Refurb Dell Precision T3400- BIOS Upgrade Question

[Cluttermagnet]

Hi, All-

 

I got another of these Dell desktops. Couldn't resist- it was just north

of 40 dollars on Ebay. I already have two others and I like them a lot-

they're easy to work on, fast, and quiet.

 

It came with an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU at 2.33GHz which I immediately

upgraded to 3.16GHz. A mere 10 dollars on Ebay. Ditto for the big

aluminum extrusion heatsink- replaced it with a nice copper heat pipe

cooler for another 10 dollars. The box came with enough RAM that I

can just leave it be- 4G of ECC PC2-6400E/800MHz. It's all good enough

for me. So for around 65 dollars, I get a real nice piece of 2007 tech.

This is a great price point on the desktop continuum...

 

I'm writing to ask for opinions on the BIOS issue. This newest box

has a rather old BIOS, version A02, which dates to December '07.

That's around the time these first came out, I think. The other two

boxes have A07 and A11 BIOS versions. Now, given that this new

unit seems so far to be fully up to the easy job it has here, do I really

want to bother to update it? Looks like A11 and A14 are currently the

two available options. I'm looking at A11...

 

I think most of the BIOS revisions addressed changes in WIndows,

not so much related to Linux at all. I'm running MInt 17.3 mate on the

new box. I think some of the BIOS updates allowed for more and more

RAM, up to 16GB if I remember right...

 

If I were to update my BIOS on the new box, this would be the first

time ever for me. I understand roughly what is involved. I'm running

from off line UPS power, so potential power drops would not be an

issue. I'd simply have to learn how to make an install medium, CD

or flash drive, that would boot (I guess) into a DOS-like environment

and run the .exe form that the BIOS update comes as. If I do that,

I would be seeking just a little coaching to get through the first

experience.

 

So what do you guys think? Should I leave well enough alone, or go

ahead and update? Meanwhile, I will continue to read up on what,

exactly, the various BIOS revisions actually did- but I have seen some

comments on this in the past and have already formed some

impressions as to what changed. I'm not yet clear whether this would

really add anything meaningful for me.

 

Thanks, Clutter

Edited February 22, 2016 by Cluttermagnet

[sunrat]

Don't update BIOS unless it specifically addresses an issue you are having. I'm still running 2008 BIOS on my Core2Duo machine.

[Capt.Crow]

Flashed a bios once .. Never again ... Major bloop .

Wrecked an Acer

[ebrke]

Only time I ever flashed BIOS was was back in 2004 when I started with linux. I was trying various live distros, and after running Knoppix live on disc and shutting down, the machine wouldn't power on again. I finally unplugged and replugged the box to fix the issue. Someone advised that it was a BIOS problem, and I flashed with great dread. It did work--box is still running. albeit slowly, today--but it's a testament to how badly I wanted to run linux. I haven't flashed a BIOS since.

Edited February 23, 2016 by ebrke

[V.T. Eric Layton]

I've never updated a BIOS on any machine I've ever used. Too much chance of converting it into a brick.

[zlim]

I updated a BIOS once because I wanted to install Windows 2K on a ME laptop. The screen kept blacking out during the install. One of the BIOS updates fixed the problem of "screen blacks out" while trying to install Windows 2000.

Sweating bullets, I took the plunge and it worked out okay. I could then install Windows 2K.

 

My advice: unless there is a specific problem and a BIOS version says it fixes this problem, don't mess with the BIOS.

[goretsky]

Hello,

 

I update the BIOS (or now UEFI) firmware on all my computers as soon as I'm aware that new firmware is available. A few hundred machines (maybe over 1000 now) ranging from palmtop PCs to servers, each probably done 3-4× over the life of the machine. Some, though, never had any BIOS updates made available, while others might have had ten or more.

 

I can only think of one instance in which a laptop was "bricked" and couldn't be recovered. This was around the time Microsoft Windows Vista was coming out, and I was upgrading a laptop whose BIOS manufacturer specifically said the update was needed for Vista compatibility.

 

In the decade since then, I have not had a problem, and many computers these days have a "recovery mode" built into their BIOS so if a flash does go wrong, you can still do a recovery. I've done those a few times on smartphones.

 

I looked at the Dell Precision T4300 downloads and noticed the two BIOS updates, A11 and A14. I did not, however, see a change log for

either, which is kind of annoying.

 

Generally speaking, though, motherboard BIOS updates often add support for new models of CPU (higher frequencies, more caches, cores, etc.) or, memory speeds and memory capacities that were not available when the motherboard was being qualified and tested. Sometimes they might add support for a new spec for something, but only usually when they shipped with something that was a draft spec. Occasionally, they may even contain fixes for bugs or security vulnerabilities.

 

If you do decided to update the BIOS, I would suggest making sure you first install a fresh CMOS/RTC backup battery. Many motherboards use a CR-2032 Lithium coin cell, which are pretty ubiquitous in terms of availability.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

[Cluttermagnet]

Great replies, All-

 

Well, so far I did upgrade from a 2.33GHz CPU to a 3.16GHz, which

is supposedly about the fastest you want to run this particular mobo.

Anyway, I obviously didn't need a BIOS upgrade to do that- though I

was prepared to have to back out of the CPU swap if it didn't go well.

 

I agree, Aryeh, it's irritating to not be able to see a change log and

a list of all the BIOS releases. What I have found over the years is

anecdotal comments from obviously knowledgeable folks discussing

informally what fixes what problems- and invariably it centered around

new releases of Windows, or else adding more RAM or CPU capability-

well, mostly... The Dell forums have yielded various nuggets of info

during my searches, but so have others...

 

I think I will hold fast at 4GB RAM for this box. So no obvious issues

at the outset. I think I'll just continue casually researching the BIOS

history for the Precision T3400 for now. One other possibility is that

I may want to try installing an old copy of XP on a different HDD than

the small 120G SSD I presently have running. Love the fast boot, BTW.

So that may force the issue so far as the BIOS. Time will tell. BTW

if I do that I would keep that install of XP bottled up and not let it see

much if any of the internet, as it is a sitting duck these days. If I can

find the time... have been spending a lot of time with the radio hobby...

 

Clutter

 

Edited February 23, 2016 by Cluttermagnet

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Many motherboards use a CR-2032 Lithium coin cell, which are pretty ubiquitous in terms of availability.

 

 

I just bought five of them a couple weeks ago for .72 cents w/ free shipping. That's .72 cents for all five w/ free shipping. Direct shipped from China. I received them in 8 days. Gotta' love those Chinamen (and women).

 

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Single-Use-Batteries-/50602/i.html?Coin%252FButton%2520Cell%2520Sub%252DType=CR2032&_sop=15&rt=nc&LH_BIN=1

[Cluttermagnet]

Nice price for a small lot. Yep batteries are getting so cheap!

BTW if you're interested, I can put you onto a deal for 100pcs

for often 5 dollars or less. Thing is, you have to bid for them on

Ebay. This same auction comes around every 6 days. I've seen

so many auctioned that I think they are getting a bit less

competitive. I spend way too much time on Ebay, BTW. I love

to buy up parts for all the electronics I'll probably never have

time to build. Heh!

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Yeah, eBay is FUN! Wish I had more $$$ to waste there.