Question CPU Voltage way too high?? BIOS Wrong?

[dbenton93]

I have a 3.6GHz (3.9GHz turbo) i7 4790. No k, so no overclocking here.

When I check my BIOS my CPU Core Voltage reads 1.760V which has me worried. It also has Idle temps as high as 55 degrees C while in the BIOS.
Once I boot up windows and monitor my CPU with Intel XTU it says 1.022V with slight spike up to 1.081V. and the idle temps become a more reasonable 40 degrees C.

I originally thought to chalk this up to an error in the bios reading, but the temps seem to indicate the operating voltage might truly be different. Is it possible when in the BIOS settings my CPU voltage is dangerously high and then in windows it drops to its default state?
I've tried resetting the BIOS to all default settings and nothing's changed. Any thoughts on what might be going on here or how to fix it?

EDIT: Potentially related, After shutdown my computer turns itself back on pretty much as soon as it's shut down as of last night. I had to turn the power supply itself off to keep my computer from booting itself up while I was sleeping.

 

[Darkbreeze]

That really sounds like a motherboard issue, but just to be sure, what version of Windows are you running and do you have hibernation and hybrid sleep disabled? Those settings tend to sometimes cause that exact issue, so before condemning any hardware I'd want to be sure those are disabled first to see if the problem continues or resolves itself.

https://techjourney.net/turn-off-and-disable-hybrid-sleep-in-windows-10-8-1-8-7-vista/

 

[dbenton93]

Thanks for the reply!

I'm on Windows 10 home 64 bit. Hibernation was disabled, and I went and disabled hybrid sleep, but it's still turning itself back on after shutdown. Other than turning itself back on and the wacky voltage readings when in the BIOS I haven't run into any problems. Computer seems just as fast and stable as ever, and gaming (and the CPU and GPU temps that go along with it) have been fine.

 

[Darkbreeze]

What is your exact motherboard model number AND exactly what BIOS version is it currently running?

 

[dbenton93]

Motherboard is ASUS K30AD_M31AD_M51AD_M32AD and my BIOS version is 0702

 

[Darkbreeze]

No, not that string of numbers. The actual MODEL number of the motherboard. Like, Z97-A, or whatever it is for your board.

 

[dbenton93]

Motherboard Model says, copy/pasted from hwinfo64:

Motherboard Model: ASUS K30AD_M31AD_M51AD_M32AD

I've seen a lot of people referring to this pc online as just model: M32AD so that may be it. Or if you mean the motherboard chipset:

Motherboard Chipset: Intel H81 (Lynx Point)

Sorry if I'm still missing something. Pretty much completely new to motherboards/motherboard info

While I'm at it the full BIOS info:


BIOS Manufacturer: American Megatrends Inc.
BIOS Date: 10/23/2014
BIOS Version: 0702
UEFI BIOS: Capable

 

[Darkbreeze]

There should be a model number listed directly ON the motherboard itself. Either along the top edge or down the middle. That identification string you posted either brings up the full system, as does the M32AD, or brings up the H81M-E motherboard, which it might be, but I don't want to assume ANYTHING when it comes to BIOS updates. We need to KNOW for sure before proceeding or you could get the wrong firmware and brick the system. The BIOS image must be for the board in question or it could be a problem.

See if you can find anything printed directly on the motherboard.

Going off that model identification string though, I think this is probably the correct product page and the BIOS listed there, version 0802 is likely the correct and latest one for your system.

M32AD - Support

www.asus.com

 

[dbenton93]

Ahh ok. Directly on the motherboard does indeed say H81M-E , or more completely, it says H81M-E/M51AD/DP_MB

 

[ko888]

Ahh ok. Directly on the motherboard does indeed say H81M-E , or more completely, it says H81M-E/M51AD/DP_MB

You need BIOS Version 0808 or later for proper support of your i7-4790. The reported excessive voltage proves it.

 

[dbenton93]

Currently looking into updating the BIOS, thanks. Are you sure the version is 0808? ASUS website only has 0802 available as a bios update

 

[ko888]

Currently looking into updating the BIOS, thanks. Are you sure the version is 0808? ASUS website only has 0802 available as a bios update

Do you have a link to that ASUS web page?

The H81M-E/M51AD/DP_MB is an OEM version of the H81M-E and the latest BIOS version for the H81M-E is 3602 that has the Spectre Variant 2 mitigation microcode update.

 

[dbenton93]

My BIOS was 0702 from this link and I just updated to 0802 using https://www.asus.com/us/Tower-PCs/M32AD/HelpDesk_BIOS/
This is the PC I have and is what hwinfo says is my motherboard model is

I also found the update you were talking about here https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/H81ME/HelpDesk_BIOS/
this corresponds to what my motherboard actually says on it, H81M-E. I don't get why they are different. Since this PC ships with this motherboard, shouldn't their BIOS be the same? Will BIOS from either of the above links be compatible?

Also the voltage issue is still there now that I'm on BIOS 0802

 

[ko888]

The model name H81M-E/M51AD/DP_MB tells me that this OEM version of the motherboard is used in the ASUS M51AD Desktop PC. There seems to be some differences in the expansion slots from the retail H81M-E version.

BIOS 0802 does not have the microcode update to support the Haswell Refresh CPUs. Your i7-4790 is a Haswell Refresh CPU.

 

[dbenton93]

So the retail version of H81M-E is a (slightly) different motherboard than the one that's shipping with my PC? does that mean BIOS version for the H81M-E update 3602 won't work with my OEM version of the motherboard? The i7-4790 is the processor that shipped with this PC/motherboard. Seems weird that they wouldn't offer a bios version that fully supports the processor that it ships with... Or can I just go ahead and update as if it were retail version?

