Bios Updating

[Pauljenks]

Case	FRACTAL DEFINE S BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Overclocked CPU	Overclocked Intel® Core™i7-6700k Quad Core (4.00GHz @ upto MAX 4.60GHz)
OC BIOS FIle	Download Overclock BIOS File
Motherboard	ASUS® Z170 PRO GAMING: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)	16GB HyperX SAVAGE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB Kit) Change to: 16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000 MHz X.M.P (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card	8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 - DVI, HDMI, 3x DP - GTX VR Ready!
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Power Supply	CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable	1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling	Noctua NH-D15S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
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Windows Recovery Media	Windows 10 (64-bit) Home DVD with paper sleeve
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Build Time	Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days

Today I will be installing new ram from 16GB to 32GB as I've noticed when playing games like diablo 4, my ram usage goes up to nearly 80%
I happened to notice my Bios version (z170 pro gaming) was 1902. never been updated.
On Asus website I noticed it was now 3805. so to ensure compatibility with my new ram I decided to update my bios firmware.
I was literally shaking with fear as I know that it can brick your computer if something goes wrong.
But it went ok thank god!

My question is do I need to change any settings in my bios as updating the firmware also sets the bios to its default values?

 

[steaky360]

If you're still under warranty I'd consider drafting a mail to PCS support (or calling) and let them know you've updated the bios, its one of the few things you can't just do without permission.

PCSPECIALIST - Terms & Conditions

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7.9	We reserve the right to suspend the warranty or refuse service if your Case, Motherboard, CPU or BIOS have been replaced without authorisation. Any tampering, repair or modification by unauthorised personnel voids the warranty.

Appreciate this doesn't answer your initial enquiry and its not to 'scaremonger' I'm sure it'll be fine but worth giving them a heads up is all.

As for settings that change, you'll potentially need to check your RAM settings to see if XMP is enabled. There may be others, in fairness though unless you notice somethings amiss (or you're deliberately tinkering to OC or whatever) I'd typically suggest not changing anything.

Your OC settings will likely have been deleted - you might need to get in touch with PCS support to go through that with them - I'd suggest doing that mostly because it looks like you paid for an OC from PCS

 

[ubuysa]

Today I will be installing new ram from 16GB to 32GB as I've noticed when playing games like diablo 4, my ram usage goes up to nearly 80%

That's perfectly fine. The time to worry about RAM is when it's 100% used and you still need more! 80% used means that there's 20% RAM available to be allocated. You're actually running exactly on the sweet spot there.

I imagine you're getting the 80% used figure from the Task Manager > Performance tab > Memory icon screen? What you really need to be looking at there are the committed numbers. The left hand value is the amount of virtual storage that Windows has given permission for threads to use at this moment (this is the commit value - because that much virtual storage has been committed). The right hand value is the maximum amount of virtual storage that can be committed at the moment (it's the size of RAM plus the current size of the paging file).

If the committed value (the left hand value) is consistently larger than your total installed RAM (16GB) then you may be* short of RAM, because some of that committed virtual storage is on the paging file. That will lead to a lot of latency. On the other hand, if the committed value is less than the installed RAM then you are not short of RAM and buying more will make no difference to performance.

Obviously, check the committed value when you are working the system at its hardest.

I happened to notice my Bios version (z170 pro gaming) was 1902. never been updated.
On Asus website I noticed it was now 3805. so to ensure compatibility with my new ram I decided to update my bios firmware.
I was literally shaking with fear as I know that it can brick your computer if something goes wrong.
But it went ok thank god!

My question is do I need to change any settings in my bios as updating the firmware also sets the bios to its default values?

As mentioned, updating your BIOS without PCS permission was not a wise move. It's never a wise move unless you are a) having problems that you know a BIOS update will fix, or b) you need a feature in the updated BIOS (like Spectre/Meltdown mitigations). For the future always ask PCS first, they can also tell you whether there is anything in a newer BIOS that you actually need.



* I'm saying 'may be' here because committed storage isn't the same as used storage. When a thread wants to allocate more memory (for a buffer, for example) it must ask the Windows Memory Manager for permission. As long as the size of the allocation request plus the current commit value is less than the maximum commit value, the allocation will be approved and the commit value updated with the size of the new allocation.

BUT, note that none of that recently allocated memory has yet been used - the thread hasn't written to it yet - so no space in RAM or on the paging file needs to be used. It's only when the thread writes to that memory that the Windows Memory Manager needs to allocate RAM pages to hold it. A poorly designed application may allocate lots and lots of memory (pushing the commit value up) but never actually use it, and so this committed memory puts no pressure on RAM usage.

I point this out just to show that a high commit value (bigger than installed RAM) doesn't automatically mean you're running out of RAM. If you do see this high commit size situation you need to look at how third-party applications are using memory. The best way to do that is via the Details tab of Task Manager. For each process compare the Peak Working Set size (the high-water mark of memory actively used by this process) with the Commit Size (the amount of memory it's allocated). A consistently large difference between the two values over time indicates that the process is allocating a lot more memory than it's using. You can ignore all Windows processes, it's only third-party processes that are likely to over-allocate memory. Note too that there is always a higher commit value than working set value, no process actually uses all the memory that it allocates. You're looking for large over-allocations over long periods of time. Quite often what you'll be seeing here is a memory leak - an process that fails to properly free memory its allocated and finished with, or which is stuck in some sort of allocation loop. Note that memory leaks are not at all uncommon in browser extensions and add-ons. These are often coded by relatively inexperienced people and sometimes don't get properly tested before being released. If you see a memory leak in a browser process then restart it will extensions and add-ons disabled and check again.

