SYSTEMS AND BUNDLE CUSTOMERS: UPDATING YOUR BIOS

rjk · 18 May 2011 at 16:38

Hi Folks

Just a quick technical heads-up.

We have had a lot of support queries recently from customers who have wiped their overclocks from their OcUK Systems and Bundles.
The reason for this is because when you update the bios on your motherboard, it removes any overclock settings that you had before.

The way we overclock means that each system is individually configured and optimised to ensure that the CPU is running at the most efficient voltages.
The BIOS profile saved onto the motherboard will be unique to your hardware.

By updating the BIOS you would remove these settings.

If you have to update the BIOS on your System or Bundle then there are two ways to go about it
1. Make a note of the settings in your BIOS by looking through the overclocking sections and writing down your settings. I personally suggest using a camera to take pictures of the settings as it is easier.
2. Call our Systems Support line or contact myself directly using our Customer Support Forum, this way I can assist with any problems directly.

If anyone has any queries at all, please ask here and I will try my best to help.

rjk

sja360 · 18 May 2011 at 17:01

is it just me or perhaps if someone updates the bios they should already know or realise it's going to wipe their bios settings possibly? i mean even if they knew what they were doing they should have taken down the bios settings as well.

Azuse05 · 18 May 2011 at 17:22

For future reference you should include a note on the dispatch sheet, right next to the support number in nice big bold type

Alfie · 18 May 2011 at 18:05

i've always wondered about your pre-overclocked systems....................do you guys use a template or bios backup file and hope for the best or do you tweak each one from scratch to accommodate variation in chips etc? What do you use to stress test and for how long?

barmyllama · 18 May 2011 at 18:18

Alfie said:
i've always wondered about your pre-overclocked systems....................do you guys use a template or bios backup file and hope for the best or do you tweak each one from scratch to accommodate variation in chips etc? What do you use to stress test and for how long?

Well if you can actually be bothered to read what's been posted, then you'd realise that your question has actually been answered.

rjkoneill said:
The way we overclock means that each system is individually configured and optimised to ensure that the CPU is running at the most efficient voltages.rjk

Alfie · 18 May 2011 at 18:40

You sound like a nice bloke.

Locky · 18 May 2011 at 18:42

Alfie said:
i've always wondered about your pre-overclocked systems....................do you guys use a template or bios backup file and hope for the best or do you tweak each one from scratch to accommodate variation in chips etc? What do you use to stress test and for how long?

No each bundle will be tested using a tailored overclock, no 2 bundles use the same settings.

Alfie · 18 May 2011 at 18:45

Thank you

. And my query regarding stress testing still stands.

bulldog147 · 18 May 2011 at 18:48

rjkoneill said:
snip

Perhap OCUK will put a manual overclocking setting via notepad and put inside penflash or via order sheet with a copy of bios setting (notepad) with the bios setting on it before shipping the bundle. It make more sense and easy of re-setting all bios again from the notepad (that printed off)

That's what I did before updated my bios version. (but I don't need that now cos I can remember everything easy in my mind!)

rjk · 18 May 2011 at 19:15

Azuse05 said:
For future reference you should include a note on the dispatch sheet, right next to the support number in nice big bold type

we do - nobody reads it...
it is also written on the item description of every single bundle on the website.
it is quite surprising how many people purchase £500+ items without even reading the product description of what they are buying.
this is just really a reminder, however a lot of customers arent forum members so it means we will never reach everyone unfortunately.

Locky said:
No each bundle will be tested using a tailored overclock, no 2 bundles use the same settings.

this is true, thanks for the input Locky

bulldog147 said:
Perhap OCUK will put a manual overclocking setting via notepad and put inside penflash or via order sheet with a copy of bios setting

we tried that fior a brief period of time but time constraints meant that it was difficult to achieve. it is certainly an avenue we are looking into but it would be difficult to impliment with the amount of units we ship. not just bundles but systems too.

rjk · 18 May 2011 at 19:21

Alfie said:
i've always wondered about your pre-overclocked systems....................do you guys use a template or bios backup file and hope for the best or do you tweak each one from scratch to accommodate variation in chips etc? What do you use to stress test and for how long?

everything is all off the top of our heads. we establish profiles mainly used for support to email the few who inevitably delete their profiles

but most of the overclocks are done manually as it takes less time.

for instance. i can actually tap in settings for 4.6ghz on a P67 deluxe board with my eyes closed in less than 30 seconds.

