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Hello guys. I used a search engine and found that the possibility to run CoffeeLake processors on Sky\KabyLake motherboards was brought up here before, but did not receive a wide coverage, even though there are many people who have good Z170/270 motherboards and want to upgrade their obsolete 4C/8T i3s i7s. Many such cases. The modification itself is more than a year old, but it's better late, than never? To those who are interested, I present the translation of this guide below. Thanks to all the people who made this modification possible and to the all people who contributed to this guide. I am not a native speaker, so corrections are welcome. 0. Before You Begin. Disclaimer You are responsible for your actions and consequences thereof. There is no guarantee that everything will work as it should or work at all. 1. Highlights 2. BIOS Dump and Personal Data Extraction 3. CPU Preparation

Since parts are scarce right now I startet my rig upgrade by purchasing 32 GB of Corsair Vengence RGB Pro 3600 MHz CL18 and put it in my old Asrock z170 Extreme3 for the time being. It worked strait out of the bock until I enabled XMP. Then it wouldn't POST. So I put my old memory in, turned XMP off, put the new modules in again and now it's working great but only at the "normal" 2133 MHz. What's to blame here? Is my motherboard not providing enough power for XMP and RGB at the same time? The slower RAM speed is not a problem for me right now but I'm scared that the issue persists when I buy a new motherboard processor combo. Thx for any help and happy new years.

Hi. I'm looking for insight as to why my computer is slower than suspected, even after fresh install of windows 10. My main complaint is the boot-time, which is about 50 seconds at the moment. The computer is from 2015, and have been used to simple gaming such as CS:GO, but mainly as a workstation for studies. My computer consists of the following: - Motherboard: Asus z170 deluxe - CPU: Intel I7 6700k - CPU cooler: Noctua NH-D15s - PSU: Corsair RM850x - Storage: Corsair Force MP600 1tb installed to on-board M.2 slot (not with the pcie expansion card that also comes with the motherboard). - GPU: Radeon HD7950 - Memory: 2 x Kingston DDR4 2133 mhz 8gb - BIOS version: 1302 - OS: Windows 10 pro My knowledge of BIOS settings etc is very limited, I only tried to change settings such as Asus auto performance tuner and XMP memory, without any good results. Any advice on how to improve boot-time speed and speed in general are welcome.

I was looking around the bios for my asus z170a motherboard, as you do, and I saw an ez flash utility to download and flash the bios from the internet. I was psyched bc I’ve literally never updated my bios in the last 3-4 years and this seemed like an easy way to do it. I pressed ‘download’ and now it’s stuck. The mouse won’t move and the keyboard does nothing. The screen says ‘downloading, please wait’. I have gigabit internet so it shouldn’t take this long, I know that much. Is it safe to restart my computer or will that completely fuck it? Thanks in advance