 

[Darkbreeze]

I agree that I don't see anything that specifically says Haswell refresh or "support new CPU" on any of the BIOS updates up to 0802, however that BIOS was released on 11-6-2015 while the i7-4790 was released in March of 2014. I can't imagine that ASUS never added support for the Haswell refresh CPUs on that board in a year since release, or in the ensuing years since then.

I'd think that the BIOS update for the non-OEM H81M-E would work fine for that board since it's pretty much the same, but honestly, I'm not certain enough of that to say yes go ahead and flash the latest version from the aftermarket board support page. Maybe you are?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Since updating to the latest BIOS that is officially FOR that board, 0802, are you still seeing the same issues with the voltage? I guess that's the primary question.

 

[dbenton93]

Yea I'm still having all the same issue. 1.760V in bios and idle temps are about 20 degrees higher than when Im in windows. And the computer still turns itself on right after shutdown. I want to try the retail board's BIOS but I'm worried about a bricked system. Is there any resources that may be able to confirm for sure whether or not the retail bios would work before I try? Or, if I try to feed the EZ Flash tool a BIOS file that isn't compatible would it recognize that and stop the process before trying to flash an incompatible bios? (since the EZ Flash tool scans the BIOS file you feed it, before going into updating process. Or at least that's how it seemed when updating to 0802)

 

[ko888]

So the retail version of H81M-E is a (slightly) different motherboard than the one that's shipping with my PC? does that mean BIOS version for the H81M-E update 3602 won't work with my OEM version of the motherboard? The i7-4790 is the processor that shipped with this PC/motherboard. Seems weird that they wouldn't offer a bios version that fully supports the processor that it ships with... Or can I just go ahead and update as if it were retail version?

The retail H81M-E has a Realtek LAN and a Realtek Audio controller that the OEM version probably doesn't have or it uses the Intel equivalents. I doubt that you will be able to flash the OEM motherboard with a retail version's BIOS.

I downloaded the 0802 BIOS H81M-E-ASUS-M51AD-0802.CAP and examined the Haswell Microcode Revision number. It only has Microcode Revision 12 from 2013-07-02. I know that Microcode Revision 12 definitely doesn't have support for Haswell Referesh CPUs.

 

[dbenton93]

The retail H81M-E has a Realtek LAN and a Realtek Audio controller that the OEM version probably doesn't have or it uses the Intel equivalents. I doubt that you will be able to flash the OEM motherboard with a retail version's BIOS.

I downloaded the 0802 BIOS H81M-E-ASUS-M51AD-0802.CAP and examined the Haswell Microcode Revision number. It only has Microcode Revision 12 from 2013-07-02. I know that Microcode Revision 12 definitely doesn't have support for Haswell Referesh CPUs.

So in your opinion then, am I just outta luck? ASUS just sold a PC that has a motherboard incapable of properly supporting the processor that comes with it?

 

[ko888]

So in your opinion then, am I just outta luck? ASUS just sold a PC that has a motherboard incapable of properly supporting the processor that comes with it?

You may be out of luck.

If it were my system I would just edit a copy of the 0802 BIOS file and update it with the latest Haswell Microcode Revision 25 from 2018-04-02 and also update it with the LAN controller's currently assigned MAC address. I would then use my USB based CH341A SPI BIOS Programmer and flash it into a blank BIOS chip. I would then swap the motherboard's existing socketed BIOS chip with the new BIOS chip and test it.

 

[Darkbreeze]

In other words, yes, you are likely out of luck. Did you buy this system new, with all the same components that are currently in it, or did you buy it used from a 3rd party, who might have swapped out that CPU?

It's very unlikely that it would have been possible for it to come from the manufacturer, being ASUS, with a CPU that is not supported by the motherboard it is installed in, so I'd bet you didn't buy that new and that somebody swapped out that CPU from an older Haswell CPU that WAS compatible, then discovered they had problems and sold it off which is where you came in. Sound about right, or no?

The only option you really have is to find a compatible motherboard that does support the Haswell refresh processors and swap that out for your current motherboard. I don't really know what else you can do unless you know somebody local like ko888 who has the tools and experience to mod your BIOS ROM to be able to support that CPU.

 

[dbenton93]

In other words, yes, you are likely out of luck. Did you buy this system new, with all the same components that are currently in it, or did you buy it used from a 3rd party, who might have swapped out that CPU?

It's very unlikely that it would have been possible for it to come from the manufacturer, being ASUS, with a CPU that is not supported by the motherboard it is installed in, so I'd bet you didn't buy that new and that somebody swapped out that CPU from an older Haswell CPU that WAS compatible, then discovered they had problems and sold it off which is where you came in. Sound about right, or no?

The only option you really have is to find a compatible motherboard that does support the Haswell refresh processors and swap that out for your current motherboard. I don't really know what else you can do unless you know somebody local like ko888 who has the tools and experience to mod your BIOS ROM to be able to support that CPU.

Nope, bought it brand new from a store, only thing I've done to it is put in a graphics card. It was the same as this listing for reference https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1084697-REG/asus_m32ad_us034s_i7_4790_3_2g_8gb_1tb.html . Seems like quite the oversight on their part, unless they know about it and made the retail BIOS updates work on this motherboard too. Though, it's a discontinued product now, so maybe this is why.

I've gone ahead and submitted a support ticket to ASUS .

 

[Darkbreeze]

That's probably a good idea. Explain the problem in full detail to them, ask for it to be elevated to a higher level of support if necessary and reference this thread if possible.

Be sure to note to them that it's been determined that there is no microcode support for the CPU model that came in your system, on the motherboard it came with. Maybe they have a solution or information we lack.