B760-G - 1661 and 1663 Instability

[Calvev]

I bought my PC last Year on December 2023. I got the B760-G because I don't want to Overclock any of my stuff, I just like to keep it stock as is. So I went with i9 14900KF and B760-G with G.SKILL DDR5 6400 RAM and NZXT Kraken 240 for cooling.

Out of the box, I got the 1402 BIOS. Everything is fine except that I can't turn on XMP with it. PC won't boot with XMP enabled. And so I'm quite happy living my simple life without XMP enabled and no OC.
That lasted until 2 weeks ago where I started to question my stupidity in buying G.SKILL and not using XMP.

After a quick search on BIOS update, I noticed that it is now version 1661, a lot of "improvements" has been made.
And so, once again I tried my luck with updating my BIOS to 1661. To my surprise now my PC can run XMP, buat at a terrible cost. Now my machine is no longer stable. I can't even play minecraft in peace. I'm in constant fear of sudden game crash.
Im also working as a game developer. My Unreal Engine now kept crashing every 15 mins or so.

Few days after this, I got a news from many many PC reviewers, saying that intel has released a band-aid solution to the Thermal problem. Lo and Behold, the 1662 (now it is named 1663).

I quickly updated my Bios to 1663, hoping this would be the silver bullet to my problem. Nope, it is even worse. Now my Unreal Engine kept Crashing, can't even play Mount and Blade Bannerlord past 5 minutes.

I decided to roll back and found BIOS 1630 is the most stable for me, at least it allows me to play mount and blade for 40 mins before crashing. But I still can't use my Unreal Engine without it crashing on me randomly.

Alas, now after tinkering the limited amount of option in B760, I have come to a very sad and temporary solution, I turned off my Intel Turbo.

At 0.986V and a underload temp of just 45 C, my PC is happy as it can be like an old retired man.
With CPU Clock at only 3.2 GHZ, I'm back to ADSL Age of Internet. 

I'm at my wits end, I don't know what else I can do to resolve this. Asus support just ask me to clear CMOS or reinstall window, just your typical Grandma support (doubt they even know what a micro code is).

Any advice is much appreciated. 

[Calvev]

I don't mind buying beers to those who could help me 🙂

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello @Calvev 

Thank you for reaching out to us.
Based on your description, you updated the BIOS to enable XMP but encountered instability with the updated version.
Regarding memory overclocking, ASUS has verified the motherboard for the best stability and compatibility when installed with devices from the Memory QVL list.
Therefore, we recommend confirming whether the currently installed memory is listed on the ROG STRIX B760-G GAMING WIFI QVL and also ensuring that all memory modules come from the same kit.
During the overclocking process, install a single memory module in the DIMM_A2 slot and, after achieving stable operation, gradually add other modules.

For more details, please refer to Memory Kits - Overclocking and What You May Not Know

As you are experiencing instability while running games or Unreal Engine, please refer to [Motherboard] Intel 13th and 14th Gen K-Series Processor Stability Improvement with Latest ASUS BIOS...
And also confirm whether the system can run stably without any BSOD or automatic shutdown under the latest BIOS, after clearing CMOS and with the default BIOS settings, including without enabling memory overclocking or any other manual adjustments.
Or you could also try setting SVID behavior to "Intel's Fail Safe" and disabling MCE in the BIOS, as these settings seem effective for some users.
However, based on relevant discussion thread experiences:
Z790 apex encore + 14900ks + trident z5 8000mgz not working (w/14900K)
Re: New Z790-E BIOS 2301 (w/13900K)
Z790E Gaming Wifi BIOS 2402 Power Limit (w/13900K)
[SOLVED]Could it be the motherboard? (w/14900KF)
If you frequently encounter BIOSDs or automatic shutdowns while using the affected model, please consider sending it in for further inspection and assistance.

Thank you.

[Calvev]

I can't you set SVID behavior to "Intel's Fail Safe" and disabling MCE in the BIOS, as my 

motherboard is ASUS ROG STRIX B760-G GAMING WIFI.

again, I'm not even trying to overclock, I just want my system to run stable, I don't even need Overclock that's why I bought the B760.
My memory card is listed in that list Gskill Trident Z5 RGB 6400 Mhz 2x16GB F5-6400J3239G16GX2-TZ5
I have given the relevant hardware spec above. I doubt my hardisk is causing this issue.

My biggest suspect right now is the Intel ME version. Can I somehow revert it because when we update BIOS it says that we cannot revert the Intel ME version which I think is causing the issue.

I thought coming to this forum could help me escape this standard answer from an Asus customer service.

[achugh]

Hi @Calvev I am sorry to hear about your woes. When your get into BIOS, do you see in the bottom right Advanced Mode (F7) written or EZ Mode (F7) written?

If you are in EZ Mode you will see Advanced Mode written as pressing the F7 key will toggle between these modes.

Some of the settings our moderator has shared here are only visible under Advanced Mode.

Once you can confirm that you are able to enter Advanced Mode by pressing F7 and are able to see the information, we can work together to help you out.

FYI, as a TIP, once you are in BIOS, connect a USB stick and then you can take screenshots by pressing F12 key. This will prompt you to select your USB drive so that you can save the file. The file saved is in BMP extension which you can easily open in Windows Photos application and save as JPG so that you can upload them here for us to see what you are seeing in BIOS. This present a much clear picture compared to taking pictures from your phone which sometimes are blurry and difficult to understand and read.

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello @Calvev 

According to the BIOS version description, once Intel ME is updated, it cannot be rolled back to a previous version:

If you require a specific version of Intel ME or BIOS, please contact your retailer or the ASUS customer service in your region to request a downgrade by sending it to repair.

Thank you.