Does XTU alter the bios or does it save settings in a file that needs to be loaded when the PC powers-up?

[PHawt]

The heading says it all. I have made changes to the CPU settings in XTU. But where are the setting stored? Has XTU modified the bios settings or do I need to run XTU when the PC boots so that it loads the settings in each time?

[KenF_Intel · Accepted solution]

Hi Niki1234,

XTU modifies the BIOS settings. You do not need to run XTU each time you boot your computer.

It is likely that there are more settings available in the BIOS than in XTU. This happens for 2 reasons:

1. XTU is not programmed to look for the all the possible settings (there are a couple of dozen).

2. It is up to the BIOS programmer to 'expose' the settings so XTU can modify them. Not all the BIOS settings that XTU could modify are 'exposed' in every BIOS. This happens even among different boards from the same manufacturer.

[PHawt]

That's excellent. I used settings that were suggested by intel, and they have greatly increased the performance of the CPU. But some of the settings were somewhat subtle, and there I had no way to tell that the were persistent.

[Timlab55]

This is great!  But what if you want to undervolt your CPU?  I have the I9-11900K chip.  However, because of the TDP of 125, I would like to reduce the heat and the chip running hot all the time.  The boss said this chip has to last for 7 years.  Now I've used ThrottleStop and it worked.  But I feel that if I change the BIOS settings directly, that would be better.  However, my Z590-E motherboard states that if I want to change those settings I have to enable the CPU_OV jumpers, which I really don't want to do.  Therefore, does XTU actually change those settings for me without enabling the CPU_OV jumper, or does that jumper have to be enabled to use XTU?

Thanks

Dan