Hello everyone, As the title says I'm having a bit of a problem with my pc build. I'm currently upgrading to a new pc and wanted to make another one out of my current build. I wanted to keep the drives,case, gpu and psu for now though. Thus, what I've done is I bought a new case, psu and took an old hdd from a different pc. I've put my old mobo with ram, cpu and cooler still attached into the new chassis, connected the hdd and power and.. it keeps turning on and off with fans spinning but no post or sound signals. What I've tried so far: •resetting the cmos by shortening the pins •resetting the cmos by taking out the battery for 5 mins and holding the power button for 30 seconds •reseating all inner connectors(cpu 8-pin, mobo, front panel, audio, hdd, usb 3.0) •trying the all the ram sticks one by one •moving and rescrewing in the motherboard (in case the standoffs weren't aligned perfectly and somehow shortened it) •disconnecting all unnecessary hardware and connectors-hdd&gpu, reset button cable What I haven't tried: •trying my old/different psu, although the one currently in seems to be powering the fans and mobo led •reconnecting old drives, i haven't done anything prior to switching componets, but afaik this shouldn't matter right? •powering the pc only by shortening the pins After every attempt it looks the same, the fans start spinning for a bit and the mobo led lights up but it powers down after a sec. It usually happens once or twice, and later it seems to "turn on" for longer but it later powers down anyway. When I've tried one particular ram stick i think it turned on for longer from start, but honestly I'm not sure. There is no visual signal nor beeps from the included speaker I've connected. It seems like the motherboard is damaged or some connector is not inserted properly. I'm very much a novice builder, but I've tried to be careful all the time. I wore an esd strap on my ankle when working with anything and handled the components gently without touching the pcbs if possible. Rig I'm trying to boot up: I5-6600k Nh-u12S Gigabyte z170-d3h Be quiet system power 9 600W 4x4gb g.skill ripjaws IV ddr4 3ghz SilentiumPC Signum SG1M TG case Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Hello LTT, I’m currently baffled to what’s going on with my PC. Current specs are: ASUS Z170 Deluxe Mobo. I7-6700K at 4.7@ 1.35Vcore 16GB of Corsair Vengeance 3000MHz EVGA 1080Ti Hybrid 950 Pro M.2 with some additional SSDs (Samsung 850’s) and a EVGA 850 G2 Power Supply. So this happened the day, right after a normal shutdown. I went to boot up the pc, which was followed by a short blip and then an Instant shutdown. The mobo reads Q-Code 00, right before shutting down. Things I have tried (with no prevail): Unplugging GPU Unplugging and removing all storage devices Checking for bent pins (none), reapplying thermal paste, CPU re-seating and re-torquing the AIO back in. Removing the RAM Dimms. Clearing CMOS I can’t get the system to post. Worth noting, the main PCI-E lane died in my mobo a month ago, making me switch to the bottom slot. So it could indicate a toasted mobo. However: I do see power going to the mobo, the leds are present, the PSU and CPU Radiator fans spin briefly when I turn on the computer, the case fans don’t, however. I hear a brief clicking noise from the PSU, indicating a short somewhere (But I have all main components unplugged) the clicking noise is not present when the CPU isn’t installed, however then the PC doesn’t react to the power button on the case or the mobo itself. Another interesting thing, allegedly I’m supposed to at least see a post screen without having a CPU installed, but the system refuses to turn on without a CPU (not even for a split second). I checked the CPU Backplate and the Thermal Pads for the Mosfets and I see some leakage. (See picture below) The system however have never been stressed out to the point of thermal throttling and temps have always been around 45-60 under load. With no abrupt crashes or BSODs. So I’m wondering why the mosfets are “sweating” behind the thermal pads. I have yet to try another PSU from an old rig, to either rule the PSU out or not. But I’m looking for more suggestions. Anything else I can try?

Update: Together with @unclewebb wo really helped me out, I managed to find a way via Intel XTU to trick the CPU into thinking it's undervolted while it's actually, which allows it to draw more power. Enableing SVID is crucial as without it will never even achieve these clocks. Setting the CPU Voltage Offset to -0.465 in XTU allows me to get an all-core of 4.6 in Cinebench and a score of over 4600. Anything higher will be to much for my air cooler. Thanks webb! Original Post: Hey there, my 9900k on my Asus Z170 Pro Gaming Aura only runs at 3.2Ghz at mid/upper 60°C and a VCore of 1.28 according to HWMonitor during an all-core Cinebench R20 run (giving me ~3200 points instead of ~4800 on my MSI Z370-A Pro). AI Suite 3 gives me "Floating point division bey zero" errors while showing the same data. What's even weirder is that when idle or light load it boosts up to 4.5-4.8Ghz. Changing the voltage doesn't do anything. AI Suite gives me a power draw during load of around 105w (HWMonitor not working, 6w). On the Z370 it gives me a power draw of 160-170 (via HWMonitor). Also only one ram channel works. If I put more than 2 sticks in it won't post. Sticks are working fine if switched or on other boards and worked fine on the Z370 board. Works fine with Bios 2103 Coffeetime I really hope anyone knows what to do in order to get those clock to a reasonable level. Sincerely Timo System:

Hi, thanks for reading, TLDR i have a asus z170-A with a 6700k installed running unraid i need to optimize my expansion as my second nvme has negatively affected my speeds without even assigning it to my cache. I have 3 pcie devices: -2, pcie3.0 by 4x nvme ssd [m.2 with slot adapter cards] -1x realtek 2.5gbe network card) -4 sata HDDs. What sots and bios settings do I need to adjust to get everything working at full speed? manual https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA1151/Z170-A/E10611_Z170-A_UM_V2_WEB.pdf again thank you

I'm trying to fix a Z170 system that will not post. It all started when Minecraft was opened, which caused the PC to crash completely. Since then I have done the following: Rebooted the PC DRAM light would blink but would not go to VGA light Removing GPU made it to POST with a "overclocking failed error" This persisted through multiple reboots until I switched from Asus Optimal to Normal After doing so, the original DRAM light blinking issue came back (running on integrated graphics at that point). Clearing CMOS did not fix the issue I tried with each stick of memory in a variety of slots. No dice. I am currently reseating the CPU but I doubt this will fix it. Is this a bad motherboard issue?

