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venice in a DFI NF4 Ultra-D

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mikesm

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Jul 28, 2003
Hi. I just got a new DFI NF4 Ultra-D, and was planning on picking up an 3200+ Winchester this weekend for a build next week. But with Venice coming shortly, I was thinking about putting off the build until I could get one of them (my current OC'd 2.8 Ghz P4 system will get repackaged as an HTPC system), and building my new desktop around the chip.

But I understand the CPU ID of the venice is going to be different, so I am wondering if my plan is going to work, as I may need a new BIOS for the Ultra-D. How could I upgrade the BIOS if I didn't have a A64 it recognizes to upgrade it with?

Anyone here know if I can just get the new chip and still have it work?

thanks,
Mike
 
deception`` said:
A Revision E processor will work, but it will require a bios flash to properly function.

deception``

Does this mean I'll be able to insert a Venice into my DFI NF4 and load an OS and then flash the BIOS from there? What do you mean by function properly?

Thanks,
Mike
 
mikesm said:
Does this mean I'll be able to insert a Venice into my DFI NF4 and load an OS and then flash the BIOS from there? What do you mean by function properly?

Thanks,
Mike

It means that, worst case scenario, the motherboard will need to be flashed in order for the processor to boot. Otherwise, a bios flash will be possible from within windows or via DOS (awdflash).

deception``
 
deception`` said:
It means that, worst case scenario, the motherboard will need to be flashed in order for the processor to boot. Otherwise, a bios flash will be possible from within windows or via DOS (awdflash).

deception``

This is what I was worried about. I don't have an existing A64 - so if it needs to be flashed in order for the processor to boot, then how can I flash with a new bios? This seems to be an chicken and egg problem.

Thanks,
Mike
 
mikesm said:
This is what I was worried about. I don't have an existing A64 - so if it needs to be flashed in order for the processor to boot, then how can I flash with a new bios? This seems to be an chicken and egg problem.

Thanks,
Mike

Well then you better hope to god that it works. :) My guess are that it will be unstable for a while until DFI releases a new BIOS version, but until then, I highly recommend that you NOT OC it.

There is always another alternative, if you are DESPERATLY afraid of it not working, you could buy a winnie for now, wait until the new BIOS comes out, and then sell your Winnie and get a Venice.
 
There is already a discussion on this in AMD CPU's about an article relating to this, but the article is total BS and as deception correctly put it:

deception`` said:
It means that, worst case scenario, the motherboard will need to be flashed in order for the processor to boot.

And if you do hold out for Venice, good luck to you and I hope it is good! :cool:
 
if you hold out for venice, youll be waiting some time, unless your willing to pay top dollar for it as soon as it comes out. you could get a winnie, learn the oc process with a dfi (it will take some time), and then in 3-4 months time, pick up a venice and sell the cpu and or keep it around for a backup. this will also give ample time for them to sort the rev. e issue and nf4 (if there is any initial).

i know i was waiting for venice, but i already had the board and was like.. well i guess im gettin a winnie, ha.
 
pershoot said:
if you hold out for venice, youll be waiting some time, unless your willing to pay top dollar for it as soon as it comes out. you could get a winnie, learn the oc process with a dfi (it will take some time), and then in 3-4 months time, pick up a venice and sell the cpu and or keep it around for a backup. this will also give ample time for them to sort the rev. e issue and nf4 (if there is any initial).

i know i was waiting for venice, but i already had the board and was like.. well i guess im gettin a winnie, ha.

True, but I think i'm still going to wait for atleast a month or so after Venice is released just so the prices can regulate and give time for reviewing companies/people here the opportunity to find out which stepping is best for OCing.

So I'm looking at either May or June before I get mine.
 
Get a winnie now then ebay it when you are ready to get a Venice and then ebay that when you are ready for a dual core. All chips should work on current motherboards with bios flashes. If there is a problem then ebay the chip and motherboard , but it probably wont come to that.
 
Swatdog said:
True, but I think i'm still going to wait for atleast a month or so after Venice is released just so the prices can regulate and give time for reviewing companies/people here the opportunity to find out which stepping is best for OCing.

So I'm looking at either May or June before I get mine.


That is smart. Not only the price drop, but as you said, it is best to let someone else be the guinea pig for you so you know what to get in terms of good overclocks. :) I usually hold out on a CPU until everyone goes nuts over a specific model that does well, then I buy it. That is how my JIUHB 0310 XPMW DLT3C XP1700+ came to be. :D
 
You could also hot flash the bios with another computer or use a bios savior to flash a venice compatible bios on another computer.
 
in all my experences that processor ha alwyas worked, just not at rated speed there lies the problem when you need to flash the bios....i dont think it would not boot at all, thats sounds kinda odd seeing how its interface is the same (939pins).

whats the big deal about these any way, justa new core?
 
Niku-Sama said:
whats the big deal about these any way, justa new core?
They fully revamped the memory controller which re-allocated the pins involved with the controller. Because of this it runs FUBAR on most boards that attempt to use the old protocall
 
TimoneX said:
You could also hot flash the bios with another computer or use a bios savior to flash a venice compatible bios on another computer.

I was actually just going to post something on this. :)
 
DFI says venice works with bios v3/10 or newer, and there's a thread at XS w/ a 3800+ venice running happily in a MSI neo2 w/ bios v1.41 so it doesn't appear to be all that big a deal to get these cores working with existing motherboards. If you have a board w/ an old bios and no winchester or clawhammer to allow you to post and flash it with, I'm sure you could persuade a fellow member here on the forums to loan you a bios savior or CPU to get your system running with a venice core. If someone finds themselves in this situation and can't come up w/ a better solution contact me to make the necessary arrangements and I'll flash your bios chip w/ whatever bios you want and send it back to you.
 
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