Foxconn A7DA-S 3.0

[thingemajib]

Not really sure where to put this post (please move if neccessary)

http://www.foxconnchannel.com/product/mo...-us0000444

can you replace the ACC microcode in the newest bios with the code from the older one, so i can keep my phenom ii 555 unlocked (4 cores) in the latest bios (only version that "supports" it is the release version, which is very buggy).

would solve a fair few headaches

old version ends in p03 (with unlocking ACC code)
latest version ends in d13 (ACC code needs replacing)

Thanks for any help.

[TheWiz]

OK. I need a bit of clarification. Wwhen you refer to ACC microcode, are you referring to CPU microcode support or the option ACC. Are you saying the BIOS option for ACC is in one and not the other? I find it strange an older version has an option a newer one doesn't but I may be assuming incorrectly.

Thanks,
TheWiz

[thingemajib]

no. both bios's contain ACC, but the first one contains that ACC that allows extra AMD cores to be unlocked, the second one has the core unlocking bit disabled/removed (but ACC otherwise seems to work as advertised)

[thingemajib]

*bump*
since starting this thread, i have aquired a newer version - D14

Just to resummarize, the p03 version contains the unpatched Advance Clock calibration code that allows me to unlock the extra to cores of my phenom 555. The D13 (now D14) had the ACC code that foxconn patched to remove this unofficial feature.

[thingemajib]

Im back, please dont ignore me

i dug up an article that gives some vague details about how ACC/core unlocking worked:

"With its previous SB710/SB750 Southbridge, AMD introduced a new feature called Advanced Clock Calibration. This included an "EC Firmware" function in the BIOS that could be issued a set of codes (subsequently provided by AMD to partners) and this would enable the extra cores of compatible CPUs that had previously been disabled. The EC Firmware is specific to each CPU that has a hidden core(s), so there's a list of codes need for all the CPU individually, rather than just one global setting." -bit-tech.net

seeing how foxconn have disabled core unlocking, i would hazard a guess that they have removed these EC firmware codes, so surely its just a matter of digging said codes out of the p03 bios, and attaching them to the d14 bios? I darent try this myself, as i know next to nothing about how BIOS works, and have already bricked one board in trying to do so myself :S

[1234s282]

Well this is a new one for me , so this may take time!

Admin

[thingemajib]

ah, thanks

just wanted a reply, thats all

if thats the case, take all the time you need if it means theres a less chance of a second bricked board

[TheWiz]

I am also looking into this more with some interest in you latest findings, but I still have a mental block when trying to distinguish whether they are referring to plain old microcode or if the EC firmware microcode is different in some way.

TheWiz

[thingemajib]

i dont know how much you guys know on this subject, but ill say everything i know (sorry if i sound like im taking the mickey a bit)

Advanced clock calibration was first introduced with the original AMD Phenoms, and it was used to allows the black edition processors to overclock a bit more. not sure how it worked, but some reckon it made the processors more tolerant to errors.

with the introduction of the phenom II processors, it was discovered that dormant cores could be unlocked with Advanced clock calibration (as all phenom II dual, triple and quad cores used the same quad core die, but some had cores disabled.). the article i linked contains some reference to how it works in this case. At first AMD just let this happen, as it boosted sales. Then they modified that ACC code so that it wouldnt unlock the cores anymore, and sent it to the motherboard manufacturers, asking them nicely to replace it (but the big players like ASUS and gigabyte either ignored them, or found workarounds).

Foxconn have decided to listen to AMD, and removed the ability to unlock cores from the bios. this ability is still there in the p03 version, but it was patched straight after this release. I have a dual core phenom ii, which i can unlock into a quad core. i would be content with the p03 version, but there are quite a few annoying bugs in it (eg, it refuses to run my ram at the speed its supposed to.). Basically, if the ACC code could be "transplanted" from the P03 to the D14, that would make my day.

i have attached a p04 version (i know im uploading far too many versions now), as it has the patched ACC code in (so it wont unlock cores), but it was released straight after the p03, so the two are actually very similar and might be easier to work with at first (whereas the p03 and d14 look almost completely different when i viewed it.). if uploading the p04 version is just complicating matters, ignore it.

i hope ive made sense instead of confusing you further XD

[TheWiz]

OK! I completly got it this time around So I will see if just a basic routine microcode "swap has any effect"

TheWiz