Can I upgrade my CPU in my Aspire TC-780 with R01-A1 bios from intel 6400 to 7700 or am I stuck?

dfg_4w56
dfg_4w56 Member Posts: 7

Tinkerer

Can I upgrade my CPU in my Aspire TC-780 with R01-A1 bios from intel 6400 to 7700 or am I stuck with 6th gen?

Best Answer

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    Answer ✓

    Yes, they only shipped a few units with the original motherboard (though 'few' is a relative term, it was likely thousands of units) before switching to the 7th gen motherboards. So, no real need to update the BIOS on the 6th gen motherboards.

    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.

Answers

  • StevenGen
    StevenGen ACE Posts: 9,694 Trailblazer

    The below list is all the CPUs that the TC-780 Intel Skylake H110 chipset mobo can operate with, the list below is from the Acer TC-780 SG, also make sure that the BIOS is upgraded to the last TC-780s BIOS Version: R02-B2 if you upgrade to the 7th Gen CPU, as the mobo will operate much better, be very careful when you update the BIOS, and follow the BIOS Appendix folder WIN BIOS flash PDF guide provided by Acer for a BIOS update, as updating a BIOS incorrectly will brick your desktops BIOS chip and make your desktop inoperable.

  • dfg_4w56
    dfg_4w56 Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer

    I can upgrade from R01-A1 to R02-B2? I saw other posts saying I can't.

  • StevenGen
    StevenGen ACE Posts: 9,694 Trailblazer
    edited June 2023

    Where dd you  see other posts saying that you can't? If your desktop model is the Aspire TC-780 then whatever the bios updates are they are all compatible, unless Acer notes specifically that they are not for certain OS's or UEFI bios which are different.

    The best way to get the precise Acer Drivers & manuals for your desktop is to use the SNID number of your desktop at the Acer Drivers and Manuals as there is nothing that Acer has on your desktop not being able to tun on the R2.XX bios versions,

  • dfg_4w56
    dfg_4w56 Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer

    edited June 2023

    My model is ATC-780-AMZ15 and SNID is XXXX. When I enter that SNID on the Acer support site I get these options for BIOS: R02-B2, R02-B1, R02-B0, R02-A4, R02-A3, R02.A2, R02.A1, and R01.A1. I'm currently on R01.A1 and want to upgrade to the latest bios before replacing my 6400 with a used 6700 I just purchased but my Acer absolutely will not allow me to upgrade to the R02-B2 or the R02-A4. Why isn't it working? I've flashed bioses and many enthusiast grade gaming motherboards but I have no idea idea why this Acer isn't letting me flash with the windows batch file. Am I missing something?

    [Edited the content to hide sensitive information]

  • StevenGen
    StevenGen ACE Posts: 9,694 Trailblazer
    edited June 2023

    By the SNID your desktop is an Aspire TC-780 and its BIOS can be upgraded to the last BIOS Version R02-B2, have you read the Appendix PDF guide ofWindows Flash Utility SOP”, follow that guide as the BIOS should flash properly.

    Or look at the attached PDF below from the Acer SG BIOS Update instructions, as either of these methods will update the BIOS of your desktop 100%. But let me warn you and be very careful, as an old BIOS chip can be damaged from a BIOS flash and doing that will brick your PC and make it unusable until you replace the BIOS chip with a new one.

    Just to assist you here are some of the Acer specs of what they fitted to the Aspire TC-780 desktop CPU, Memory HDD and SSDs.

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer

    IIRC the R01 BIOS versions are for the 6th gen motherboards, and the R02 versions are for the 7th gen boards. They don't mix on those models.

    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • dfg_4w56
    dfg_4w56 Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer

    So there's just 1 and only bios for the 6th gen version?

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    Answer ✓

    Yes, they only shipped a few units with the original motherboard (though 'few' is a relative term, it was likely thousands of units) before switching to the 7th gen motherboards. So, no real need to update the BIOS on the 6th gen motherboards.

    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • dfg_4w56
    dfg_4w56 Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer

    Understood, guess I got unlucky with the early revision. Theoretically 6th gen motherboard can support 7th gen CPUs but Acer decided not to release a bios that would allow me to run 7th gen CPUs on my 6th gen motherboard, is that correct?

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer

    Not really, the chipset used in the 6th gen systems only supports 6th gen CPUs and that's an Intel limitation. The chipset used in the 7th gen motherboard theoretically supports both 6th and 7th gen CPU, but why would you want to downgrade from a 7th gen? Realistically though it makes almost no difference. The change from i5 to i7 will be a bigger performance change than 6th gen to 7th gen, but even then it's not a big enough gain for almost all users to make it cost effective. If you can get an i7-6700 cheap enough (like free or close to it) you could do the upgrade, but I wouldn't spend actual money on it. Better by far is a SSD first, then memory, then GPU…

    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • dfg_4w56
    dfg_4w56 Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer

    Understood. I got a 6700 for $50 shipped. GPU has already been upgraded to a 3060, Samsung 870 Evo ssd, ram is 2x8gb ddr4 unfortunately at 2100mhz speed (guess there's no XMP option on this board/chipset?), power supply is a 450w evga unit. It has been a fun project so far. You're right that 6400 to 6700 has been a big jump, I'm very satisfied. Turbo freq. achieved during gaming has jumped from 3.1 to 3.9ghz. If I can find a cheap/free cooler upgrade that will be next since the tiny intel cooler will likely get overwhelmed by this cpu: 6700 is making almost twice the wattage of the

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer

    That si correct, no XMP support on pretty much any non-gaming systems, and the chipset is designed for 2133 anyway, so that's where it's going to run. If you paid extra for the XMP memory send it back and get the correct 2133 instead.

    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • dfg_4w56
    dfg_4w56 Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer

    I'm stuck with the incorrect 3200 kit. That's ok, I upgraded to this 2-stick 3200 kit 2 years assuming I wouldn't be able to run XMP but figured I'd ask anyway.