Updated my MSI mobo BIOS and now I can't overclock?

[Infernalz]

CPU: i5-4960K

Mobo: MSI Z97s SLI Krait

 

I was having a problem with my SATA ports and updated my motherboard BIOS to the latest version (to 10.3 from 10.1), and now I can't overclock my CPU, as I was able to previously. The 'CPU Ratio' is set to Auto (3.5GHz) and It's not letting me manually change that, the only way it's letting me overclock is through its OC Genie, which does set it to 4.0GHz (which I would be doing) but I can't do anything manually there either. It's as though it thinks I have a locked processor or something. I'm really hoping I just need to change some one setting elsewhere to be able to OC again.

 

Specs: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/8TthdC

[Firearm2112]

Is there a way to reset your bios config? 

[Infernalz]

Is there a way to reset your bios config? 

 

I did save the profile I had when I made the first overclock but, trying to load it up now, it wont work since it was on a different BIOS version.

[Firearm2112]

I did save the profile I had when I made the first overclock but, trying to load it up now, it wont work since it was on a different BIOS version.

Try clearing your CMOS. I can get you instructions if your unsure how to do this

[Fulgrim]

You tried writing down the settings for your OC, then inputting them manually? I personally never rely on saving OC profiles.

[Infernalz]

Try clearing your CMOS. I can get you instructions if your unsure how to do this

If it's anything more complex than shorting the 2 pins than please do. This mobo doesn't have a plastic cover between 2 pins to take off or a button to clear the cmos (as I've seen a few videos showing to do), and the manual says to just short the 2 pins it specifies. Turn off all power, switch off the PSU, wait a bit, short the pins (maybe hold it for 5 seconds), and reverse process seem about right?

 

You tried writing down the settings for your OC, then inputting them manually? I personally never rely on saving OC profiles.

I didn't write them down but they were simple enough, I just changed the CPU ratio to 40 (making a 4.0GHz overclock) and made sure it kept all the cores fixed at that. It's changing those two settings now that it's not letting me do manually.

[Firearm2112]

If it's anything more complex than shorting the 2 pins than please do. This mobo doesn't have a plastic cover between 2 pins to take off or a button to clear the cmos (as I've seen a few videos showing to do), and the manual says to just short the 2 pins it specifies. Turn off all power, switch off the PSU, wait a bit, short the pins (maybe hold it for 5 seconds), and reverse process seem about right?

 

I didn't write them down but they were simple enough, I just changed the CPU ratio to 40 (making a 4.0GHz overclock) and made sure it kept all the cores fixed at that. It's changing those two settings now that it's not letting me do manually.

Here is the tutorial for MSI boards. This will reset all your BIOS settings.

 

[Infernalz]

Here is the tutorial for MSI boards. This will reset all your BIOS settings.

 

-snip-

I have neither of those options on my exact MSI board, it's just the 2 pins above the second PCI Express 3.0 slot next to the battery (JBAT1), manual says to just short those so that looks like the plan.

[Infernalz]

Whelp, cleared the cmos and it didn't fix this problem. The attached image shows the BIOS and what I'm dealing with here. The CPU Ratio is what I'm trying to change but it says it's not supported, even though it's an unlocked processor.

MSI_SnapShot smaller.bmp

MSI_SnapShot smaller.bmp

[Infernalz]

Guys plz. Bump for great justice.

[Master Disaster]

Have you tried using +/- to adjust it?

Can you change other settings or are they all locked?

FTR OCing your CPU to 4Ghz is pretty pointless, it turbos to 3.9 anyway and going from 3.5 to 4 really won't make any noticeable difference out side of synthetic benchmarks.

EDIT

I'd contact MSI support if I were you, there's a bug in the UEFI which should of been fixed in 1.01 but it appears has made it back into 1.03.

http://uk.msi.com/support/mb/Z97S-SLI-Krait-Edition.html#down-bios

Improved some BIOS items can not be changed after clear CMOS.

That just about sums up your problem.

[Infernalz]

Have you tried using +/- to adjust it?

Can you change other settings or are they all locked?

FTR OCing your CPU to 4Ghz is pretty pointless, it turbos to 3.9 anyway and going from 3.5 to 4 really won't make any noticeable difference out side of synthetic benchmarks.

Have tried +/- to no avail.

 

It seems like anything that's related to the CPU overclock isn't changeable, I can change those EIST, Intel Turbo Boost, and Legacy Tweaking (etc.), settings, but the CPU ratio stays put.

 

This is the first time I've overclocked so I'm just playing it save for the time being, eventually I'll go to the ~4.5 or so range. At this point it's for the principal of the thing since it is unlocked, and to make sure that I don't have some problem that came with the BIOS update that will be annoying to try and deal with down the line when I get to doing higher overclocks.