Alfie · 18 May 2011 at 19:24

Haha, yeah me too. But how do you stress test afterwards?

rjk · 18 May 2011 at 19:32

we do a mix of testing.
for systems with the standard 4gb or memory we do 8 hours prime95. this is usually a good indication of stability and a lot more testing than most customers would ever do.
we use windows memtest in conjunction with prime small fft to make sure the memory is ok.

we use LinX on max memory test for systems with a lot of memory such as our workstation bundles.

for full systems. the testing is identical to the above but we also run heaven benchmark and then 30 minutes of gpu stress furmark or similar whilst the cpu tests are running.
we then run a sound test using high end headsets, a network test, usb transfer tests, various benchmarks and SSD & HDD speed tests

all customers get a QC sheet which is filled out by the tehcnician who configured the system as well as the system builder. after this, a senior technician or a manager will be responsible for signing it off

hope that answers your question

iviv · 18 May 2011 at 19:53

rjkoneill said:
<snip>

Woah, I never realised you guys went into such depth, good to hear

Personally, I prefer to save a few pennies and do it myself, but that also takes time. Depending on the markup I may look into buying a bundle when I'm next upgrading, would be nice to have a guaranteed overclock rather than hoping for a good chip.

timmy85 · 18 May 2011 at 23:25

rjkoneill said:
all customers get a QC sheet which is filled out by the tehcnician who configured the system as well as the system builder. after this, a senior technician or a manager will be responsible for signing it

wonder if mine is in the post then? I had a "ultima raptor" system off you september last year and had no such thing? not that I've had any issues with it!!

bulldog147 · 19 May 2011 at 00:50

When I brought my i7 920 @ 4GHz overclock bundle as rjk did put a profile on the penflash along with the manual setting on the notepad about 2 years ago. Sound like I am the only person that did read it all

but, soon afterwards, I did 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 and 4.6GHz myself!

rjk · 19 May 2011 at 08:57

timmy85 said:
wonder if mine is in the post then? I had a "ultima raptor" system off you september last year and had no such thing? not that I've had any issues with it!!

the QC spec sheets have only been shipping since January this year and have been a storming success. it was a measure that we started to take to reduce our return rates further and also give the customer a little insight into the testing methodology that we use. the testing techniques i described earlier have been employed on our system range since i have been at OcUK.

obviously, the release of new software such as heaven means that our testing procedures are constantly updated so that hardware can be tested to its maximum potential. dx11 graphics for instance.

bulldog147 said:
When I brought my i7 920 @ 4GHz overclock bundle as rjk did put a profile on the penflash along with the manual setting on the notepad about 2 years ago. Sound like I am the only person that did read it all but, soon afterwards, I did 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 and 4.6GHz myself!

we had flash backups for a brief period, but again not a lot of people bothered with them or ended up losing the pen.
your specific bundle got a notepad file and profile because you had trouble with your bundle when we first sent it out to you.

MumboJumbo · 19 May 2011 at 09:59

rjkoneill said:
for instance. i can actually tap in settings for 4.6ghz on a P67 deluxe board with my eyes closed in less than 30 seconds.

The people demand proof!

Alfie · 19 May 2011 at 10:35

In fairness I recently got the Radon Torosaur bundle as a friend wanted me to build a system for him and he's a bit of a noob. It was the first time i'd taken delivery of a pre-overclocked bundle from OCUK and I was intrigued as to what info they would include. I'm afraid there was no QC sheet included or instructions or anything in fact, just the invoice. This was fine for me but surely the people who order these bundles are pretty clueless about such things?

Anyway, it's no big deal.

bulldog147 · 19 May 2011 at 13:37

rjkoneill said:
your specific bundle got a notepad file and profile because you had trouble with your bundle when we first sent it out to you.

Yep. I do remember it, also u did metion to me to buy the better case is Antec 1200 case for better airflow rather than my old case with very poor airflow and poor cable management.