[SOLVED] No boot options when disabling CSM for Smart Access Memory

[sosnek]

Hello, running into an unusual issue. I'm trying to enable SAM by going into my BIOS and disabling CSM support, and enabling resize-BAR and 4G encoding. Upong saving and exiting it just throws me back into my bios. I then see i have no boot options. I was able to find out this is due to me disabling CSM support, but I read online that SAM won't work with this option enabled. Why do my boot options disappear with CSM support disabled?

My system specs:

Gigabyte x470 ultra gaming
RX 5700 XT
Ryzen 5 5600

 

[DRagor]

Why do my boot options disappear with CSM support disabled?

Typically it is because the system has been installed using MBR partitioning, which does not work with CSM disabled. Your options in such case are either use mbr2gpt tool to convert your boot drive, or just backup your data and do a clean Windows install (with CSM disabled). Since converting can fail (and you should do a backup before you attempt it anyway) I would advise going with reinstall method as it will be faster in most cases.

 

[sosnek]

Typically it is because the system has been installed using MBR partitioning, which does not work with CSM disabled. Your options in such case are either use mbr2gpt tool to convert your boot drive, or just backup your data and do a clean Windows install (with CSM disabled). Since converting can fail (and you should do a backup before you attempt it anyway) I would advise going with reinstall method as it will be faster in most cases.

I see. Thanks for your reply. I guess i'll have to decide if its worth doing all that for a small boost in performance in some games

 

[drea.drechsler]

I see. Thanks for your reply. I guess i'll have to decide if its worth doing all that for a small boost in performance in some games

Apparently, with Gigabyte boards disabling CSM/enabling UEFI mode and enabling secure boot is a bit of a hassle. For any system that goes 'online', it's well worth it for system security reasons alone and not just for enabling SAM.

Info - How to enable Secure Boot on all AMD based Gigabyte Motherboards

See link - https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/how-to-enable-secure-boot-on-amd-based-gigabyte-motherboards.3753105/

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