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Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 compatibility with GTX 970

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  • Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 compatibility with GTX 970

    I have an ASrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 with a Sandy Bridge i5-2500k and stock BIOS version 1.20. I have purchased a new MSI GTX970 Gaming video card (which will arrive tomorrow). I have recently found posts on many forums about people with Z68 chipsets having issues (sometimes quite severe) with their new 970. Most of them suggest to update BIOS to the latest version and sure enough the two latest versions available state that they "Improve discrete VGA card vBIOS compatibility". But than I came across this thread IMPORTANT SPECIAL BIOS UPDATE INFORMATION FOR ASROCK INTEL 6-SERIES AND X79 CHIPSET MOTHER BOARDS in which I found that updating to the newer BIOS version should only be done if upgrading to an Ivy Bridge CPU and should be avoided if remaining with the Sandy Bridge CPU.

    So as you can see I am in a bit of a conundrum. If I dont update BIOS, my new card might not work, but If I do my CPU might not work. Of course none of this is an issue if the card works with the stock 1.20 version (which is what I am hoping for) but if it doesn't I have a serious problem.

    Any insights, suggestions or experiences on this issue?

    On a sidenote, I have found with a quick google search this 3DMark score in which the guy uses the same setup I have with no problems so the card is compatible, unfortunately does not show what BIOS version he is using.

  • #2
    Re: Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 compatibility with GTX 970

    I have the same mobo/cpu and upgraded to a gtx 970 with no issues. Not sure what bios version I'm on without looking, but I recommend trying it without the bios update first. If it doesn't work, you can always update it after.

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    • #3
      Re: Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 compatibility with GTX 970

      Originally posted by davidscher View Post
      I have the same mobo/cpu and upgraded to a gtx 970 with no issues. Not sure what bios version I'm on without looking, but I recommend trying it without the bios update first. If it doesn't work, you can always update it after.
      That's what I intend to do but could you check your what version of BIOS you are in case I do have to update?

      Update: card arrived and works with stock 1.20 bios version. Of course lots of tests will follow in the next few days, hopefully everything turns out peachy.
      Last edited by Nandiman; 11-14-2014, 07:45 AM.

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      • #4
        Re: Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 compatibility with GTX 970

        Originally posted by Nandiman View Post
        That's what I intend to do but could you check your what version of BIOS you are in case I do have to update?

        Update: card arrived and works with stock 1.20 bios version. Of course lots of tests will follow in the next few days, hopefully everything turns out peachy.
        Glad to hear it worked. Sorry it took me so long to reply - been a busy weekend and I just now had time to look. I'm on version 2.30, which is the newest. When you say 1.20, do you mean 2.10? Looks like they have 2.10, 2.20, and 2.30 on their site. I'd guess if you're on a lower version, it wouldn't hurt to update to the newest.

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        • #5
          Re: Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 compatibility with GTX 970

          Originally posted by davidscher View Post
          Glad to hear it worked. Sorry it took me so long to reply - been a busy weekend and I just now had time to look. I'm on version 2.30, which is the newest. When you say 1.20, do you mean 2.10? Looks like they have 2.10, 2.20, and 2.30 on their site. I'd guess if you're on a lower version, it wouldn't hurt to update to the newest.
          It's 1.20, original out of the box. Not gonna update since I run the risk of causing incompatibility with my CPU. As long as everything works, gonna stick with the old bios.

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