BIOS Question regarding new CPU

[ron spencer]

I just got a new Asus P5Q motherboard from a going out of business sale....I also have a Core2Duo E8400 sitting here unopened. According to the Asus website, CPU support for the E8400 was added in May of this year (2009). I am unsure what BIOS is on the board. If it is less than the one supporting the E8400, can I still plop it in then flash the bios later?

Not sure what to do in this case

thanks for advice...

[neomaine]

Not that I've had to do this alot over the years, maybe a handful, but I've always been able to get the board boot up. Sometimes its at a slower clock speed, sometimes with a only one core instead of two but its always come up. As long as the socket is the same, duh, its seemed to be at least 'good enough' with basic support. I have to add its always been AMD though...

[ron spencer]

yah...socket is same of course

is there a way to see what bios is there prior to doing anthing...I have not come across this before

[neomaine]

Not without a POST to see. You could probably see what revision the board is. Usually printed somewhere on top. The BIOS chip itself will give a basic indication.

You can setup all the basics. Board, monitor, keyboard. If you POST clean, you're probably all set. If you get a series of beeps and no POST screen, look up to see what it means for your BIOS vendor/version. If its a CPU issue (hopefully...), you'll need to get the board up with a supported CPU to flash the BIOS.