Question Should I trust a Custom BIOS update?

[John Edwards]

I have an 8-year old PC with a motherboard which uses legacy BIOS.
In order to take max advantage of a new large monitor, I need to upgrade my GPU to one with greater resolution output. I've tried a couple, but neither produced any output on the monitor. My first thought was limitation of power supply, but even one with a 6-pin lead (same as existing) and very lower power need doesn't work.
I've now been advised that any newer GPU will require UEFI BIOS on the motherboard to be able to communicate.
The Medion user forum offered some help from a contributor who produced a custom BIOS update for me (from the 'latest' release, which I don't have) JUST to allow UEFI communication with the GPU.
This is all way above my pay-grade, and I'm really uncertain whether I should trust him and take the risk of updating the BIOS using this - having read several stories (including on here!) of mistakes in this process causing 'bricked' mobos (even with official updates).
I'd be really grateful for any guidance/advice from those with plenty of experience of such things.
Many thanks.

 

[jojesa]

I think you already know the answer ...it will be risky.
Which GPU are you installing?
Could you post your system specs.
I have upgraded older computers with recent GPUs .....UEFI BIOS was not a requirement.

 

[John Edwards]

You're right, but I'm wondering if there are any precautions I could take (I don't have a spare mobo to test it on!). I do have images of 'old and new microcodes' provided by the custom BIOS update provider, if they would be of any help.

The GPU upgrade I'm presently trying is a Radeon R7 260X (by PowerColor). It is definitely UEFI. Are you aware of any non-UEFI GPUs that will output 2560 x 1440 resolution (for my new 32" QHD monitor), requiring low power including a 6-pin lead?

Spec (I hope this is enough):
PC is a Medion Akoya P5704D EU (MD 7712) from Sep 2011 (originally Win 7, now Win 10, Home 64-bit, build 18362.19h1_ release 190318-1202), with an ECS Elite H67H2-EM v1.0 mobo. It is NOT UEFI.

CPU is Intel Core i7 2600 @ 3.40Ghz (Sandy Bridge) and the BIOS is AMI v4.6.4 (03/04/2011). It has a PCI-E x16 (Gen 2) slot and the PSU is FSP Fortron/Source model FSP450-60EMDN rated at 450w.

Original GPU is AMD Radeon HD 6750 (Juniper, by Sapphire/PC Partner) - released in 2009 with 1GB GDDR5 memory and max resolution 1920 x 1080; driver 15.301.1901.0 (Crimson 16.2.1)/Win 10 64, dated 26/2/2016. It is NOT UEFI.

Let me know if I've missed anything important!

Thanks for your interest.

 

[John Edwards]

You're right, but I'm wondering if there are any precautions I could take (I don't have a spare mobo to test it on!). I do have images of 'old and new microcodes' provided by the custom BIOS update provider, if they would be of any help.

The GPU upgrade I'm presently trying is a Radeon R7 260X (by PowerColor). It is definitely UEFI. Are you aware of any non-UEFI GPUs that will output 2560 x 1440 resolution (for my new 32" QHD monitor), requiring low power including a 6-pin lead?

Spec (I hope this is enough):
PC is a Medion Akoya P5704D EU (MD 7712) from Sep 2011 (originally Win 7, now Win 10, Home 64-bit, build 18362.19h1_ release 190318-1202), with an ECS Elite H67H2-EM v1.0 mobo. It is NOT UEFI.

CPU is Intel Core i7 2600 @ 3.40Ghz (Sandy Bridge) and the BIOS is AMI v4.6.4 (03/04/2011). It has a PCI-E x16 (Gen 2) slot and the PSU is FSP Fortron/Source model FSP450-60EMDN rated at 450w.

Original GPU is AMD Radeon HD 6750 (Juniper, by Sapphire/PC Partner) - released in 2009 with 1GB GDDR5 memory and max resolution 1920 x 1080; driver 15.301.1901.0 (Crimson 16.2.1)/Win 10 64, dated 26/2/2016. It is NOT UEFI.

Let me know if I've missed anything important!

Thanks for your interest.

Re: Upgrading GPU

After much deliberation, I've decided to try another GPU card - the MSI nVidia Geforce GTX 750 Ti, which has the legacy BIOS switch (and a very low power need) - and eBay has provided me with one.

While I'm awaiting delivery, I want to turn my mind further to the question of a change from AMD to nVidia.

Can someone with experience of doing this successfully talk me through the best way of ensuring that it works first time?

My concern is that if I have to uninstall/delete the AMD drivers before attempting it, what happens if the nVidia card does NOT work in my PC as hoped and I have to revert to the AMD one? With no access to a functioning monitor, how would I reinstall the AMD drivers to make the old card usable again?

OR is there is a basic driver within Windows, which would kick-in in the absence of specific drivers?

Many thanks for your help ASAP