XTU features/issues like "Add a settings column based on part specifications."

[EternalStudent07]

(Please say "Hi" to the XTU team from a local boy, Joe circa 2012)

1. When on the Advanced Tuning section of 6.5.2.40 (newest that supports my hardware) the "Default" column along the right side isn't what I thought it would be.  It should be relabeled "BIOS current" or "BIOS settings" instead.

"Default" should be grabbed across the internet based on Intel product specifications (values from ARK for instance).  It should be the values you'd expected someone who bought those parts to initially use for first boot (or typical boots if that first boot is special, like checking for automatic overclocks or something).

2. Also there are times when BIOS settings mangle or change results in the app.  I'm running an older system (i7-4790k + z97 from around 2015-2017 time period) so maybe this isn't true anymore?  Or where the setting in the BIOS just says "Auto" or "Normal" and you don't know what that means (it won't say).

Exposing ALL values that impact the important settings would be useful too.  Both configured value and result if they're opaque like "Auto".  Even if they're BIOS values that the user needs to change themself.  Which leads to the idea that all data and settings should be accessible from typical booted operating systems.

Yes some board partners offer something there, but support dies off so fast.  They have no incentive beyond the current product cycle (when they're selling them still).  Like I'm still using the same drivers and apps from Gigabyte as I first saw after purchase.  Some of which require flash, which means they can't be easily used anymore.  Even with a supposedly upscale board like https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK-rev-10#ov

Cross manufacturer would be even better, but then you get into issues of features differing but seeming to have the same name (like how the same SMART attribute can have different meaning between storage companies).

3. Finally 3 settings are grayed out and always have been so far.  It'd be nice if XTU told me why anything was grayed out, and how to enable it if possible.  Perhaps even hiding settings that can't be used on my hardware, so as not to confuse people (maybe behind a setting to enable/disable hiding).

"Core Voltage Mode", "Intel Turbo Boos Technology", and "Cache Voltage Mode" are buttons with 2 possible values that I don't know how to change.  Even when I want to.  I'm stuck on adaptive voltage control.

I'm guessing that's connected to power saving features like EIST and/or C3 mode support.  I've read online that both will lower frequencies and voltage when parts are idle.  Good features, but some people want control there.  And the descriptions I found online are vague or conflicting.

One said EIST lets the OS change those 2 values as desired.  And C3 mode told the system to automatically do the same.  Can't remember if one overrode the other (if EIST is on, but C3 off...what happens?).

Another person claimed one feature did voltage shifting, and the other was frequency.  That'd be a handy truth if accurate.  I don't mind shifting frequency to 0, but for all the points on your voltage table to work I'm less sure about.

(bonus) 4. That actually leads to another detail I'd forgotten about.  GPU's let users override their voltage/frequency curve.  Their tools are pretty terrible (and one company stopped making GPU's now), but it is possible and suggested on overclocking forums.

That level of control would negate the worry here for me about which power feature to neuter.  It'd be like expanding these controls beyond an end point (high or low all the time) to be all the used data points along the workable range.

People who only care about the top end can work there (gaming, records, AI).  Or if a machine idles a bunch, focus there.

How might your market change if you sold "surprise" parts?  Where the user had the guarantee of a functional device, but not of a model number and known results.  Where they'd run a stability test to expose what that combination of parts could do together.

Could be a fun "April Fools" or "Holiday gift from our family to yours" kind of thing to get noticed (start it then, and actually sell parts for a bit).  Especially if you're careful not to sell a ton of duds (either pick parts from a pretty good line, or parts from "everywhere").  It could even be a way to release new features and see if anyone notices the benefits (like with a bug fix you decided not to do all the work to bin, categorize, and release as a new product before).

[EternalStudent07]

Weird...the formatting didn't happen.  I bolded a few items.  They show if I edit (wraps them in a "strong" HTML tag), but not here.  I'm using Firefox on Windows 10 if it matters.