Yep. It's that issue again. I had a 6600K laying around so I decided to put together a machine for my fiancé. Snagged a Z170 for it. The ATX 24-pin cable will *not* seat into the port, no matter what is tried. The combination of parts is an MSI KRAIT GAMING Z170 and an MSI MPG A650GF 650W PSU. There's a space about 1-2mm between the top of the port and the meat of the connector. Any idea on how to get it to seat properly? I've tried everything. It just gets stuck at the same point. The connector is still seated evenly but is loose and wiggles a lot. The plastic locking pin is still in the unseated position. I'm also pretty sure there isn't anything inside the port that shouldn't be there.

So, I have an ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming motherboard paired with an Intel 6600 non-K (can still overclock because of the older BIOS version hehe) Anyways It was 16 GB of HyperX RAM, believe it is a 2400MHz kit. Whenever I put them in uhhh "dual-channel" layout (an empty space between the sticks), it wont post. I've checked individually all of the slots, they work fine, as do the stick themselves. I've tried clearing CMOS, but no dice. There are no beeps when it happens. Tried just leaving it on for a while like that, nothing. Any ideas? Cheers

Hey guys first time poster here and I would like to see if anybody knows what I have damaged? So I cleaned my computer out and took everything apart to clean the dust. I also installed new RGB LL120 fans on my radiator and on the back end of my computer as an exhaust. I put everything back together again and realised that my ssd wasn’t connected. So I got my old sata power cable and connected my ssd to my power supply. I turned on the computer and instantly I saw my motherboard spark and I heard like a pop sound. The computer still powers on and posts but without the fans working. Does anybody know what I could have potentially done? here is a picture I have provided of the damage from the board which is the only thing I can visually see.

I have a weird problem on my old rig. The system started to freeze several times by random and eventually wouldn't post at all. The pc starts normally with fans spinning and all but hangs to the orange dram led indicating my ram is faulty. My PC specs: -Asus Z170 Pro Gaming/AURA -16Gb (2x8) Kingston HyperX ddr4 2666Mhz -i5 6600K -Sapphire RX480 -650W Seasonic Core GM-650 psu I checked both memory sticks on another system and they worked fine. I get the same dram fault even if ram is not installed and try to boot. I've checked all the cables, replaced the CMOS, reset the RTC, reinstalled the CPU, tried without the GPU but no effect. I've searched the forums before but couldn't find someone with similar problems. Could this mean I have a dead motherboard? Any more ideas how to fix this?

Hello there, In my studio I have 4k TV (hdmi only) as a main screen and second HDReady screen with only VGA input. Now, I would like to avoid, if possible to have graphics card in this setup (lower noise, temps and so on). I am not planning any gaming on it. I have z170 motherboard with i7-6700k cpu. I have two outputs from my z170 motherboard - DisplayPort and HDMI. So I have connected HDMI->HDMI on TV. By itself it works great, nice and sharp, 60Hz running well. When I connect my DP->VGA adapter and VGA->VGA cable into my second screen, both shows up, but the 4k TV is a bit muddy, not that clean and sharp as it was before connecting second screen. Also, after lets say 30 seconds, it switches off for few seconds and then load back. And it repeats after another 30seconds or so. Also it runs only 29Hz. Is it even possible to run this setup? Maybe the DP->VGA adapter is not the best idea? I would like to keep the second monitor, since its small and I use it only for Audio EQ visualisation. Thank you in advance for your input. Martin

my graph card work at PCIE x4 3.0 not PCIE x16 3.0 I can’t find the sitting in BIOS, Will it limit performance of something? How can I set x16 3.0,because I want to buy a monitor 4K HDR1000 144hz just for watching movies. CPU is 6700k, Motherboard is ASUS Z170i pro game.there is only one PCIE x 16 slot One SSD is Western Digital Black M.2 1TB nvme。 My English isn’t good,sry

So I'm I'm the market for a motherboard (the one I bought was doa in my first build), i got it refunded because I got some more money. I could use all my money to buy a z270 board, or get a good z170 board for a lot less, the only issue is BIOS compatibility. I could also buy high quality b250 and h270 boards for cheaper, but I want to upgrade to a k CPU and i payed extra for 2666mhz ram so I wanna use that speed. Any Mobo suggestions? And will z170 boards support kabylake (g4560) out of the box? I'm looking at under £115, and if i get cheaper i can save for a better CPU, buy some games, or an ssd

I've been looking at DDR4 ram online, and several kits are specifically labeled as for either Intel Z170 or X99 platforms. Is there any technical reason for that, or is it just marketing?

