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Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 latest F5m BIOS

Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 latest F5m BIOS
« on: March 06, 2018, 06:02:08 pm »
Hi guys,

did anyone by any chance noticed a difference in the latest Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 BIOS F5m in the default Uncore Frequency setting compared to older BIOSes?I'm almost certain that in my previous BIOS (F3 or F4) was set by default to 3.7 with its Ratio setting to "AUTO". Now in F5m it's at 4.4 and with default Uncore Ratio also to "AUTO".

Additionally it seems to me more unstable compared to previous BIOS versions.Plus I can't overclock my CPU at the same settings as before any longer.It's like something simply ain't right any more.

Thanks for any input!

shadowsports

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Re: Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 latest F5m BIOS
« Reply #1 on: March 07, 2018, 02:12:37 pm »
F3 or F4 would have been my BIOS choices for this board.  All versions of coffeelake CPU are supported since rev F2.

You might consider going back to F4 to regain tighter control of vCore.
Z390 AORUS PRO (F10) \850w, 9900K, 32GB GSkill TriZ RGB - 16-18-18-38, RTX 3080Ti FTW3 Ultra, 960 Pro_m.2, W11
Z370-HD3P (F5) \750w, 8350K, 8GB LPX 3200 - 16-18-18-38, GTX 970 FTW SC, Intel SSD, 2TB RAID1, W11
Z97X-UD5H \850w, 4790K, 32GB Vengeance, RTX 2080 FTW

Re: Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 latest F5m BIOS
« Reply #2 on: March 07, 2018, 04:15:10 pm »
Many thanks for the answer,in fact this is what I was afraid of...!

Thing is I don't know how to revert to a previous BIOS version.Is it just as simple as updating to a newer one from inside BIOS Q-flash using a USB flash drive?Or the procedure will be rejected when the system "see" I want to install an older BIOS version?


   

shadowsports

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Re: Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 latest F5m BIOS
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2018, 02:57:26 pm »
BIOS revs usually say cannot be downgraded to previous versions if not in the same "family".  Try flashing F4, shouldn't be a big deal.  Q-Flash will complain if the older rev is not supported.
Z390 AORUS PRO (F10) \850w, 9900K, 32GB GSkill TriZ RGB - 16-18-18-38, RTX 3080Ti FTW3 Ultra, 960 Pro_m.2, W11
Z370-HD3P (F5) \750w, 8350K, 8GB LPX 3200 - 16-18-18-38, GTX 970 FTW SC, Intel SSD, 2TB RAID1, W11
Z97X-UD5H \850w, 4790K, 32GB Vengeance, RTX 2080 FTW

Re: Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 latest F5m BIOS
« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2018, 06:04:07 pm »
Couldn't I just clear the CMOS by using the special button provided for this purpose and after the secondary (backup) default BIOS is up and running then go on with a normal update to F4 through Q-flash?

It sounds quite reasonable and safe isn't it?
« Last Edit: March 08, 2018, 07:40:42 pm by fly4ever »

shadowsports

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Re: Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 latest F5m BIOS
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2018, 01:19:07 pm »
Couldn't I just clear the CMOS by using the special button provided for this purpose and after the secondary (backup) default BIOS is up and running then go on with a normal update to F4 through Q-flash?

It sounds quite reasonable and safe isn't it?

The z370 G7 doesn't have any BIOS switches, so both the main and back up BIOS' are synchronized when you flash the BIOS.  Resetting to defaults prior to flashing isn't a bad idea, but it is not required..  the flash will load set up defaults (by default) after your flash.     
Z390 AORUS PRO (F10) \850w, 9900K, 32GB GSkill TriZ RGB - 16-18-18-38, RTX 3080Ti FTW3 Ultra, 960 Pro_m.2, W11
Z370-HD3P (F5) \750w, 8350K, 8GB LPX 3200 - 16-18-18-38, GTX 970 FTW SC, Intel SSD, 2TB RAID1, W11
Z97X-UD5H \850w, 4790K, 32GB Vengeance, RTX 2080 FTW

Re: Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 latest F5m BIOS
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2018, 08:49:12 pm »
In fact it does have bios switches,the main one is adjacent to the OC button, almost at the top right corner.However the back up bios is indeed the last operating bios the system had from the latest flashing.I just went through the procedure and realised it.Then I flashed the F4 without any issue and everything are o.k. now.Finally was way easier than I thought!

Many thanks again for your help!Have a nice weekend!

Cheers.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2018, 08:50:04 pm by fly4ever »

shadowsports

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Re: Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 latest F5m BIOS
« Reply #7 on: March 10, 2018, 05:42:52 am »
Greetings,
The board does not have selectable BIOS switches for Main and Back Up BIOS.  These have not been present for some time.  The CMOS_SW button is not a BIOS switch.




BIOS switches perform a completely different function, but are not present on the G7.  Hope this clarifies things.



« Last Edit: March 10, 2018, 05:55:00 am by shadowsports »
Z390 AORUS PRO (F10) \850w, 9900K, 32GB GSkill TriZ RGB - 16-18-18-38, RTX 3080Ti FTW3 Ultra, 960 Pro_m.2, W11
Z370-HD3P (F5) \750w, 8350K, 8GB LPX 3200 - 16-18-18-38, GTX 970 FTW SC, Intel SSD, 2TB RAID1, W11
Z97X-UD5H \850w, 4790K, 32GB Vengeance, RTX 2080 FTW

ex58

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Re: Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 latest F5m BIOS
« Reply #8 on: March 10, 2018, 12:08:50 pm »
BIOS F5 is out......

shadowsports

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Re: Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 latest F5m BIOS
« Reply #9 on: March 10, 2018, 03:15:45 pm »
BIOS F5 is out......

ex58, thanks for pointing this out. 

fly4ever,
If you are happy with the boards performance using f4, I would stay where you are.  The microcode changes in F5 might very well address the earlier (undesirable) behaviors you were seeing in F5m, or it might not.  You can see the version on my Z97 board is several revs behind the latest.  I am 100% stable.  "dmdilks" a long time user here has these famous last words, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

If however you are overclocking and unable to achieve realistic targets, or need to address a specific problem, add functionality, or security issue then upgrade.  Choice is yours.   

 
Z390 AORUS PRO (F10) \850w, 9900K, 32GB GSkill TriZ RGB - 16-18-18-38, RTX 3080Ti FTW3 Ultra, 960 Pro_m.2, W11
Z370-HD3P (F5) \750w, 8350K, 8GB LPX 3200 - 16-18-18-38, GTX 970 FTW SC, Intel SSD, 2TB RAID1, W11
Z97X-UD5H \850w, 4790K, 32GB Vengeance, RTX 2080 FTW

Re: Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 latest F5m BIOS
« Reply #10 on: March 12, 2018, 03:48:51 pm »
I think I'll stick to F4 for now,the rig is where I want it to be and stays there stable.
"if it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies here too as in most cases in daily life!

As for the backup BIOS switch you're right,the CMOS_SW just restores everything back to default although not to default BIOS but rather to default settings.It uses the latest installed BIOS every time,not the one the board was originally purchased with.

Thanks also to ex58 for pointing out the news about F5 release.As I don't have good memories from that one I think I'll skip the "5" series updates and wait to try the next one F6 whenever comes out.

Many thanks again shadowsports,your help is appreciated!