ASUS P5N-E and E8400

[bootsy72]

Hey guys,


I have a p5n-e motherboard and an e8400 processor, both retail. With my processor I have the fan that came with it.

Everything went fine with my second boot except that during windows xp install my computer shut down 3 times after about 1 minute. The MB is not recognizing the e8400, but there is a bios update that supposedly should fix the problem, the 0803.

If I upgrade my bios and it doesn't work, how can I get my bios back to normal?

Also, I am concerned they my bios might not be set up correct. I loaded all the default settings, and then I pretty much didn't mess with anything except what I understood--leaving everything about the cpu and ram and stuff at stock. The motherboard recognized my HD and formatted it and everything worked fine... except it just straight up turned off during xp install. Should I try the bios update? I don't think the cpu is overheating since I have the retail version and it has its fan.

I have p5n-e mb
e8400 cpu
2 gigs of ballistix ram
a 320 gig wdc hard drive
no floppy
an nvidia 7300 le graphics card

Please help me out. Thanks a lot!

[bootsy72]

Do I need to maybe reduce the watts coming from the power supply or something? I'm a total noob.. this is my first build.

[The Wise Monkey]

Nah, the fail-safe defaults are just that - they will work. What temperatue does your CPU run at? Leave it running for 10 mins or so and check the temperature in the BIOS.

[bootsy72]

Hey, I ran it for 10 minutes and the average temp is 50 degrees. According to http://www.heatsink-guide.com/content.php?content=maxtemp.shtml the max temp should be 72 degrees .

[Rob]

I'm not familiar with your particular configuration, but if you've learned that the BIOS version needs to be updated to support the processor you have then that sounds like the next step.

I don't know if you can do this using the processor that the BIOS does not support. That sounds iffy to me.

One way to proceed is to buy the cheapest processor you can find that should work with your BIOS version. Install it, and use it during the update. Then upgrade to the processor you want.

Otherwise, you may be able to return the motherboard to the maker to have it updated. I don't know if there's a fee for this. You'd have to contact their customer services to get details.

Another option is to RMA the motherboard to the reseller, hoping to get a more recent BIOS version in the exchange. That's hoping for the luck of the draw. You never know how deep their inventory is. Maybe they stocked up on that motherboard a while back. I don't know what the costs for that would be. But if you used the American Express Blue card I recommend then it would reimburse any re-stocking fees.

Hope that helps!

[bootsy72]

Hey Rob,
Thanks for your response. The MB comes with EZ Flash--a program that makes it so I can update the BIOS from a jump drive. How long does the process take? How "iffy" do you think updating it would be from the jump drive? Thanks.

[bootsy72]

What is the worst case scenario? What is the likely scenario?

[iiiprimeiii]

if u update bios and it doesnt work just clear the cmos with either the jumper pins or take the battery out of the mobo for about 30 seconds. :D

[bootsy72]

The new BIOS was able to recognize my CPU... at this point, however, I have still been able to complete an install of Windows XP... one time it made it to 99% then sat there for 30 minutes!!!! Next time it only made it to 9%... :eek:

It is at 51% right now.. I just hope it works..

[The Wise Monkey]

50C is still very high when just idling. Try removing the fan and cleaning it, then reapply the thermal paste.