So, not a Ryzen thread, WHUUUUAAAT? In all seriousness, I built my PC not long ago, and other than having great performance and looking amazing, my motherboard is really pissing me off. Some features aren't working properly, some are bad, some are unstable and some have just a cheap feeling quality (I'm using an MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon). I've been looking around and I think I have found the motherboard I want: the Aorus Z270X Gaming 5; it has: DUAL NIC A MONOBLOCK AVAILABLE simplistic look good placement of the LEDs affordable price. Though I would like to know: How well does it overclock a Skylake CPU (I'm not getting a KabyLake chip, Im not that stupid) Are the drivers stable? And is there any alternative options for around that price that has those things (except for the leds, as long I can turn it off, I couldnt care less)? (if the board has a VRM block instead of a mono block it's fine, as long it's an EK or a bitspower one)

I've got an ASUS Z170 pro motherboard and I'm planning to buy an M.2 SSD. Now according to the specs the mobo supports m.2, but I'm not sure if it supports the one I've chosen (Corsair Force MP500 240GB M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD), so I need to double check it first before shopping. So what do you guys think? Is it suitable for this motherboard? https://www.asus.com/uk/Motherboards/Z170-PRO/specifications/ https://www.scan.co.uk/products/240gb-corsair-force-mp500-m2-(22x80)-pcie-30-(x4)-nvme-ssd-mlc-nand-read-3000mb-s-write-2400mb-s-250 http://www.corsair.com/en-gb/force-series-mp500-240gb-m-2-ssd

Hi everyone, I'm planning to build a new gaming computer for myself. - Are you buying in at least three days? Yes, I am ready to buy. - Budget: 1000$CAD (excluding the graphics card)- Zip Code or Location: Montreal, Quebec Canada- Specific Use: Gaming only- Any preferred components?: Durable one. My current pc is 6 years old.- Any spare parts you can re-use?: Corsair HX 750w, LG dvd/rw / Corsair HAF 932 Case (would like to buy a new one)- Overclocking your processor?: Was running my core2duo 8400 at 4.2ghz a while, motherboard broke after 3 years. Idk if worth it?- Need an Operating System?: Nope, have 3 windows 7 copy.- Need a Monitor? / Mouse? / Keyboard?: All Brand New from 2016.- Need a Wireless Card or Adapter? Nope.- Need Another Component? (Specify): - Preferred Case Features (Ex: Color, Side Window, Flashy): Just a window and very good dust filters/ air flow.- Number of Monitors: 1 , 1080p Website i used for price comparison (if you have better priced i'd sure like to know): www.ncix.com www.directcanada.com www.canadacomputers.com www.newegg.ca Currently, here's what i choose: INTEL® CORE™ I5-7600K Processor 6M Cache 4 Cores 3.8GHZ Up To 4.2GHZ FC-LGA14C Retail Box Kaby Lake - $314.98 http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12201137590 G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series F4-3000C15D-16GVRB DDR4 3000MHZ 16GB(8GBX2) 15-16-16-35 Memory Kit - $134.98 http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15381116132 WD Blue 250B Internal SSD M.2 - $111.71 http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=25351136744 So as i explained in the title, I'm still puzzled by the amount of motherboards availble in the 150-225$ bracket , and i need help to choose one. I would like all the good features (m.2 / usb 3.1 / usb type c/ USB 3.0 x4 and Crossfire/SLI avaible) for futurproofing my computer and high quality construction so i can make it last at least 4 years with OC if possible. Here's what i found yet, i'm looking to spend around 190$ for my motherboard as i was told that more than that isnt required (is it true?) Asus Z170 Pro Gaming Atx LGA1151 Z170 Skylake DDR4 CROSSFIREX/SLI Rgb USB3.1 Motherboard - $194.99 http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10531135130 GIGABYTE Z170X-GAMING 3 LGA 1151 Intel Z170 HDMI SATA 6GB/S USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX - $169.99 http://www.ncix.com/detail/gigabyte-z170x-gaming-3-lga-1151-1c-113583.htm GIGABYTE GA-Z170X-UD3 (rev. 1.0) LGA 1151 Intel Z170 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 ATX Intel Motherboard - $169.99 https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813128840 MSI Z270 Tomahawk ATX LGA1151 DDR4 3PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 HDMI DVI USB3.1 CrossFire - $ 184.99 http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12981138264 Asus Z170-A Atx LGA1151 DDR4 3PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 1PCI CROSSFIREX/SLI SATA3 USB3.1 Hdmi - $199.99 http://www.ncix.com/detail/asus-z170-a-atx-lga1151-skylake-c4-111462.htm?promoid=1010 MSI Gaming Z170A GAMING M5 LGA 1151 Intel Z170 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 ATX Intel Motherboard - $210.00 https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA9H53MW0428&cm_re=msi_m5-_-13-130-873-_-Product GIGABYTE GA-Z170X-Ultra Gaming (rev. 1.0) LGA 1151 Intel Z170 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Motherboards - Intel - $ 199.99 https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128941&cm_re=Gigabyte_Z170X_Ultra_Gaming-_-13-128-941-_-Product GIGABYTE G1 Gaming GA-Z170X-Gaming 5 (rev. 1.0) LGA 1151 Intel Z170 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $ 199.99 https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128836&cm_re=Gigabyte_Gaming_5-_-13-128-836-_-Product So yeah i really can't decide what to choose between all that, and i didnt even put them all up, just the ones that got the best review from the hours i spent on looking up reviews. Any suggestions, comprehensive explanation with it would be VERY welcomed and appreciated. Thank you all for your time, i hope you have a great day.

