Rampage V Extreme. Instructions for updating the BIOS file CPU microcode.

[Axle_Grease]

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UPDATE 29-Jan-18: I recommend to not patch the BIOS until Intel uploads a fixed microcode update.
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UPDATE 16-Mar-18: Intel posted a new microcode update dated 12-Mar-18, so get it while you can.
I patched the BIOS using the tools available in Jan and flashed it, which worked fine. I did it again
with the current version of the tools which also worked fine and have updated this post to reflect that.
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UPDATE 22-Mar-18: Linked to "MMTool 502.0024 Mod" as it is compatible with both Aptio V & Aptio IV BIOSes.
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UPDATE 27-Mar-18: DON'T EVEN TRY FLASHING A BIOS YOU'VE PATCHED IF THE MOTHERBOARD DOES
NOT SUPPORT USB BIOS FLASHBACK OR SOMETHING SIMILAR, LEST SOMETHING GOES HORRIBLY WRONG
AND THE PC IS RENDERED UNBOOTABLE. Hasn't happened yet AFAIK, but thought this needs to be made clear.
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UPDATE 9-Apr-18: I have replaced the link to Ashampoo Spectre-Meltdown-CPU-Checker
with GRC InSpectre. The latter provides more info.
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UPDATE 6-Apr-19: I have change the link in 1) to point to version 1.69.16 of UBU because....
"It just works"--Jensen Huang. heh heh.


These instructions are primarily for owners of the original Rampage V Extreme since I have that mobo. I recommend rebooting into CMOS Setup and save the current BIOS settings to a USB drive as a *.COM file.

"Tools" -> "ASUS Overclocking Profile" -> "Load/Save Profile from USB Drive" -> "[F2] Save as a new *.com file"

The settings actually get saved as a *.CMO file, but that works, too. ASUS programmers...

FYI: A quirk that may or may not occur with your R5E. After flashing *any* BIOS on my R5E, the video output defaults to the HDMI port. I disable the "Compatibility Support Module": "Boot" -> "CSM Compatibility Support Module", reboot, and the video outputs to my displayport as it should. Also, without CSM disabled, the PC will *freeze* when trying to load the saved BIOS settings from the USB drive.

Now that the quirky bits are out of the way...

1) Download version 1.69.16 of the "UEFI BIOS Updater" here.

2) Download MMTool version 5.02.0.24 (patched). Extract the contents and remove the version number from the filename.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/406suaf0vsb4x17/MMTool+5.02_patched.zip

3) Download the latest "Linux Processor Microcode Data File" from:
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/873/Processors and extract the contents. (Current version: 20180312)

4) Download the latest unpatched BIOS. ( Currently 3801 for the Rampage V Extreme ). I extracted the BIOS image and renamed it R5E_3801.CAP

5) Extract the UBU archive. I extracted mine to the Desktop. Rename the folder "UBU", and place both the BIOS image and MMTool.exe in the UBU root folder.

6) Download CPU-Z. Run CPU-Z. Gather the values for "Ext. Family", "Ext. Model", and "Stepping" in that order. For my Intel i7-5960X they are 6,3F,2.
Now, jot them down in this format: 06-3F-02.



Go to the "intel-ucode" folder inside the microcode folder extracted earlier. Look for the microcode update filename that matches with what was jotted down, and copy it to the UBU folder.

7) In a PowerShell or Command Prompt with admin privileges, make the UBU folder the Current Directory.
For example, I'd enter CD C:\Users\axle\Desktop\UBU into a PowerShell.

😎 Enter: .\UBU

The name of the BIOS image file will appear momentarily at the top-left corner. This is the output I got.



Press any key to continue.



9) Select '7'.


10) Select 'm' and upload your CPU microcode update. In my case "06-3F-02".



11) Select 'Y' to update.



Press any key to continue...

12) To save the updated BIOS image select '0' to go to the main menu, then '0' again to exit, and select '1'.



Done! Just press any key to exit the BIOS updater. The BIOS image file has been renamed R5E.CAP and is ready to flash.
The size of the patched BIOS image and the unpatched BIOS image must be identical. Don't flash the patched BIOS image if different.

Success in flashing a modded BIOS image appears to be more likely when using USB BIOS Flashback. More importantly, should the flash go bad and CMOS setup is inaccessible, the same method can still be used to flash a non modded BIOS image.



"InSpectre" from Gibson Research is a utility that checks for the presence of Spectre/Meltdown
exploit mitigation. https://www.grc.com/inspectre.htm

Have a Happy Flash.

