Question about supported BIOS version with 4790K CPU

[Shadow7904]

Hello everyone.

I recently built a PC using the Maximus VII Hero board with the new I7-4790K CPU. The board posted fine the first time I started up and I was able to install Windows and all the drivers without incident. The system has been running fine sine then (built 2days ago). However I just noticed on the ASUS support site that the CPU is supported since BIOS revision 0609. I checked my version and I have version 0508. Do I need to update my BIOS? The system has been running fine - at least in the couple of days I've had it. I get nervous updating BIOS especially on a new line of boards. I've bricked one several years ago and it was a pain to replace. What would be the issues of not updating (e.g. Risk of CPU damage, increased instability, etc.)? What do you think, should I just update it or is there no need to? Thanks.

[jab383]

Hi, Shadow7904 and welcome

The Maximus VII boards were supposed to support Devil's Canyon - 4790K and its cousins - from the outset. I would expect the factory installed BIOS to function. I also expect ASUS found some things to improve, hence the revision. Those improvements might be just in the area of overclocking or some features you aren't using.

How does the 4790K clock? Do you get the full range up to 4400MHz? RAM giving the speed you expect? Any trouble with SSD or RAID configuration? Doing much overclocking?

My recommendation is to update if a) anything you are using is giving trouble; b) you are into overclocking, multiple video cards or are otherwise pushing the envelop; or c) you are using some feature that's new to the M7H, like an m.2 SSD - new features are where ASUS is likely to discover the need for update. If you have a stable 24/7 system, there's probably no need.

For me, I'm always having trouble. I get blue screens, many every day. Of course, they only happen when I'm pushing an overclock to get some benchmark score, but blue screens are blue screens and blue screens are trouble. I take all BIOS updates to try for every edge I can get. I've bricked stuff a lot of ways, but none when updating ASUS Maximus BIOS with the flashback method.

I guess all of the above says "It depends."

Jeff

[Shadow7904]

jab383 wrote:
Hi, Shadow7904 and welcome

The Maximus VII boards were supposed to support Devil's Canyon - 4790K and its cousins - from the outset. I would expect the factory installed BIOS to function. I also expect ASUS found some things to improve, hence the revision. Those improvements might be just in the area of overclocking or some features you aren't using.

How does the 4790K clock? Do you get the full range up to 4400MHz? RAM giving the speed you expect? Any trouble with SSD or RAID configuration? Doing much overclocking?

My recommendation is to update if a) anything you are using is giving trouble; b) you are into overclocking, multiple video cards or are otherwise pushing the envelop; or c) you are using some feature that's new to the M7H, like an m.2 SSD - new features are where ASUS is likely to discover the need for update. If you have a stable 24/7 system, there's probably no need.

For me, I'm always having trouble. I get blue screens, many every day. Of course, they only happen when I'm pushing an overclock to get some benchmark score, but blue screens are blue screens and blue screens are trouble. I take all BIOS updates to try for every edge I can get. I've bricked stuff a lot of ways, but none when updating ASUS Maximus BIOS with the flashback method.

I guess all of the above says "It depends."

Jeff

Thanks for the reply. I'm not doing overclocking right now but may experiment with it in the future. I had an SSD and it was working as well.

I emailed Asus Support and they recommended that I update. Evidently the newer versions had updates for the newer CPUs that wasn't available at release. They said the old BIOS may cause random blue screens from time to time. I just updated to 1002 without issues (knock on wood). I was a bit worried after i updated as it started up for 5 seconds and then immediately shut down. It did that like 10 times in a row. After that it booted into windows and I don't see that on restart anymore. I wonder if that is normal.

[barkmann]

What do you think, should I just update it or is there no need to? Thanks.

I have the same board and cpu and I recently updated to the latest bios 1002 without issue. Interestingly, when I use the EZ overclocking menu it now gives me a 4489 overclock instead of 4385. Theoretically if things are not good you could downgrade to a previous bios.

cheers

[HiVizMan]

I am sure the process went smoothly and all the system was doing was configuring the new updates to the firmware.

How did you update the bios by the way?

[Shadow7904]

HiVizMan wrote:
I am sure the process went smoothly and all the system was doing was configuring the new updates to the firmware.

How did you update the bios by the way?

I updated via the BIOS flashback USB/button on the back of the board.

[Raja]

Does not matter how the UEFI was updated as the Z97 series boards all have the correct ME already. One can flash any which way to update the boards.

[HiVizMan]

Cheers for that information. I am keeping a tally of the number of people who flash bios and how they flash them.

So far USB flashback is the number 1 way folks do it.