

wait which file should i flash with the instant flash, DOS, or windows?

 

[PanicMaster85]

the USB thing did not work

 

[smorizio]

download the instant flash to a fat32 formated usb stick or leave it on the hard drive in the download folder and let the bios updater find it. dont use the windows updater or you may brick your mb.

 

[PanicMaster85]

ok so then what is the exact proccess i need to follow one more time?

 

[smorizio]

download the 2/4 instant flash file. unsip it it make an exe file. copy the file to a usb stick...place the usb stick in a working usb port.turn the pc off. power the pc on hit f6 to go into the bios flasher in the mb. let the bios flasher look for the flash file when it find it let it flash your mb.

 

[PanicMaster85]

got it... ok everything is up to date what should i do to test if it made any difference?

 

[smorizio]

plug the mouse into the ports and see if it lights up or a usb stick with a music file on it. just make sure in the bios all the usb 3.0 ports are turned on.if it the front case ports make sure the cable on right and the mb case has usb 3.0 cable and not the older 2.0 ports.