I ordered GA-EP45-DS3R Mobo should be coming in tommorrow Infact I bought a bunch of stuff.. sigh ok ill just go over everything I bought. For my new build. CPU: Intel E8400 (169.99) Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops GPU: ATI 4850 (184.99) Newegg.com - VisionTek 900241 Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards RAM: 4GB DDR2 800 (90.00) Newegg.com - CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory Mobo: Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R (134.99) Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards PSU: Corsair HX520 (114.99) Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies HD: 500-750 GB Sata II, 7200 RPM (99.99) Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3500320NS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives But really I have a few questions since I am a begginner. I know all reviews say this MOBO needs the bios flashed.. If i go to gigabytes website and download the f9bios.exe file and run it.. is that considered flashing it? Or do I need to do something else to flash the bios to a newer version? thats really all i needed to know is about the bios.. and maybe what you think of my build I have coming in tommorrow? Btw it will be going into a antec 900 case.
Well, typically, you have a couple ways to flash BIOS. The first and traditional method is by using a floppy disk. You boot into a DOS environment and run the flash program to flash the updated ROM file. The second is by using a Windows-based flash tool, corresponding with the BIOS type you have (like Award or AMI). The .exe file will likely want to unzip the files somewhere, but won't actually do the flashing for you. Outside of that, the only thing I'd recommend is starting off with the motherboard outside the case and install the CPU, CPU cooler, RAM and video card on a flat, non-conductive surface. You can use a flat-headed screwdriver to short the power jumper as well. This way, if there's a problem, it's easier to troubleshoot and have a starting point.