[Axle_Grease]

pottzman wrote:
Just want to ask a question here. I have followed this guide and have success. I flashed the latest ASUS 3902 bios. It contains revision 3C for 5960X (306F2) mCode. However there is now a revision 3D for this cpu. I have since modded the 3902 bios with revision 3D mCode and the system is running fine however using Inspectre as guided by OP it tells me there is a microcode update available. searching google I came across this page https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4090007/intel-microcode-updates that shows the 5960X as having a CPUID of 40661 and a revision of 19. surely this is a typo right. However this site https://newsroom.intel.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2018/03/microcode-update-guidance.pdf also has the same CPUID and revision and it seems to be from intel themselves......... whats going on here and why does inspectre tell me there is a mCode update available? can't make sense of it

I queried the developers of CPU-Z about this. The reply is as follows:

"The 5960X is well an Haswell-E, and the CPUID reported by cpuz is what is
expected on tha chip, as you can see here :
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_i7/Intel-Core%20i7-5960X%20Extreme%20Edit
ion.html

Note that the CPUID (Family/Model/Stepping) are read directly on the CPU,
and not hardcoded.

Thanks,
Franck
"

It's good enough for me knowing the software is reading directly from the chip.

As to the mcode update; it also confused me. I grabbed this off the GRC Inspectre webpage:

"Release #8 — Now shows whether an Intel microcode patch is (ever) available for Spectre.
Intel has finished designing microcode update patches for its processors. On April 2nd, 2018, they announced that processors that have not yet been patched will never be patched. Their full statement is available in this PDF document. In that document, Intel specifies which of their many processors do have patches and which of their more recent processors will never receive updated firmware. Now that the industry has this information, this 8th release of InSpectre incorporates that list of CPUIDs and displays whether microcode firmware updates exist for the system's Intel CPU."

I take this to mean that Inspectre shows Intel having an update available for the CPU, not necessarily a newer update than the one you've patched your BIOS with.

[Flintstone-314]

Can´t thank you enough. After the Windows 10 update ruining my OC, I made a custome Bios based on 3504 (the one that worked best for me) inc. mCode for 6950x. A normale flash wouldn´t work but a flash from USB worked fine.
Thanks a lot!

[Eikonic]

I came across this thread when trying to get a bit more info on using the Bios Flashback button on the back of the board. I've used it before successfully, but that was years ago, and I've always been hesitant about flashing BIOS. Now i see this thread and Im even more hesitant as I need to do this stuff myself. How come Asus have not released a new bios for this board in almost a year? Is it because each system would need a bios specific for its chip... so bios updates are now just abandoned? I have always found this system to be flakey, and I was gathering up the nerve to finally flash to a much more recent BIOS... this is kinda scaring me again.

To clarify, the link to the new microcode says Linux. My chip is listed, and has been mentioned about, the 5960x. Im in Windows10. Im not somehow missing some fact that this is NOT meant for windows users? The post above me says win10, so im guessing its fine.

Why i started searching in the first place was to see if any special preparations were needed for the USB stick... format type, etc.... Can i just format to fat32 and then start the instructions on page1 here?

Finally, the new UBU 1.71 seems to have changed its menu options. I cant find the options for the steps in the first post. Can you update those steps so I know how to do this? I tried some 'logical' choices based on the available options, but couldnt find an update option.



Thanks

[Axle_Grease]

Eikonic wrote:
I came across this thread when trying to get a bit more info on using the Bios Flashback button on the back of the board. I've used it before successfully, but that was years ago, and I've always been hesitant about flashing BIOS. Now i see this thread and Im even more hesitant as I need to do this stuff myself. How come Asus have not released a new bios for this board in almost a year? Is it because each system would need a bios specific for its chip... so bios updates are now just abandoned? I have always found this system to be flakey, and I was gathering up the nerve to finally flash to a much more recent BIOS... this is kinda scaring me again.

To clarify, the link to the new microcode says Linux. My chip is listed, and has been mentioned about, the 5960x. Im in Windows10. Im not somehow missing some fact that this is NOT meant for windows users? The post above me says win10, so im guessing its fine.

Why i started searching in the first place was to see if any special preparations were needed for the USB stick... format type, etc.... Can i just format to fat32 and then start the instructions on page1 here?

Finally, the new UBU 1.71 seems to have changed its menu options. I cant find the options for the steps in the first post. Can you update those steps so I know how to do this? I tried some 'logical' choices based on the available options, but couldnt find an update option.



Thanks

I've updated 1) in the guide which now links to 1.69.16 of UBU. To skip the UBU stuff and flash an already patched BIOS for the Rampage V Extreme with an intel i7-5960X then get it here.

Support for consumer grade Asus motherboards slowly die off after a couple of years. It's normal. Unfortunately, BIOS 3902 which is already patched with a version of the microcode update for Spectre mitigation is left hanging in beta.


Intel made the archive available for Linux users. However, any CPU microcode patch is OS agnostic since it goes into the BIOS. The only difference is the tools and methodology in getting it there. So, yes, Win 10 is fine to use. I've been using Win 10 all along for this.


There is nothing special about the USB format. Formatting the drive to FAT32 before following the guide will work fine.

Have a happy flash.


