MOBO BIOS Knowledge.

[zburns]

How easy is it for experienced builders such as Rob, Ricky Tick, Wise Monkey, and any others on this forum who have built multiple computers, to roam at will thru the BIOS of different motherboards?

My build last May used the Asus M2N32SLI Deluxe Wireless model Rob recommended in his parts list. His book which I purchased was about earlier mobos with AMD CPUs. The Asus BIOS I had to contend with was in no way comparable, appearance wise, with the BIOS in Robs book. In fact his instructions for settings within the BIOS did not correlate with much of anything I had to do with my ASUS mobo. I got thru it all with no real problems, but I must confess I knew little about what I was doing most of the time. Fortunately, many or most of my settings were automatic on this Asus board.

Rob has had a lot of experience, so has Wise Monkey, who I call an expert with remarkable knowledge! There are others on the forum, I assume have built more than one computer.

So my question is for those who have lots of experience with different mobos and their respective individual BIOS, at what point do each of you really understand "everything you look at within a particular mobo BIOS". Does this knowledge come from multiple experiences with different mobos, or just repetative working with several mobos over a long period of time. Are there any books that guide you such as the BIOS BARRIER book by Adrian Wong. I brought this book and did not find it very helpful.

Phoenix Technology writes a lot of the software for BIOS; are there any guides from them? Does every mobo have a different BIOS from Phoenix or another company?

If I had to build 10 computers in the next two weeks, all with different mobos and different BIOS, where or who would I turn to for help; does an IT professional have access to "BIOS guides or proprietary data that we on a public forum do not have?

As I said earlier, this thread arises from my experience with my first build. What I talk about above is "just a big hole" in my computer knowledge. My timing for this thread today prompted by another thread where the author wants a $ 70 Biostar mobo instead of the "budget build" recommendation. I questioned this in the context of this thread. If he has the BIOSTAR and has to know something about the BIOS, where does he get "actual first hand knowledgeable" help or information about BIOSTAR mobo BIOS?

[The Wise Monkey]

Firstly, thank you for the kind words. :)

For new builders, Google is your friend - lots of people have trouble with BIOS settings, especially on slightly lesser known manufacturers, so a quick search would be a good idea.

As for learning about what things in your BIOS do, that really comes from experience. Once you understand what the BIOS actually does, it is usually just a case of finding whereabouts the functionality is on your PC.

If you want to learn, then one of the best ways would be to have a look inside your own BIOS and make a note of settings that you don't understand. Then you can find out what each thing does by looking online and keep the list handy if you ever need to make any changes.

EDIT: Just found what I was looking for - this is the BIOS of, coincidentally, my motherboard:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/slideshow/Gigabyte-GA-P35-DS3-BIOS-Image-Gallery,0201--2380----jpg-.html

Have a look at the pictures and compare the layout to your own BIOS, see if you can match up the settings.

[RickyTick]

Here's the way I look at it zburns. I haven't been to the Moon, but I can still tell you what's there. I'm not trying to be flippant, but with the internet and google, you can find out almost anything imaginable. You don't have to post answers that only come from your firsthand experience.

I can't tell you how many times people have posted things here and I've spent 30 minutes or more searching websites and forums to find an answer. I bookmarked a lot of great reviews and articles along the way that I refer to a lot. I read several articles and blogs every day and get most of my "experience" from that. Sometimes I just post a Link that I think might help someone, because I don't want to plagiarise. If the question is rather technical, then I leave it alone and let WM or someone answer it. Have you noticed the thread "Popping from Speakers"? I haven't posted anything there because I don't have a clue what the problem is. :) I'm not a Tech guy, I'm a tinkerer, probably a lot like you.

My secret for information and knowledge is The Tech Report (www.techreport.com). I read almost every word of it every single day. It is a gold mine of information.

[chunkylover53]

So my question is for those who have lots of experience with different mobos and their respective individual BIOS, at what point do each of you really understand "everything you look at within a particular mobo BIOS".
I'm on my fourth build, and I don't understand a third of my BIOS. But I also don't feel that I need to squeeze every last speck of performance out of of my PC through BIOS settings. I know how to change the boot order on any BIOS, regardless of the PC. I can disable some basic things like legacy diskette and PATA controller on any BIOS too, but other than that I don't change much. On my first build, once I was up and running, I went through every item in the BIOS. Read the description in my mobo manual, looked it up on http://www.techarp.com/freebog.aspx, and tried to understand it. Maybe that's why I don't feel the need to change things now. IMHO, "default values" is your friend. [as I like to say... cue the cries of heresy] :p

[zburns]

Ok guys, thanks a lot. In spite of BIOS, all of you claim victory. I guess that is the way it should be. I am just used to knowing the whole picture, see all the dots and the connections so to speak. WM is right, experience is the best teacher, no question; Chunky, I have only one build, but I understand what you're saying and agree with the method; you sort of know whats important, and what to stay away from. Ricky, I am suprised you can pick up so much (reading) without "messing with things".

When I went thru the Asus bios, I was careful to keep my hands off something if I did not have a clue. Again, much of the Asus was "auto" settings; I guess in the "overclock" areas which I had no interest in. When Rob finally published his settings for the same mobo on this site, I think I only had one setting that did not agree; but again "auto" settings saved me from making a mess.

WM's idea of comparing the Gigabyte bios pictures to my Asus settings is really a pretty good teaching tool, so I will probably do it. Maybe some pattern will emerge that will fit what I am "looking for" (if that makes sense).

Thanks again; I have wanted to ask that question for a long time, really.