Bios stuff

waynez · 15th Feb 2008, 03:55 AM

First of all, i'm new here so i'd like to say hi to everyone!

Now, my PC is made of:
-ASRock K8Upgrade NF3
-Amd athlon 64 3000+ socket 754
-Sapphire radeon 9600 pro atlantis advantage 256MB
-512 MB ram Kingmax 433MHz
-Crap MS power supply and maxtor 80 gb sata.

As you can see this configuration is pretty much old so i've decided to do a full system optimization and tweak to get the most out of it, until i raise enough money for a new PC.
However, i'm unsure if i should try to optimize bios aswell. I don't know almost anything about bios, the settings and the version are pretty much default. What do you think is it worth it and will i gain even the slightest performance boost (without overclocking that is)?
Thank you.

Zenphic · 15th Feb 2008, 12:38 PM

There's isn't much you can do in the bios for optimizations I believe.

Things you can do however are:
- Set your First Boot Device to your main HDD (usually HDD-0)
- Make sure you enabled 4X AGP, that is if your video card can handle it
- Disable any unused IDE Primary or IDE Secondary slots
- Disable Memory Check on boot (or enable Quick Boot)
- Disable any unsued Onboard Serial Port
- Disable any unsued Onboard Parallel Port

Your system should post slightly faster now, by a few seconds.

waynez · 15th Feb 2008, 05:21 PM

Thanks on the tips

And i think it's set on AGP X8

zicovsky · 15th Feb 2008, 09:35 PM

I also like setting AGP Aperture Size to 128mb, there's an article here on TechARP that talks about that so you can set at what you feel is best.

waynez · 15th Feb 2008, 09:45 PM

Thanks, i'll check it out.

I've noticed there are a bunch of settings in The Definitive BIOS Optimization Guide, but i guess most of them are focused on correcting something that doesn't work right instead of boosting something that works right.

cvasquez · 15th Feb 2008, 09:52 PM

You can always up for OCing.

waynez · 15th Feb 2008, 10:00 PM

I used to OC the processor and the graph. card but i don't do it anymore. I want this PC to last long when i give it to my dad so that he doesn't bother me when i get a new one

cvasquez · 15th Feb 2008, 10:05 PM

Good call. I know where you going with this.

waynez · 15th Feb 2008, 11:18 PM

I've increased the aperture size from 64 to 128, enabled fast write and the sideband address. What's the best way to test or benchmark it for my pc?

Zenphic · 16th Feb 2008, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waynez

I've increased the aperture size from 64 to 128, enabled fast write and the sideband address. What's the best way to test or benchmark it for my pc?

The aperture size is only for when some software need extra place to put its textures though. Maybe try playing a few games of yours and see if it's smoother or not.

15th Feb 2008, 03:55 AM	#1 (permalink)
waynez Newbie Join Date: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 23 Reputation: 0 Rep Power: 0	Bios stuff First of all, i'm new here so i'd like to say hi to everyone! Now, my PC is made of: -ASRock K8Upgrade NF3 -Amd athlon 64 3000+ socket 754 -Sapphire radeon 9600 pro atlantis advantage 256MB -512 MB ram Kingmax 433MHz -Crap MS power supply and maxtor 80 gb sata. As you can see this configuration is pretty much old so i've decided to do a full system optimization and tweak to get the most out of it, until i raise enough money for a new PC. However, i'm unsure if i should try to optimize bios aswell. I don't know almost anything about bios, the settings and the version are pretty much default. What do you think is it worth it and will i gain even the slightest performance boost (without overclocking that is)? Thank you.

15th Feb 2008, 09:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
zicovsky I'm a regular Join Date: 11 Feb 2005 Posts: 300 Reputation: 132 Rep Power: 5	I also like setting AGP Aperture Size to 128mb, there's an article here on TechARP that talks about that so you can set at what you feel is best. __________________ life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.. Please SUPPORT RojakPot!

15th Feb 2008, 12:38 PM	#2 (permalink)
Zenphic Active Join Date: 23 Apr 2006 Location: Quebec, Canada Posts: 895 Reputation: 331 Rep Power: 6	There's isn't much you can do in the bios for optimizations I believe. Things you can do however are: - Set your First Boot Device to your main HDD (usually HDD-0) - Make sure you enabled 4X AGP, that is if your video card can handle it - Disable any unused IDE Primary or IDE Secondary slots - Disable Memory Check on boot (or enable Quick Boot) - Disable any unsued Onboard Serial Port - Disable any unsued Onboard Parallel Port Your system should post slightly faster now, by a few seconds.

15th Feb 2008, 05:21 PM	#3 (permalink)
waynez Newbie Join Date: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 23 Reputation: 0 Rep Power: 0	Thanks on the tips And i think it's set on AGP X8

15th Feb 2008, 09:45 PM	#5 (permalink)
waynez Newbie Join Date: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 23 Reputation: 0 Rep Power: 0	Thanks, i'll check it out. I've noticed there are a bunch of settings in The Definitive BIOS Optimization Guide, but i guess most of them are focused on correcting something that doesn't work right instead of boosting something that works right.

15th Feb 2008, 09:52 PM	#6 (permalink)
cvasquez Newbie Join Date: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 17 Reputation: 0 Rep Power: 0	You can always up for OCing.

15th Feb 2008, 10:00 PM	#7 (permalink)
waynez Newbie Join Date: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 23 Reputation: 0 Rep Power: 0	I used to OC the processor and the graph. card but i don't do it anymore. I want this PC to last long when i give it to my dad so that he doesn't bother me when i get a new one

15th Feb 2008, 10:05 PM	#8 (permalink)
cvasquez Newbie Join Date: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 17 Reputation: 0 Rep Power: 0	Good call. I know where you going with this.

15th Feb 2008, 11:18 PM	#9 (permalink)
waynez Newbie Join Date: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 23 Reputation: 0 Rep Power: 0	I've increased the aperture size from 64 to 128, enabled fast write and the sideband address. What's the best way to test or benchmark it for my pc?