ASUS M5A88-M wont boot with an FX 4100. Old bios may be responsible.

[Pontos]

So i got that mobo and CPU plus two sticks of 2gb Kingston Hyper Blue 1600Mhz CL9, and when i go and turn it on it wont even reach post.

No beeps, nothing shows up on the monitor, the thing turns on and even turns off just fine if i press the power button for four seconds, but nothing beyond that.
I've tried to turn it on without memory to see if it would complain (The manual mentions it does in the form of beeps) but it reacted exactly the same. I even went and turned it on without the CPU and memory and once again it reacted exactly the same.

I checked the mobo and apparently it came with the bios version 0402, which is older than the one where Bulldozer compatibility was added.
It's almost assured that It's a matter of putting an older AM3 CPU, update the bios and plug the FX 4100 back. But since i lack one right now and would have to actually go and find one somewhere, I wanted to know if there's a chance the mobo is bad based on what i mentioned above that even if the mobo had no CPU and no memory it reacted the same way, which strikes me as odd.

Getting an old AM3 cpu without having to buy it may prove to be a bit hard, so if there's a small chance of the mobo being bad I don't want to lose time looking around for an older CPU and doing tests before trying RMA it.

So, is that behavior normal for a mobo trying to run a processor not supported by its current bios? I was expecting it would not recognize it right but at least give me a chance of running the bios flashing utility.
Thanks for your time!

[BeepBeep2]

It really doesn't hurt to have one of these on hand:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103944

[Pontos]

It really doesn't hurt to have one of these on hand:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103944

I don't live in the US, and the prices here are higher (Import duties and the like). The mobo, CPU and memory i bought cost me about $350 total. That Sempron is about $50 here, and this is talking in dollars, which you then need to convert to my currency.

That's why I'd rather not buy a second CPU i wont ever use beyond this bios flash attempt. All i need to know is if the way the mobo reacted is normal or not, and then I'll either start looking for an AM3 cpu or try to RMA the mobo asap.

[BeepBeep2]

I don't live in the US, and the prices here are higher (Import duties and the like). The mobo, CPU and memory i bought cost me about $350 total. That Sempron is about $50 here, and this is talking in dollars, which you then need to convert to my currency.

That's why I'd rather not buy a second CPU i wont ever use beyond this bios flash attempt. All i need to know is if the way the mobo reacted is normal or not, and then I'll either start looking for an AM3 cpu or try to RMA the mobo asap.

I understand...
You don't know anyone with an AM3 CPU?
If you do, see if they will let you pull a CPU so you can flash the bios...maybe even a business in the area or workplace would have a suitable machine.

Otherwise I'd just RMA the motherboard explaining the issue...I'm sure ASUS would understand.

[The Stilt]

If you still have the ASUS M4A785-M (listed in your signature) in hand, you can hotflash the M5A88-M bios with it.
If you do, I´ll send you pm.

[Pontos]

If you still have the ASUS M4A785-M (listed in your signature) in hand, you can hotflash the M5A88-M bios with it.
If you do, I´ll send you pm.

Yeah, i do, but I'd rather not risk doing this. Mainly because I lack the proper tools to extract the bios chip. Thanks for the offer anyway.

[BeepBeep2]

Yeah, i do, but I'd rather not risk doing this. Mainly because I lack the proper tools to extract the bios chip. Thanks for the offer anyway.

you don't have a flat head screwdriver (or two)? O_o

[Pontos]

you don't have a flat head screwdriver (or two)? O_o

Yes i do, but it's really not worth the risk, especially when all i need is another CPU or to just RMA the thing in case it was effectively broken all along.
If i were dealing with a bad flash then sure, I'd try this without blinking.
Btw, when i said i lacked the tools i was referring to special tools made for this, but googling images i can see it's pretty much the same as using two flat head screwdrivers in the tip of a tweezer...

Nonetheless, all i really need to know is if the behavior of the mobo i described in the first post is normal for when you try to use an unsupported CPU by its current bios, or is in fact a sign that it's faulty. Depending on that I'll do one or the other action. I'll keep the hotflashing option as a last resort.