Can you update motherboard BIOS using unsupported CPU?

[ddarko]

Anyone have experience updating the BIOS of the Maximus Formula while using an unsupported CPU? I'm in this pickle b/c I think my Q6600 got fried (my system doesn't post at all with the Q6600). I bought a Q9300 but I'm pretty sure my motherboard doesn't have the BIOS needed to support the Q9300 (need 1004 and later, 1004 came out in March 2008 and I got my motherboard in January 2008 and have never updated the BIOS). I don't have a spare 775 CPU lying around so I'm going to seat the Q9300 and hope that it posts far enough for me to get into the BIOS so I can use EZ Flash 2. I have the latest BIOS on a USB flash disk. I found this older thread where someone said that his Maximus Formula with bios 0602 recognized his E8400 without updating. Anyone have experience with the Q9300?

BTW, here's the older thread I found:

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...8400+bios+asus+maximus

 

[unr3al]

If it boots with the "unsupported" CPU then my guess is yes you can flash. But then most likely its also not an "unsupported" CPU. Have you actually installed the Q9300?

 

[ddarko]

Not yet (am still at work which is the only place I have internet). But I had read that some "unsupported" chips may not be stable but they'll post enough to allow you to update the BIOS. However, other chips/motherboard won't post at all. I was hoping that someone had a similar experience so that I could know before I open the box whether the 9300/Maximus Formula is the former or latter. If it won't post at all, I can exchange it for a new Q6600. I'd prefer to get a new Penryn but if it doesn't work, then I'm stuck with a dead computer through the long weekend and I have an open box processor which I can't really return. It turns out the Maximus Formula does not have a CMOS chip that is user replaceable; I have to return the whole board to Asus for them to install an updated BIOS instead of just ordering a updated CMOS chip from Asus. I'm really trying to avoid having to RMA the board, which may be impossible if the board and not the CPU has failed. Even with a Q6600, maybe the board won't boot.

added:

I found this on the Asus boards, someone installed a Q9450 on a board that had the then-current 0907 bios, which didn't support the Q9450:

"i have this board with this cpu and when i boot it tells me that:

'Unknown CPU is detected, updating BIOS is required to unleash its full power! Press F1 to continue'

i have the latest bios and i can say the the cpu is recognised by the bios but still gives me that message. in windows , everything is fine."

http://vip.asus.com/forum/view...page=1&SLanguage=en-us

So it looks like the Maximus Formula recognized and even booted to Windows with a Q9450 using older BIOS. That's encouraging.

 

[GundamF91]

Supposedly if you have a floppy or USB device, you may be able to flash as long as it gets POST.

 

[Sarsbaby]

Just make sure your USB stick is NTFS, if you're gonna flash that way. Asus EZFlash won't read Fat32 file systems.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: Sarsbaby
Just make sure your USB stick is NTFS, if you're gonna flash that way. Asus EZFlash won't read Fat32 file systems.

Your kidding, right? That's the first that I've heard that BIOS flash utils read NTFS, and NOT FAT32 or FAT16. Usually they require FAT.