Intel CPU and Microcode

[ParadoxPoxium]

Hello! So today, the game Avowed got an update, and when I launched it, for the first time after playing it for 40 hours, I got this pop up (see attached image). My PC is a prebuilt I got in December from Corsair. I've suffered no issues with it (performance and stability) aside from some minor issues that I can barely recall. I even played through another Unreal Engine 5 game (Stalker 2) with no issues. This pop-up somewhat scared me however, mainly because I've suffered technical issues with my previous prebuilt (had to get it RMA'd). Obviously, I don't want more technical issues (previous ones were not related to CPU however). I researched my current Microcode and it said it was the one released to fix the voltage issues on 13th and 14th generation CPUs. So I imagine I'm fine, but this pop-up instilled some doubt about it. Should I update my Bios, or is it okay, considering I've had no performance issues, and seemingly, I'm on the right microcode?

CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-14700KF 3.40 GHz

Motherboard (just in case): PRO Z790-P WIFI (MS-7E06)

GPU: RTX 4080

Thank you!

[pressed_for_time]

There is a later microcode 0x12b supplied as a subsequent BIOS release and updating to this will get rid of the popup. Intel says that "...microcode 0x12B, which encompasses 0x125 and 0x129 microcode updates, and addresses elevated voltage requests by the processor during idle and/or light activity periods". Many users including myself have been running 0x12B for months without issues so I would encourage you to update to it.

As a Corsair prebuilt PC there is a possibility that the BIOS is a customized version of the standard MSI BIOS. For this reason I would recommend following the Corsair advice on updating the BIOS which can be found here .

[ParadoxPoxium]

Thank you for this response! Unfortunately, judging by my research, Corsair hasn't released a BIOS update for 0x12b specifically. Most recent one I could find for my PC specifically was for a 0x129 that released in September. Other than that, there's no new BIOS. Should I download that, because it's more recent than the claimed BIOS date in the pop-up when I launch Avowed, or is that unnecessary because they share the same Microcode? To note, I have noticed 0 issues with my CPU, even when playing Unreal Engine 5 games (I used Nvidia's overlay to watch the voltage usage and when I looked up if it was too high, it was deemed perfectly normal). Thank you

[pressed_for_time]

If you are not seeing any issues there is no real reason to do anything further with the BIOS. The BIOS you have did fix virtually all of the issues identified, the 0x12B microcode is just the icing on the cake. That your system is able to play Unreal Engine 5 games is evidence of that.

[Onjerom]

When did Corsair start making motherboards ? you should check the motherboard vendor for your model and bios update .

you could also ignore this message for a while and check other peoples experience with this new bios update .

[AlHill]

"When did Corsair start making motherboards"

Yes, I would like to know that as well.  Or, do you really mean MSI?

Doc (not an Intel employee or contractor)
[W10 is this generation's XP]

[pressed_for_time]

Corsair use MSI motherboards with a customized version of the BIOS. The normal MSI BIOS could be used but would over-ride the customizations. There seems little advantage in doing this for a system that is currently performing without any issues.

[AlHill]

Hmmm....  sounds like a mess and a great source for finger-pointing.

Doc (not an Intel employee or contractor)
[W10 is this generation's XP]

[LeonWaksman · Accepted solution]

@ParadoxPoxium 

You can download the latest BIOS from Corsair Download page and update your computer.  This version  includes  update CPU Microcode 0x12B.

Leon

 

[ParadoxPoxium]

thank you!