a dreams forever

I ran pc mark and looked at the details page. I have a few questions. I hate coming here and always asking stupid noob questions but to be honest, this is the only website where I get accurate answers.

1. The section with my cpu it says architecture - 64 bit. Does that mean I should be running the 64 bit version of windows and downloading 64 bit version drivers and such? I have no clue about any of this stuff.

2. Is it worth downloading upgraded bios for motherboards? I got this compaq from bestbuy and started to run it out of the box. (after i put xp on it instead of vista) so I have no idea how to upgrade the bios or anything like that. I know on my old computer i had to download drivers called "via 4 in 1" do I have to download anything like that for this comp?

It says my motherboard manufacturer is ECS and the model is Alhena5 version 1.0. and that my bios vendor is american megatrends bios version 5.04. I looked on the american megatrends website for an update bios but found nothing. I have no clue what I am doing here. I don't want to mess anything up. so can anyone help me with these 2 questions.

Admiral Michael

What are your computer's specs? I'm guessing either an Intel or AMD dual core.

1. You don't have to run 64bit. I have a 64bit CPU but choose to stick with 32bit because of program and driver issues. I didn't find any performance gain with 64bit windows anyways.

2. My suggestion is if you don't know what you're doing then don't flash the BIOS, if something messes up then your computer will turn into a paperweight. The only reason I'd flash the BIOS is if it added a feature or fixed an issue I was having.

Also you'd have to look on the motherboard's manufacturer's site for an update not the BIOS's manufacturer's site.

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a dreams forever

my specs are pentium 4 3ghz (single core), 2gb mem, radeon x1950 pro. not the best specs in the world. ok I wont mess with 64 bit or flashing the bios. I was just wondering if upgrading the bios would bring any improvements in my system. If not then I wont bother with it.

Sazar

What admiral said

You probably have one of the newer pentium 4 procs, likely Prescott based. You should be fine with that.

Is there a pressing reason you wanted to upgrade the bios? Are there stability issues with the system currently?

Cheers.

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LeeJend

The rule on BIOS upgrades is:

"Unless the BIOS update fixes a specific problem you are having do not bother to update."

That is the message you will find on every MB manufacturers bios update site.

You won't get a performance improvement from an update and may end up trashing the MB if it's not done properly done. If you are experiencing a problem that needs a flash ask here for advice on precautions to take before flashing.

PS We were all noob's once. Asking questions is how you stop being a noob.

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American Zombie

Not always true as some fixes or changes may not be listed. Like slight changes to voltages, bootable devices or APM may not be listed in the "fixes or changes". I still flash in DOS as I don't trust this flash in windows stuff.

a dreams forever

Oh no. I'm not having any problems. I just like my computers running the best they could be and I was thinking about updating to have the most current thing to keep up. thats all. I was thinking that the mb drivers were kinda like video card drivers thats all. ty for the help.