Question MSI MEG Z690i Unify bricked after upgrading to latest BIOS. What are my options?

Sep 18, 2022
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I just completed a new PC build (spec below), and first few boot attempts went perfectly fine. Then I made the grave error of upgrading the BIOS to the latest version using M-Flash, with the BIOS downloaded directly from MSI's website, and I've triple checked that I grabbed the correct BIOS for my mobo. Lo and behold, after M-flash finished, my mobo was bricked, and now it will not POST, there's no sign of any BIOS loading, and no video signal is produced. This seems to be a pretty common problem, but unfortunately there isn't a flashback button on the Z690i (which is a small form factor board) so there's no way for me to reflash BIOS without desoldering the BIOS ROM.

What are my options at this point? I'd rather not have to deal with MSI customer's service to get a replacement. Is it a good idea to bring it to a computer repair shop? Do they usually handle BIOS flashing? Any advice is appreciated.

Specs
  • Mobo: MSI MEG Z690i Unify (with Intel Z690 chipset)
  • CPU: Intel I9 12900K
  • Memory: Corsair vengeance DDR5 5600 MHz
  • SSD: Samsung 980 Pro
  • GPU: Nvidia 3080 10GB (not plugged in when I was setting up BIOS)
 
I know this is a stupid question, but did you try the resetting bios as described on page 32 in the manual?
Well I can't actually get to the BIOS so the first step is futile. I've tried resetting CMOS many times but unfortunately it doesn't really work either. I've also tried reseating CPU/RAM/SSD, but to no avail