Unreliable default BIOS settings/unstable processor operation

[werefkin]

Hi! I built a PC a couple of months ago. The CPU is i5-13600k, the motherboard is ASUS B760M-PLUS, RAM is Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 RAM 64GB (2x32GB) 5600MHz.

I used default BIOS parameters at the beginning and it was fine. Around one month ago (also at around this time I performed a BIOS update) I started to get random freezes in Windows under low load (which was temporarily fixed). Then I noticed that I could not boot into any Linux Live USB anymore (tried 4 different distributions and different kernels). In the system logs of the Linux, I could catch hardware errors related to the CPU, so I started to search in this direction.

I found out that a positive offset (+0.15V) did system stability, but with the offset, the vcore voltage reached 1.65V, which is apparently too high. In the default settings, it was between 1.45V and 1.5V (is not it too high already). Instead of the offset I manually set the vcore to 1.25V. The system became very stable but on the cost of performance (around 60% of the Cinebench scores, although the temperature was around 70° at full load).
I started to increase the vcore voltage to around 1.37V, at this level I could get average performance (with LLC set to 5), and the temperature reached 95° (limited by the power limit).

During the tests, I monitored the voltages, temperatures and power.

The vcore stayed in the range of 1.32 - 1.37V which looks fine.
The core VID (requested voltage) was in the range of 1.62V (looks too high to me) to slightly below 1V (I believe too low causing instabilities). I do not know how default works, afraid the motherboard was giving the CPU what was requested...
The question is, is this a normal operation? Is the CPU power management in the BIOS buggy? 

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello, @werefkin 

Could you please specify which BIOS version the issue occurred after updating, and has the Intel ME also been updated to the corresponding version in the BIOS?
Meanwhile, we recommend attempting to verify if the problem persists by clearing the CMOS before booting under the default BIOS settings.
Regarding the operating system, as the TUF GAMING B760M-PLUS supports Windows systems, we also suggest cross-testing by booting from a system disk with Windows.

Thank you.

[werefkin]

Hello @Jiaszzz_ROG 

thank you for writing back. the BIOS version is the latest (1402), the ME version as well (installed 16.1.30.2264_S, it is reflected in the BIOS).

I tried to clear the CMOS removing the battery. (I think I tried everything...)
As I wrote, Windows is also affected and unstable with the default settings, it randomly freezes after a short time after the start (in logs Microsoft-Windows-WHEA-Logger with EventID=1).

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello, @werefkin 

Could you specify which BIOS version you updated from to reach version 1402?
Based on your description, have you not successfully resolved the random freezing issue on the Windows system?
Please provide the following information to help us better understand your situation:
- the part number of the DRAM currently installed
- the brand and model name of the GPU, SSD/HDD, and PSU currently installed
- are there any extensions or adapters used to connect any devices, such as GPU or SSD?
- the OS version and OS build
- screenshots of the WHEA Logger result
- under what circumstances does the random freezing in the operating system occur?
For example, does it happen 15 minutes after booting, during periods of low load, or after playing a specific game for 20 minutes?
- what troubleshooting steps have you taken after encountering the issue?
For example, do you restart the system?
Kindly provide a comprehensive video recording of the issue.

Thank you.

[werefkin]

@Jiaszzz_ROG 

The specs with comments:

1. MB: ASUS TUF GAMING B760M-PLUS Motherboard Socket Intel LGA 1700
2. CPU: Intel Core i5-13600K
3. RAM: Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 RAM 64GB (2x32GB) 5600MHz CL40 Intel XMP iCUE -- tested with memtest86; all passed during 10h
4. GPU: ASUS GeForce Dual RTX 3060 12GB - tried with integrated graphics, does not matter
5. ASUS ROG Strix 850G Power Supply
6. 2 SSDs: Samsung 980 PRO 1 TB Heatsink PCIe 4.0 (up to 7,000 MB/s) NVMe M.2 (2280) Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (MZ-V8P1T0CW) -- I tried to install the OS on another SSD to exclude the SSD failure; it did not help

Answers:
-BIOS updated from the previous release v. 1220

-Yes, I can resolve the issue for Windows by manually setting the CPU vcore voltage or by switching to high performance power plan (with min CPU state to 100%). One can also use defaults with a 0.15V offset, it will work, but then the CPU voltage in BIOS is ~1.65 - 1.7V which is too high.  With defaults, it freezes (everything is unresponsive) shortly (seconds to minutes scale) after the boot. The same for Linux, but it reboots instead of freezing

- OS version 22H2, build will specify later when I am at this PC; in any case, it is the Win11 system with the all updates installed 

- as mentioned the freeze/crash is a matter of seconds to minutes; not under load (maybe under load but I did not come to this point to install a game after I tried to reinstall Windows)

- I can add the screenshots later, I could not find them now. The same for video. Should it be uploaded here?

- the troubleshooting steps I mentioned:
memtest86 of RAM during ~10 hours, also swapping the RAM slots/using only one RAM plate.

Removing the GPU and loading with the integrated graphics

reinstalling the OS

changing SSD with installed OS

resetting BIOS

reinstalling all the components

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello, @werefkin 

Thank you for providing the relevant information.
The latest version of the BIOS, released on September 18, 2023, is version 1402.
We recommend considering updating the BIOS and clearing CMOS before reevaluating the situation to see if the issue persists.
If the problem persists after following the above steps, kindly provide screenshots and contextual videos as requested.
You can share the relevant files by using the attach function in the comment section, or uploading them to the cloud, setting permissions, and sharing the link with me.

Thank you.

[werefkin]

Sorry, Do you read the messages before writing?

You asked: "Could you specify which BIOS version you updated from to reach version 1402?"
I answered: "-BIOS updated from the previous release v. 1220"

In the previous message me: "thank you for writing back. the BIOS version is the latest (1402), the ME version as well (installed 16.1.30.2264_S, it is reflected in the BIOS)."

I am sorry, if we will troubleshoot the problem like that going in circles, it will be never solved.
I also already wrote that I was clearing CMOS. Please read the messages carefully.
I record the video, should I share it?

[werefkin]

@Jiaszzz_ROG 

Here is the video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10w93YDVi1QnSe0wbcYPP12bppR4wUuDk/view?usp=sharing
Contains settings of default --> freeze in 1 min; setting of CPU vcore = 1.4V works
I compressed it, if you need uncompressed, let me know

[Jiaszzz_ROG]

Hello, @werefkin 

We released a new BIOS version, 1602, for the TUF GAMING B760M-PLUS on December 13, 2023.
Please try to update to this version and recheck the issue, and if possible, you may want to cross-test with another CPU to isolate any potential problems.

Thank you.

[werefkin · Accepted solution]

I hope you did not expect i would be waiting 3 weeks for the reply 🙂 I just returned the motherboard the problem is solved