GA-Z97-HD3 Q flash

[blaggger1]

GA-Z97-HD3
How to q flash and what needs to be installed to motherboard, I’m sure I have read somewhere that q flash you must have cpu and memory installed? Does that mean graphics card or motherboards graphics hooked up to monitor?
And q flash plus is none of the above needed?
Do I just use any usb port as the board doesn’t have a white usb port like other boards I have seen?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Any kind of Qflash usually, probably always, requires that it be a functional system and that you are able to enter the bios. On some AMI/Award bios you can recover or update the bios from outside the bios as mentioned here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-3818696/asrock-fatality-990fx-killer-motherboard-bios-update-failed-black-screens.html


But generally speaking unless your board has a bios flashback type feature that specifically says it allow updating the bios using a specific USB port without having a CPU or memory installed, then you must be able to at least get into the bios in order to update it.

Are you TRYING to update the bios without functional hardware? Is there a problem or are you just trying to update?

There are specific instructions on updating Gigabyte bios on the Gigabyte website and plenty of Gigabyte Z97 bios updating tutorials on Youtube.

 

[blaggger1]

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly Darkbreeze, my current motherboard died so i had to get a quick replacement until i decide to either to buy a much better board after xmas or buy another pc. And i am worried the GA-Z97-HD3 that i have coming may need a bios update to run either of the 2 cpu's i have, which are G3258 and 4790k

 

[Darkbreeze]

Z97 will run Haswell refresh out of the box, with ANY compatible CPU and any bios version.

 

[blaggger1]

Thanks Darkbreeze for help so far, from the cpu list
4790k G3258 needs F5 bios it says on cpu list, so are you saying that the board I am receiving should have
Support G3258 or 4790k and already be on F5 bios or higher but not as low as F3 which would require a flash to use my cpu's.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Those are both Haswell refresh processors. Z97 did not release until Haswell refresh was released. Previous gen Haswell CPUs were released along with the Z87 and H87 chipsets. The G3258 MIGHT need a more recent bios version that the original one, but the i7 should for certain have been compatible with any bios version on any Z97 board from the get go.

I see that what you say it true regarding the F3 and F5 bios indications, but it makes no sense to me as it should have been compatible from day one.

 

[blaggger1]

If for some reason Darkbreeze i put 4790k in working motherboard and get nothing then i will assume i need bios flash, the board i will be getting only supports Q flash. So could you tell me which way i need to go to flash board if i have to do so, what pieces i need connected and if i need a different model cpu besides what i got to do the Q flashing.

From a guide i found on line,With this utility, you can access Q-Flash by either pressing <End> key during the POST or pressing the <F8> key in BIOS setup menu. No need to enter operating systems like MS-DOS or Windows first.
Do I just use any usb port as the board doesn’t have a white usb port like other boards I have seen?

 

[blaggger1]

Thanks for all the help so far Darkbreeze

 

[Darkbreeze]

If the CPU is not supported on the bios version the board currently has installed, then there is a good chance, probable in fact, that it will not POST or even display anything at all.

IF that happens, I think you're only course of action will be to either find somebody with a 4th Gen CPU that will allow you to use it long enough to flash the bios, pay a repair shop to go ahead and flash the bios using a CPU they surely have on hand, buy the cheapest used 4th gen CPU you can find in order to flash it yourself or send the board to Gigabyte and have them flash it. There are no provisions that I'm aware of for flashing that board without a supported CPU installed unless the method I linked to earlier will work which I'm doubtful about since I've never heard that advice mentioned elsewhere in the past in these sort of circumstances but it's probably worth trying anyhow.

 

[blaggger1]

Thank you Darkbreeze for advice given,seems i will just have to wait and see

 

[Darkbreeze]

Generally speaking, unless this is a board that was sold within the first couple of months after the release of that chipset (And possibly not even then, as I said, I believe that CPU to have been supported since the release of Z97 BUT it has been a while and maybe my memory is fuzzy IDK.) then it is very likely to either have come with a newer bios version than F3 or have been updated at some point during it's life.

If not, well......