Two GK3PLUS N97 with different bios?

Intel® Processor N95 6M Cache, up to 3.40 GHz
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varignet
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Two GK3PLUS N97 with different bios?

Post by varignet »

Hi,
I purchased two GK3PLUS N97 16Gb 512GB minipcs and they came with different bioses, one from 09/2023, one from 04/2024.
Bios menus are very different between the two, with the 04/2024 lacking the GT GPU performance menu for instance, see pics below.

Also the one with the older bios comes with the faster realtek 8852be, and the newer one with the 8821ce.

Are the wifi modules soldered?
Are the motherboards actually different?
Which one is the 'better' version between the two?
Would it be possible to update one of them so that they both have the same bios version and options?

Please let me know what you think
Thanks
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n97 with the new bios is missing this page amongst other changes
n97 with the new bios is missing this page amongst other changes
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n97 with old bios
n97 with old bios
image0.jpeg (990.27 KiB) Viewed 2843 times
n97 with new bios
n97 with new bios
image1.jpeg (900.63 KiB) Viewed 2843 times
varignet
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Joined: Wed Jul 24, 2024 9:32 pm

Re: Two GK3PLUS N97 with different bios?

Post by varignet »

I'll answer my questions:
they're the same motherboards, however one comes with a soldered wifi6 bt5.2 chip, the other with a soldered wifi5-bt5 chip.

I'll keep the older bios one as it makes more sense and it has the advertised wifi/bluetooth chip.

The last question remains, where could I find the most up-to-date bios for the GK3PLUS N97? (it's currently from 09/2023)
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Gabe
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Re: Two GK3PLUS N97 with different bios?

Post by Gabe »

varignet wrote: Sat Jul 27, 2024 10:27 pm The last question remains, where could I find the most up-to-date bios for the GK3PLUS N97? (it's currently from 09/2023)
That BIOS is very likely the latest one available for it. Unlike the big PC manufacturers, as well as motherboard manufacturers, this manufacturer doesn't release BIOS updates on a regular basis. There's also no central repository for them.

They tend to release an update only when there's a problem discovered that needs to be fixed or there's a frequently requested option that the current BIOS doesn't have, but which the unit is ultimately capable of with an update. An example would be around when Windows 11 came out. Some models didn't have the TPM option in the BIOS, with TPM being required for an upgrade to Windows 11, but a few of the later revisions were capable of such with a BIOS update.
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varignet
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Joined: Wed Jul 24, 2024 9:32 pm

Re: Two GK3PLUS N97 with different bios?

Post by varignet »

I kept the GK3PLUS N97 with wifi6 and bt5.2, the one with the older bios from September 2023.

I understand what you're saying.
Having bought it from an unknown seller from Amazon Marketplace, I doubt it came with the latest bios.
Is there a repository where to browse/download the latest possible bios for the GK3PLUS N97?

Many thanks!
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Re: Two GK3PLUS N97 with different bios?

Post by Gabe »

varignet wrote: Sun Aug 11, 2024 9:53 pm Is there a repository where to browse/download the latest possible bios for the GK3PLUS N97?
No, there's no repository for BIOS versions to download.
W8 Pro • GK1 • AK3 • AM02 • T6 Pro • AMR5 • GK3 Pro • AD03 • AM06 Pro • T8 Pro • S1 • T8 Plus • CK10 • AK2 Pro
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