[TheMcSame]

Haven't really read the thread but have you tried changing the speed in per core mode? My UEFI wont let me overclock with the all core (something along those lines anyway) option but it does in the per core mode. If that doesn't work then see if you can overclock with XTU or something.

[Infernalz]

Haven't really read the thread but have you tried changing the speed in per core mode? My UEFI wont let me overclock with the all core (something along those lines anyway) option but it does in the per core mode. If that doesn't work then see if you can overclock with XTU or something.

Doesn't work in per core mode either:

http://i.imgur.com/dSYASQi.png

 

It seems that I can only change things in [brackets]. Got some more images here too:

 

http://i.imgur.com/PgdYUF2.png

Shows that it is an unlocked processor though it doesn't want to believe it and let me change things.

 

http://i.imgur.com/qmCiKpH.png

Even in simple mode I can't do anything.

 

And for XTU:

http://i.imgur.com/rUMqrVL.png

It looks like the 'Max Non Turbo Boost Ratio' is what I would use to actually overclock but it's maxed at 35, I can turn it down though. And that 'Core Voltage Mode' seems like it would be to make each core stay at the set speed (same as having it at a fixed speed in the BIOS).

 

Is there some driver I'm missing or something? At this point I really hope I'm that stupid and not borked out of being able to overclock at all anymore.

[TheMcSame]

 

And for XTU:

http://i.imgur.com/rUMqrVL.png

It looks like the 'Max Non Turbo Boost Ratio' is what I would use to actually overclock but it's maxed at 35, I can turn it down though. And that 'Core Voltage Mode' seems like it would be to make each core stay at the set speed (same as having it at a fixed speed in the BIOS).

Change the multipliers at the bottom, that's what you use to overclock in XTU.

[Infernalz]

Change the multipliers at the bottom, that's what you use to overclock in XTU.

 

That just changed the boost speed, not the base speed.

[TheMcSame]

That just changed the boost speed, not the base speed.

I'm pretty sure that's what it's supposed to do when you overclock. The base CPU speed isn't going to change unless you change the reference clock.

[Infernalz]

I'm pretty sure that's what it's supposed to do when you overclock. The base CPU speed isn't going to change unless you change the reference clock.

Mmmmm... nnnoo I think overclocking is changing the base clock higher than what it came rated as, and to not go below that.

 

Either way it's not letting me do it as I was able to before, and should be able to do.

[TheMcSame]

Mmmmm... nnnoo I think overclocking is changing the base clock higher than what it came rated as, and to not go below that.

 

Either way it's not letting me do it as I was able to before, and should be able to do.

Well that's the way I did it and it runs at a constant 4GHz

[Master Disaster]

Mmmmm... nnnoo I think overclocking is changing the base clock higher than what it came rated as, and to not go below that.

 

Either way it's not letting me do it as I was able to before, and should be able to do.

Contact MSI support about your isse, i assume you didn't see my edit above.

This was an issue in release 1.00 of your boards UEFI which was fixed in 1.01 but appears to have resurfaced in 1.03. Nothing we can do i am afraid, raise a ticket with MSI and hopefully they'll provide you with a fixed UEFI version.

Please do not try and go back to 1.01 (unless MSI tell you its safe) as this can be problematic, if 1.03 has updated any hardware firmware (things like SATA and RAID controllers) during the upgrade then reverting back to 1.01 might cause these features to malfunction.

[Infernalz]

Contact MSI support about your isse, i assume you didn't see my edit above.

This was an issue in release 1.00 of your boards UEFI which was fixed in 1.01 but appears to have resurfaced in 1.03. Nothing we can do i am afraid, raise a ticket with MSI and hopefully they'll provide you with a fixed UEFI version.

Please do not try and go back to 1.01 (unless MSI tell you its safe) as this can be problematic, if 1.03 has updated any hardware firmware (things like SATA and RAID controllers) during the upgrade then reverting back to 1.01 might cause these features to malfunction.

 

Hmm, well I guess it's a relief to know that this is a known issue that would be on their list to fix instead of me having some odd and un-fixable bug all to my self. Going back to 10.1 really wouldn't be helpful (though I did consider it) since the problem I'm attempting to fix by updating the BIOS is a much larger one than not being able to overclock.

 

I just wish MSI's support didn't have so many things it needs to register for this, I mean address and phone number? That's a little much for just support/registering an account. But I guess whatever gets this fixed...

 

Either way, thanks for the post!

[Master Disaster]

Hmm, well I guess it's a relief to know that this is a known issue that would be on their list to fix instead of me having some odd and un-fixable bug all to my self. Going back to 10.1 really wouldn't be helpful (though I did consider it) since the problem I'm attempting to fix by updating the BIOS is a much larger one than not being able to overclock.

 

I just wish MSI's support didn't have so many things it needs to register for this, I mean address and phone number? That's a little much for just support/registering an account. But I guess whatever gets this fixed...

 

Either way, thanks for the post!

No problem, let us know how it goes with MSI