ROG STRIX Z790-E (not WiFi II) and 14th Gen?

[pkiver]

I've just purchased the ASUS ROG STRIX Z790-E (not WiFi II) in the possibly mistaken belief that it is OK to take an Intel i7-14700K CPU.  The BIOS on this board is 1501 (dated 26 Oct 23) and I note that 1402 (dated 6 Oct 23) introduced the necessary code to allow the board to accept 14th gen CPUs.  I note that on the box it does say  '14th gen CPU Ready'  but 14th gen is not mentioned in the handbook.

Am I going to be able to put in the 14700K straight into the board wit the 1501 BIOS?

[Wesley1]

Yes, even z690 board can run 14 gen CPU with correct BIOS update. The 1501 is currently the latest BIOS for your motherboard.

The Mark II is some refreshed design of motherboard, like Revision 02 but I don't think Asus published the changes.

[Ikaris44]

Hi Wesley1 ,  you said that the latest version of the bios for this card is the 1501. On the asus website we see version 2503 . And it is certain that a new version will be released soon with the microcode 0x12B .

[Wesley1]

You're right for Mark I the latest BIOS version is 2503, for Mark II the 1501. Sorry for confusion. 
You should be fine to boot 14th gen CPU on BIOS 1402 on your motherboard. Nonetheless you should upgrade BIOS later to avoid CPU degradation due to too high Vmin voltage.
Either way those motherboards have offline BIOS update, and do not require CPU in CPU socket to update BIOS. There is BIOS udpate USB port and a special button on the back.

ROG STRIX Z790-F GAMING WIFI BIOS 1402

Vesion 1402
12.87 MB 2023/10/06
1. Update Microcode for Intel® Core™ 14th gen processors
2. Update ME to version 16.1.30.2264 for Intel® Core™ 14th gen processors
3. Improve system stability

[pkiver]

Thanks. So just to confirm, 1501 will contain the earlier 1402 so will be good to go with a 14th gen?

[Silent_Scone]

Simply update to the latest.

[Wesley1 · Accepted solution]

Yes, your board was flashed in factory with BIOS 1501 that supports 14th gen CPU. 

You can install that CPU, install Windows and all, it will work. New BIOS version have support for previously added CPUs, so 1501 has support for 14th gen CPU, so does BIOS 1801 and 2101 and so on.

You should update later to the latest BIOS to avoid CPU problems (voltage damage) caused by Intel's processor firmware (microcode). For your motherboard that is BIOS 2503, so update to that once your system boots.

There is already a new BIOS in the works 2602 that will further improve the voltage degradation issue. The problem is caused by Intel, the fix is distributed to all motherboard vendors like Asus and MSI, and then provided to users through BIOS update. You need to keep an eye on BIOS updates since no one knows if the fix from Intel is final.

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-to-release-another-microcode-update-addressing-raptor-lake-instabi...

https://rog.asus.com/us/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-z790-e-gaming-wifi-model/helpdesk_bios/

[pkiver]

Many thanks for that comprehensive (and reassuring) reply. I've been putting my own PCs together for the past 20 years or so and never once have I had to update a BIOS but it's clearly something I'll have to do with the new rig.

Once again, thanks.

[Wesley1]

No problem.

Here is how to actually update the BIOS on Asus boards, the recommended way. 

The video misses one step though. After the orange progress bar completes, you need to restart your PC, then actual BIOS update happens. It can take up to 5-10 minutes, and computer can restart a few times, might show black screen, and fans might become loud. Don't restart PC manually during this time. Wait for it to complete. Eventfully you will see Asus Logo, and after that it will ask you to reset BIOS settings to default by pressing F5 key.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThQJR2IK5XE

[pkiver]

Thank you.  Would it be OK to update to 2503 (unless that is superseded in the meantime) prior to fitting the board  by using Flashback on the bare board with just PSU and USB?