Update: I gave in to temptation and am trying BIOS 3902 beta. Seems stable enough, just like trusty ol' 3801.

[CMDRZOD]

After reading about the latest zombie load attack on Intel CPU's I decided to see if there is a new microcode. Sure enough there is. Thanks again for having these instructions, once again they worked flawlessly. If you guys really want I can just post a link to the R5E.CAP I produced, which has the microcode 36h.

Here's links to the microcode and R5E.CAP if you don't feel like patching yourself. Note: My CPU is 6950X. If you do not have this CPU then this BIOS will not help you. You will have to build it yourself using the instructions on the first page and the new mCode from the link below.

Microcode:
https://github.com/intel/Intel-Linux-Processor-Microcode-Data-Files/archive/microcode-20190514.tar.g...

R5E.CAP I produced from building this myself for 6950X:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iW4S_rA6gcF4_WiXCrHXFdz46I2Pvw-_

Just booted it up and using it now. Seems no different from before, but I'm eagerly awaiting benchmarks and more news of what kind of performance may be lost due to mitigating this new vulnerability.

[Axle_Grease]

CMDRZOD wrote:
After reading about the latest zombie load attack on Intel CPU's I decided to see if there is a new microcode. Sure enough there is. Thanks again for having these instructions, once again they worked flawlessly. If you guys really want I can just post a link to the R5E.CAP I produced, which has the microcode 36h.

Here's links to the microcode and R5E.CAP if you don't feel like patching yourself. Note: My CPU is 6950X. If you do not have this CPU then this BIOS will not help you. You will have to build it yourself using the instructions on the first page and the new mCode from the link below.

Microcode:
https://github.com/intel/Intel-Linux-Processor-Microcode-Data-Files/archive/microcode-20190514.tar.g...

R5E.CAP I produced from building this myself for 6950X:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1iW4S_rA6gcF4_WiXCrHXFdz46I2Pvw-_

Just booted it up and using it now. Seems no different from before, but I'm eagerly awaiting benchmarks and more news of what kind of performance may be lost due to mitigating this new vulnerability.

Man, I read about the exploit only a few hours ago. Thank you very much for bringing this to our attention. I'll try the patch for the i7-5960X tomorrow.

Update: I tried flashing both modded and non-modded BIOSes using the USB BIOS Flashback method. For some reason that method no longer works.

[CMDRZOD]

Axle Grease wrote:
Man, I read about the exploit only a few hours ago. Thank you very much for bringing this to our attention. I'll try the patch for the i7-5960X tomorrow.

Update: I tried flashing both modded and non-modded BIOSes using the USB BIOS Flashback method. For some reason that method no longer works.

I had a 2GB stick. I formatted it to FAT16 and put the R5E.cap file there. USB flashback port is one closest to motherboard. At first I was pressing the Bios reset button, till I realized I was supposed to be holding the bluetooth ROG connect button. Worked fine then.

Pretty sure an NTFS drive will not work.

[Axle_Grease]

CMDRZOD wrote:
I had a 2GB stick. I formatted it to FAT16 and put the R5E.cap file there. USB flashback port is one closest to motherboard. At first I was pressing the Bios reset button, till I realized I was supposed to be holding the bluetooth ROG connect button. Worked fine then.

Pretty sure an NTFS drive will not work.

I've been through the process dozens of times over the years, but now flashback just ceases to work on my R5E. The 16GB USB stick is formatted FAT32 and has an an image named R5E.CAP on it. Pressing the ROG Connect button 3secs or longer, until the LED indicator on the stick lights up, and the image would normally start loading. The LED indicator on the USB stick pulses quickly when it is being accessed. Now the USB stick LED flashes briefly. Nothing loads; not even a non modded BIOS downloaded from the ASUS website. All I have is the EZ Flash 2 utility in cmos setup which accepts only non modded BIOSes.

I tried using another USB stick but it solved nothing. I also flashed an earlier BIOS using EZ Flash 2, then attempted to flash the same BIOS using USB Flashback and it failed again. Oh, well. 3902 is the latest BIOS for the R5E so I guess I'm going to be stuck with that for the foreseeable future.

[Axle_Grease]

So USB Flashback happily loads the BIOS image off my flatmate's USB stick...... but not mine. I compared the two sticks in Disk Manager. They're both formatted FAT32 "Healthy Primary partition", only his is also set active so he could boot off it. I don't get it.

Version 3902 modded with Intel's latest microcode patch is now up and running.

[Vlada011]

Looks like now and mine computer is fixed without my intention against Spectre and Meltdown.
I didn't do nothing except last Motherboard BIOS 1903 for RVE10, last Win_10_64bit_1809 is installed from iso file and Widows is Updated.
Probably only that it's necessary for Spectre-Meltdown.
I think even 1902 BIOS for RVE10 is with Updated Microcode, 1903 is improved system performance.

I like when ASUS update BIOS for more than 4 years old chipset.