This might belong in software, but since it's about the BIOS I thought hardware made more sense.
I'm trying to figure out how to access the BIOS logs, or even if there are BIOS logs, on my Gigabyte GA-Z97MX Gaming 5 motherboard.
I've gone through the BIOS, in both classic mode and the more modern mode, and I can't seem to find it. I just wanted to check for error messages, as I've been having some weird issues lately.
Specifically, if and when I get a blue screen, for whatever reason, when my system reboots, my monitors will not turn on. I have to remove one of the DVI cables from the GTX 970, plug it into the iGPU DVI port on the motherboard, wait until Windows gets to the password screen, and then I can move it back to the GPU. If I move it back during the Windows 7 loading screen, the system blue screens and reboots again.
My coworker, who is an electrical engineer with many years of experience, says he thinks it's my motherboard, and told me to check my BIOS logs for the WATCHDOG_TIMER or something similar.
I dont think that there are error logs build into a bios.
Atleast i have never heard of that.
You could check the Windows system event logs eventualy.
Well, the Dell systems we work on, do have it built in.
And according to the people at work, most motherboards should have them built in. (however they've been wrong about many things relating to gaming hardware that I won't go into here. TL;DR: they focus on clock speed when looking at CPU's for gaming, and not IPC single core performance)
I would check the Windows Logs, but that's annoyingly complicated and purposefully confusing. Last time I tried, I found nothing when googling the error code generated.
Yes. The most recent BIOS update for this motherboard is from 2015. There's been a grand total of one BIOS update since I got it.
Maybe you could try to re-seat the cpu, see if that changes anything.
Perhaps.
This only started occurring recently, within the last 3 months. Before that everything was fine. Which is what makes me nervous.
Looking through Windows Event Viewer logs. Nothing that jumps out at me. This is kind of why I was hoping for BIOS event logs, as they're more specific to hardware, and from what I've seen of them, FAR more straightforward. No dumbass error codes or anything (at least, none that we have to deal with), just straightforward names.
A good portion of me just figured it was Nvidia being shitty with drivers, as usual, or Windows being a dick with updates to try and get me to switch over to Windows 1984 (which I am now calling it. I think @wendell would approve)
Could be your motherboard aswell indeed.
I would suggest to just re-seat the cpu and memory.
And see if that has any effect.
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Will do this weekend, as well as a good dusting.
Will also reseat the GPU or put it in another slot entirely.
You could allways give it a try indeed.
Or you could take everything out of the case, putthe board on its box.
build it up on the motherboard box, and fire it up outside the case.
maybe the io shield is toutching the board somehow you never know.
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That's a lot of nerve wracking work to me lol.
Funny, considering I've handled probably a thousand motherboards, and at least 500, roughly similar CPU's since I started working at this company (I5's with pins on them instead of contact pads. Which is weird).
But hey, when it's not yours and you don't have to pay for it, who cares? When it's mine? That shit might as well be the one ring to rule them all lol
I've literally run my fingers over those pins, just to see what it felt like.
Well honnestly, the Gigabyte Z97MX gaming 5 doesnt realy look all the decent to me.
But yeah to rule things out, you have to start somewhere, like re-seating parts.
unplug all usb devices you dont need etc.
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Mind telling me why? Just curious as to what you look at. I know it has relatively low reviews compared to other boards in the similar price range. I admit I bought it because the other ones looked like bollocks to me. (aesthetically)
I mainly look at the power delivery.
only 4 total phases for the main VRM.
So i´m not fully sure how they have layed this out, 2+2 phase or 3+1 phase mode.
But eitherway for an overclocking board thats a bit lacking.
Oh.
Just FYI, I have everything set to auto. Basically no OC except for stock on this 4690k, never pushed it past 4.0 which seemed stable. Didn't keep it there because no benefit to anything I do.
Yeah everything on auto without an overclock should basicly be fine.
But according to your openings post, your systems blue screens,
and then doesnt want to show any image on you dedicated gpu but only your igpu.
Thats kinda odd realy.
Looks like a motherboard issue to me indeed.
I doubt it, as my only other in-house system has a 300w GPU and an I3. (I built it for my mom. H97 Foxconn mobo, 300w Seasonic 80+gold or better PSU, I3, SDD and HDD, 8 gigs of rock solid Adata ram)
If that's enough to test a GTX Strix 970 then I might give it a whirl. Although that rig is having issues of its own (freezing and slow-ness, ever since I installed Office 365 to it, which is not terribly surprising. It's also doing that FUCKING ANNOYING thing where it's convinced that One Note is a printer somehow.)
i would just say, try to re-seat everything and see if that solves it.
maybe switch gpu´s if possible.
But it might be an issue with the motherboard or bios most likely.
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