The true purpose of the BIOS update

[sunkenstate]

Bare with me, I'm still learning.

What exactly does updating the BIOS do? I mean, does it make things run faster? Does it make your motherboard accept more kinds of hardware, and drivers for that hardware?

I've always thought that it just gives more options in the BIOS menu, possibly making them a bit more efficient. Kind of like drivers for hardware. But I just don't know really.

I'm roughly two or three revisions behind on my motherboard BIOS. I have to put in a floppy drive yet on my computer. But if updating the BIOS isn't a critical asset, then I think I'll pass since I don't ever seem to have any real problems running the PC.

Could somebody who knows give a simple explaination? Thanks a bunch.

[diamud]

Originally posted by sunkenstate
Bare with me, I'm still learning.

Here is my (fully clothed) explaination why I have updated my bios. My motherboard would not recognize an Athlon XP 1900, a bios updated corrected that, so now it recognizes the chip correctly and I can take full advantage of my cpus speed. Sometimes a bios update adds support for new chips and devices. Other than to add a new feature or correct an on-going problem, I can't think of a good reason to update a bios.

[Tekime]

Originally posted by sunkenstate
Could somebody who knows give a simple explaination? Thanks a bunch.

If it isn't broken, don't try to fix it. Unless you are o/c'ing or trying to squeeze some performance out of your rig there is no reason to update.

[natgun]

can a bios update make a computer run faster??

yes, especially with newer motherboards.

can a bios update recognize newer hardware??

yes it can.



you should always stay up to date with the latest bios. it contains stability, compatability, and performance enhancements. my sandra memory score was around 4700mb/s in sandra at stock speeds when i first bought my IC7-G motherboard. after several bios updates, my stock sandra scores went up to 5000mb/s at stock speeds.

to sum it all up: flash your bios if you can. just make sure you follow the instructions carefully, because if you screw it up, you will kill your motherboard. on the other hand, if your computer is working ok, and you dont feel comfortable doing the flash then i wouldnt worry about it.

[Un4given]

Originally posted by natgun
can a bios update make a computer run faster??

yes, especially with newer motherboards.

can a bios update recognize newer hardware??

yes it can.



you should always stay up to date with the latest bios. it contains stability, compatability, and performance enhancements. my sandra memory score was around 4700mb/s in sandra at stock speeds when i first bought my IC7-G motherboard. after several bios updates, my stock sandra scores went up to 5000mb/s at stock speeds.

to sum it all up: flash your bios if you can. just make sure you follow the instructions carefully, because if you screw it up, you will kill your motherboard. on the other hand, if your computer is working ok, and you dont feel comfortable doing the flash then i wouldnt worry about it.

I think many people would disagree with flashing the BIOS whenever a new one comes out. These aren't like drivers that always be quickly undone if you don't like the results. BIOS updates are put out to address very specific issues, and if you aren't having an issue related to the BIOS update, you are best leaving well enough alone.

[natgun]

i think i sorta made that case too unforgiven. only those comfortable with bios flashes should attempt it.

[proxops-pete]

The first thing to do when you notice a newer bios is out is to check WHAT it updates. If it's some critical things that hardware/software needs, go ahead. If sounds minor (like a newer CPU support), then don't bother.

[sunkenstate]

Thanks for the info everybody. This is all very useful information that I'll take into consideration in the future. It honestly doesn't sound like I'll be updating my BIOS after reading through the replies. My computer runs great right now. And on top of that, I've never flashed a BIOS. However it's on my list of "things to do (learn)". I think I'll experiment with my old Asus board before I attempt flashing my current one. Thanks again.

[richardginn]

I am in the camp of not having to upgrade the bios that much at all.

[Farmer_BOB]

Initially, it was big deal to update the bios for compatibility with AGP 8x and ATI's 9700pro chip. For the most part, you really don't have to worry about flashing the bios.

[BernieDD]

Like the man said, if it ain't broken, don't fix it. A lot of things (that can be fatal to your rig) can go wrong when doing the flash. I for one won't do it unless the computer's on a UPS.

[russ_watters]

Originally posted by proxops-pete
The first thing to do when you notice a newer bios is out is to check WHAT it updates. If it's some critical things that hardware/software needs, go ahead. If sounds minor (like a newer CPU support), then don't bother.

This is the main point to take from this, sunkenstate - READ the list of fixes/improvements for the bios update to determine if you need it. If not, don't bother.