Question Motherboards (LGA 1700 or AM5) with removable BIOS chips

[tquark]

Are there motherboards with LGA 1700 or AM5 sockets with removable BIOS chips?

 

[COLGeek]

Why do you ask? What would you hope to gain by this "feature"?

To my knowledge, the answer is "no", from a practical user perspective.

 

[tquark]

Why do you ask? What would you hope to gain by this "feature"?

Firstly, the feasibility to reflash the firmware if it is corrupted. Perhaps the feasibility of removal of malicious software, if it gets into the firmware. And also feasibility to install a modified or third-party firmware while saving the original one (it will be possible to write a new firmware to another chip and install it).

 

[COLGeek]

"Reflashing" from a designated USB port is something more manufacturers are doing now. Nearly all modern designs have the chip soldered onto the motherboard. Technically removable, doing so can lead to catastrophic outcomes.

In addition, some makes/models support "dual BIOS" for built-in redundancy.

Interesting question, but not something I would expect to see a lot of these days.

 

[DSzymborski]

Pretty much all motherboards that are expensive enough that a feature like this becomes even theoretically practical will already have ways for you to re-flash the BIOS, which takes care of the first one.

No motherboard company is going to be interested in investing limited resources in the other two. Viruses that affect the BIOS are exceedingly rare, so it's not really an issue for any component maker to care about. As for the last one, motherboard companies have zero reason to want to allow people to do that -- just the opposite -- unless consumer demand insisted on it. There's about zero consumer demand for this.

 

[tquark]

"Reflashing" from a designated USB port is something more manufacturers are doing now.

Does this reflash the whole SPI flash chip (including Intel Management Engine firmware) or only BIOS region?
It seems that reflashing from a designated USB port is implemented by a controller. Where the firmware for the controller is stored?