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CPU Upgrade: Hypertheading-supportive BIOS needed

Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 1:32 am
by Libertarian
Hi all,

I wish to upgrade the current 3.06GHz/533MHz CPU (P4 SL8JA Rev OE) which is non-HT to a 3.8GHz/800MHz P4 HT SL7Z3, which the manual indicates is compatible with the mobo.

CPU World website states that for Hyperthreading to be recognised it must be supported in the BIOS. ( I know from experience a while back that with Dell machines if you change the CPU from non-HT to HT without first updating the BIOS to a Hyperthreading-supportive version - and enabling HT in the BIOS before swapping the CPU - the system will not recognise the HT feature, even if multi-core is enabled in msconfig etc. Eventually fixed - but at cost of much time :!: )

Belarc identifies my machine as "Packard Bell NEC PB13212701 SNID 041411720075". It is externally labelled PB NEC iMedia 1508/N.

The mobo is marked Gigabyte GA-81915PM 40A254 00725 Grantsdale (ICH6).

The BIOS chip is labelled Pheonix D686 and the BIOS is Award Software International, Inc. version 10v (POST: 11/21/2004 i915P – 6A79VG0DC-00) which as far as I can make out does not support Hyperthreading (or does it?). Certainly there is no mention of HT on the setup screen. Does anyone have any info on this BIOS version :?:

eSupport.com Inc’s BIOSAgentPlus has a more recent version (20u 11/20/2005) but the support team has “no documentation” for this version and evades my (several) queries to ascertain whether version 20u supports Hyperthreading. Does anyone have any info on this BIOS version :?:

Are there any other HT-supportive PB BIOS versions kicking around somewhere out there for this mobo, or are there any HT-friendly Gigabyte versions which would work (without bricking the mobo!!!)?
(I think that this is essentially a Gigabyte “PM” type mobo with a few PB NEC knick-knacks added, which may (or may not?) be essential to the functioning of the board? Would the HT-friendly GA-81915PM-FS (Fujitsu Siemens) version work?)

Any factual info/helpful thoughts gratefully received.

Re: CPU Upgrade: Hypertheading-supportive BIOS needed

Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 10:39 pm
by admin
Here is what I found so far:

http://web.archive.org/web/200711160633 ... ce_ixtreme

Unfortunatetly the links to the BIOS are dead...

Re: CPU Upgrade: Hypertheading-supportive BIOS needed

Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2016 10:04 am
by Libertarian
admin wrote:Here is what I found so far:

http://web.archive.org/web/200711160633 ... ce_ixtreme

Unfortunatetly the links to the BIOS are dead...
Thanks for passing it on anyway.

Re: CPU Upgrade: Hypertheading-supportive BIOS needed

Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2016 6:45 pm
by edwin
Well, I simply cannot really believe it but it is still available for download
ftp://ftp.packardbell.com/pub/itemnr_old/6949060400/

you need the bios for your "Sunshine" board. No, really, that is the codename for it.