Hey all, I've been looking at parts for a new rig. I looked on pcpartpicker to see if all of my bits are compatible and it told me this: " Some Intel Z170 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Kaby Lake-S CPUs " I have chosen for my mobo the MSI Z170A SLI Plus LGA 1151 Intel Z170 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 ATX Intel Motherboard and my processor is the Intel i7 7700K. *I AM WILLING TO CHANGE THE MOTHERBOARD FOR SOMETHING OF A SIMILAR PRICE POINT, BUT NOT THE CPU* Does anyone know if this will be a problem with these particular components, and if so how to avoid the problem? Cheers, Ivan

Hey I wanted to upgrade to an i7 and I was wondering if putting a 7700k in a z170a motherboard would be a bad thing. Do the new z270 motherboards matter much? My current build is an i5 6600k, msi z170a m5, evga 1070 acx sc, 16gb corsair vengence lpx, and an evga 650w 80+ gold psu.

So far I have only bought a z170 Asus mobo. I plan on using a G4560 CPU. I have read I will need a bios update which might be hard to do in South Australia without friends. Ram I am unsure of, will ddr4 1600 8gbx2 cause any issues? Corsair vengeance pro 2400 8gbx2 seems to be the cheapest option locally. No plans to run a GPU for a while, an rx480 is all I'm considering upgrading to midyear. As for hhds, budget is the concern. Can I get away with a 120gb SSD for booting & a 2tb Seagate barracuda 3.5"? What's the recommendations? The PC is strictly for word processing, web browsing and youtube in 4k. What am I missing? I don't have a the budget for a fancy case, I'm hoping temps will be kept low, a SHAW case is all I can afford but I'd consider any sub $50aud case. What else am I missing? I don't need a sound card ATM, do I need a CD/DVD drive these days? Are there any cables that I need? Will the G4560 come with a heatsink/fan combo? Will the case require more fans? My PC supplier is: Http://www.msy.com.au/parts/parts.PDF http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/PARTS.pdf The store is literally a stones throw away and for tax reasons its better to buy locally.

Hello, Im just wondering if a z170-pro board will support NVMe SSD's. Nothing in the manual or online I can find about it, so Im guessing it doesnt? Just wan't to make sure. If so, can they boot from them? Thankyou, new to this. :-) Motherboard: https://www.asus.com/uk/Motherboards/Z170-PRO/SSD: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/intel-600p-512gb-m.2-2280-pci-e-3.0-x-4-nvme-3d-nand-solid-state-drive-ssdpekkw512g7x1-hd-088-in.html?gclid=CjwKEAiAoOvEBRDD25uyu9Lg9ycSJAD0cnBy1UW4TBSw-gPTxmcwVZePQrKnF07lgsfj3QPo3papXxoCO2fw_wcB

I was just looking for a good z170 Motherboard and I found the msi z170a Krait Gaming 3X. So I watched some YT ant this kind of stuff and i didnt noticed that there were 2 versions of the z170a Krait. 1. Version: Z170A KRAIT GAMING [https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/Z170-KRAIT-GAMING.html#hero-overview] 1. Version: Z170A KRAIT GAMING 3X [https://msi.com/Motherboard/Z170A-KRAIT-GAMING-3X.html#hero-specification] It is a litlle bit confusing and now my Question? Is there any big difference (I know there are some but are they noticeable in daily use) between those two? And which would be the smarter choice for Kabylake. Thanks for your Support [Please ignore any wrong spelling or meaning of my words. Iam German and my English isn´t really good]