What Happened? #
Recently, Intel have a big issue with their 13th and 14th Gen CPUs. The problem stems from a voltage issue that causes excessive power, leading to instability and potential damage to the CPU. If you have an Intel Core 13th or 14th Gen CPU, you need to update your BIOS to address this issue. Otherwise, your entire hardware we be destroyed by time of quick.
Steps to Download and Prepare Your BIOS File: #
I will using my BIOS as an example Gigabyte B760M GAMING X AX DDR4 to show you how to update your BIOS.
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Download the BIOS File which is f18d:
- Go to the support page and download the latest BIOS file.
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Extract the ZIP File:
- The downloaded file will be named something like
mb_bios_b760m-g-x-ax-ddr4_8arpt040_f18d.zip. Extract this ZIP file to reveal the BIOS update files.
- The downloaded file will be named something like
-
Transfer Files to USB Drive:
- Copy the extracted files onto a USB drive. Ensure that the USB drive is formatted to FAT32 for compatibility.
BIOS Update Information #
The BIOS update should include the following key improvements:
- Update Microcode to 0x129: Addresses sporadic Vcore elevation behavior, as announced by Intel.
- Introduce “Intel Default Settings”: Enabled by default, this setting may need to be disabled to use GIGABYTE PerfDrive profiles effectively.
To update your BIOS, depending on your motherboard. For me it’s Q-Flash to manually install the BIOS file you downloaded.
My previous BIOS version was F3, which was quite outdated. During the update process, the system will reboot several times. Note that it won’t boot into the operating system until the update is complete. Once the update is finished, your system will boot normally.
Checking the BIOS Version #
After updating your BIOS, it’s crucial to verify that the CPU microcode version is 0x129 and the BIOS version is F18d. Here’s how you can check these details:
1. Check CPU Microcode Version #
Run the following command in your terminal:
grep "microcode" /proc/cpuinfo # Check CPU microcode version
Make sure the output shows microcode: 0x129 or something similar indicating the updated microcode version.
2. Check BIOS Version #
To verify the BIOS version, use this command:
sudo dmidecode --type bios # Check BIOS version
Ensure that the output shows BIOS Version: F18d or a version that reflects the latest update.