Maximus Z790 Dark Hero Random Reboots after BIOS 1503 Intel Core i9-14900K

[BajaWolf]

Hey everyone.   I have been running this configuration (no overclocking) fine for well over 7 months with no issues.  With the concerns over the Intel CPUs, I updated my BIOS to 1503.  Everything went fine; however, now my machine randomly reboots into the BIOS.  I generally turn my PC off every night, but I have run it for 24 hours with no reboot and other times I have it on for 4 hours and then suddenly it restarts and goes into the BIOS.  No error, no messages that I can see, the screen just suddenly goes black and then I am in the BIOS.

If I exit the BIOS it boots right back into the BIOS again.  The only way to get back into windows is to power off and then restart.  This is the configuration I am running.

1.  ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Here
2. Intel Core i9-14900K (gen 14) 125W
3. Asus ROG Strix RTX 4080 16GB
4. Corsair 32GB DDR5-5600 x 4 (total 128 GB RAM)
5. Samsung NVMe 990 PRO 2TB OS drive

Anyone else seen this on the latest BIOS?  I am thinking about reverting to an old BIOS but would prefer not to.  In the BIOS I am running Intel Default profile set to Extreme.  SVID set to Intell Fail Safe.  After a few of these reboots, I went in and did the F5 reset to defaults and then set the parameters again to what ASUS recommended for the BIOS update and I am still getting random reboots into the BIOS.

One thing to note.  Running the standard BIOS config, my IA Loadline was at Auto and was showing 1.100 mOhm in HWINFO.  I changed this yesterday to manually be 0.800.  Machine ran fine all of yesterday, but today it was up for about 3 hours and then rebooted into the BIOS again.

[BajaWolf]

I am not running anything during the tests, just letting the PC sit there and do what it wants.  My BSOD happen about once a day, but it might go a day or two with nothing.  Most times I do not see it happen as I often have my PC on while working so I am looking at a different monitor.

Out of the last 30 times it has occured only once did I get a dump file.  Every other time there is an event log that says that a dump file could not be completed, I assume because the PC just suddenly reboots into the BIOS.  The one time I was watching it I saw the BSOD for less than a second, not even long enough to see what the message was and the machine had already rebooted.

[achugh]

Hi @BajaWolf thank you for sharing this additional information. To me, this seems like the typical single core boost that happens when the temperatures are low by TVB or eTVB and this boost is not stable for some reason on your build.

 I have been working through these to see if any resolve my issue.  I started with the default BIOS and it still BSOD on me about every 24 or so hours.  I am making a few changes at a time, letting it run to see if it BSOD (which it always does) and then making another change.

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Can you share in detail what BIOS settings you have changed? Can you perform a CLEAR CMOS, then press F1 to ENTER BIOS once you see a message that you need to go into BIOS and press F5. If you do not see this message then it means CLEAR CMOS did not happen successfully. Once in BIOS press F5 to load system defaults and press F10 to SAVE and EXIT.

After a CLEAR CMOS, what profile is shown as the baseline that you are slowly changing one by one? Are you on Intel Profile or ASUS OC Profile?

[BajaWolf]

I will say that I have tried F5, F10 to run defaults and it makes no difference, I still get random BSOD.  

With default settings, I am running the Intel Default Profile, no XMP.  At the moment I am trying other settings recommended one by one to see if there is any difference.  Note that I am ALWAYS on the Intel Default Profile regardless or any other changes I am making.

With default settings

[achugh]

Hi @BajaWolf thank you for sharing this additional information. You are then following this information correctly.

I am curious what your V/F Screen looks like which will also show your CPU SP value. I am sharing my screen below. 

Lastly, what CPU Load Line LEVEL is your system defaulting to?

Also when you go into BIOS and connect a USB stick, pressing F12 will save a screenshot to the USB drive which you can post here. Keep in mind that the screenshot will be saved as BMP file which you can double click to open in Windows using the default Photos app and then press CTLR+S to SAVE AS JPEG file. These JPEG files can then be easily posted as I am posting mine below.

[Silent_Scone · Accepted solution]

Hi @BajaWolf 

1. Reducing the AC Loadline if the system is rebooting randomly will likely only increase the frequency in which the CPU experiences the issue. Under Intel Defaults, the ACLL and VRM LL are set to follow Intel's recommendations more closely.

2. Do not increase VRM LL to level 8 as suggested above, this will remove the majority of vdroop which will result in elevated temperatures and higher Vcore. Level 8 is the maximum setting, there should be no reason to do this outside of extreme OC.

3. Ensure not to enable XMP Overclocking.

4. If the system is unstable using 1503 but not on the previous builds at system defaults, then this will most likely be due to changes within 0x129 microcode and the CPU. Check Windows Event Viewer to see if any stop codes are reported. Quite simply the system should not be unstable at Intel's Default profile. If this is the case, I would recommend contacting Intel.

[AbrahamK]

I have a nearly identical build as you, and experiencing BSOD issues repeatedly. I’m on 1503 BIOS, too. The problems began about three weeks ago and the system is now so unstable I can’t use it. I even reinstalled Windows because the crashes corrupted so much stuff. I get different BSOD error codes on each crash, rarely the same. Sometimes the Ethernet port stops working. I ran MemTest86 and all was fine. I doubt it’s the 14900K processor. It feels more like a rapidly degrading motherboard. I just ordered a new one to try. I’ll report back after installing it.

[achugh]

Hi @AbrahamK ,

What BIOS version were you using 3 weeks ago that was stable before you installed 1503? There is a new BETA BIOS 1602 now released which is available on the Support page of the board. You can give this new BIOS a try and see if this stabilizes your system. If the problem persists, have you tried to go back to the version that was working stable for you?

[AbrahamK]

I was using BIOS 1402 before and it was running better, but still randomly crashing about once per day. I did try a new ROG Z790 Dark Hero motherboard with 1503, and I can't even load windows without it crashing. So with both motherboards, it crashes. That suggests it's not the motherboard. I just ordered a new Intel 14900K and will try that. I was doubtful that was the problem, but the more I've read from others' experience things seem to point toward the processor.

Nevertheless, the new beta 1602 looks promising, so I will try that and report back. Thanks for the suggestion!!

[achugh]

Hi @AbrahamK I am sorry to hear about your continued troubles. Good luck trying the new processor.

Since you are joining this thread, what is your complete build looks like? What BIOS profile are you using Intel Default Extreme or Performance? Did you make any changes to the defaults?

[AbrahamK]

My build is Maximus Z790 Dark Hero, intel 14900K, 4 x Samsung 990 PRO 4TB m.2 drives, Corsair Vengeance DDR5 RAM (64GB), GeForce RTX™ 4090 OG graphics card, Corsair HX1200i power supply.

I run the default BIOS config, and I’ve tried both the Intel performance and extreme BIOS profiles, though switching between them seemed to have no effect in regards to the crashing.