Sorry for preaching. I didn't actually intend to write that much - but I love this stuff...☺️

 

[Pauljenks]

If you're still under warranty I'd consider drafting a mail to PCS support (or calling) and let them know you've updated the bios, its one of the few things you can't just do without permission.

PCSPECIALIST - Terms & Conditions

General Terms & Conditions of business.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Appreciate this doesn't answer your initial enquiry and its not to 'scaremonger' I'm sure it'll be fine but worth giving them a heads up is all.

As for settings that change, you'll potentially need to check your RAM settings to see if XMP is enabled. There may be others, in fairness though unless you notice somethings amiss (or you're deliberately tinkering to OC or whatever) I'd typically suggest not changing anything.

Your OC settings will likely have been deleted - you might need to get in touch with PCS support to go through that with them - I'd suggest doing that mostly because it looks like you paid for an OC from PCS

I bought the computer in 2016 so not under warranty anymore. xmp was turned off so I enabled it. I will also download the OC file and use that to update the Bios. Thank you!

 

[Pauljenks]

That's perfectly fine. The time to worry about RAM is when it's 100% used and you still need more! 80% used means that there's 20% RAM available to be allocated. You're actually running exactly on the sweet spot there.

I imagine you're getting the 80% used figure from the Task Manager > Performance tab > Memory icon screen? What you really need to be looking at there are the committed numbers. The left hand value is the amount of virtual storage that Windows has given permission for threads to use at this moment (this is the commit value - because that much virtual storage has been committed). The right hand value is the maximum amount of virtual storage that can be committed at the moment (it's the size of RAM plus the current size of the paging file).

If the committed value (the left hand value) is consistently larger than your total installed RAM (16GB) then you may be* short of RAM, because some of that committed virtual storage is on the paging file. That will lead to a lot of latency. On the other hand, if the committed value is less than the installed RAM then you are not short of RAM and buying more will make no difference to performance.

Obviously, check the committed value when you are working the system at its hardest.

As mentioned, updating your BIOS without PCS permission was not a wise move. It's never a wise move unless you are a) having problems that you know a BIOS update will fix, or b) you need a feature in the updated BIOS (like Spectre/Meltdown mitigations). For the future always ask PCS first, they can also tell you whether there is anything in a newer BIOS that you actually need.



* I'm saying 'may be' here because committed storage isn't the same as used storage. When a thread wants to allocate more memory (for a buffer, for example) it must ask the Windows Memory Manager for permission. As long as the size of the allocation request plus the current commit value is less than the maximum commit value, the allocation will be approved and the commit value updated with the size of the new allocation.

BUT, note that none of that recently allocated memory has yet been used - the thread hasn't written to it yet - so no space in RAM or on the paging file needs to be used. It's only when the thread writes to that memory that the Windows Memory Manager needs to allocate RAM pages to hold it. A poorly designed application may allocate lots and lots of memory (pushing the commit value up) but never actually use it, and so this committed memory puts no pressure on RAM usage.

I point this out just to show that a high commit value (bigger than installed RAM) doesn't automatically mean you're running out of RAM. If you do see this high commit size situation you need to look at how third-party applications are using memory. The best way to do that is via the Details tab of Task Manager. For each process compare the Peak Working Set size (the high-water mark of memory actively used by this process) with the Commit Size (the amount of memory it's allocated). A consistently large difference between the two values over time indicates that the process is allocating a lot more memory than it's using. You can ignore all Windows processes, it's only third-party processes that are likely to over-allocate memory. Note too that there is always a higher commit value than working set value, no process actually uses all the memory that it allocates. You're looking for large over-allocations over long periods of time. Quite often what you'll be seeing here is a memory leak - an process that fails to properly free memory its allocated and finished with, or which is stuck in some sort of allocation loop. Note that memory leaks are not at all uncommon in browser extensions and add-ons. These are often coded by relatively inexperienced people and sometimes don't get properly tested before being released. If you see a memory leak in a browser process then restart it will extensions and add-ons disabled and check again.

Sorry for preaching. I didn't actually intend to write that much - but I love this stuff...☺️

Exactly as you said, I got the 80% from task manager. Ill check the commited numbers when I install my new ram later on. Diablo 4 and Marvels midnight suns always seems to use a lot of memory lol.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Exactly as you said, I got the 80% from task manager. I’ll check the commited numbers when I install my new ram later on. Diablo 4 and Marvels midnight suns always seems to use a lot of memory lol.

I would say with games nowadays and certainly the likes of Diablo, you do want 32GB really, they won’t need that much but certainly over 16gb

 

[Pauljenks]

Hmm i downloaded the OC Bios .cmo file from my account. Put it on a usb Fat32 disk.
Went into Bios and via OC profile tried to update the OC settings.
Got the message below.
Is it because I updated the bios to the latest version?

 

[Martinr36]

Hmm i downloaded the OC Bios .cmo file from my account. Put it on a usb Fat32 disk.
Went into Bios and via OC profile tried to update the OC settings.
Got the message below.
Is it because I updated the bios to the latest version?

Some of the Asus boards have a dedicated USB port for updating the BIOS

 

[steaky360]

Hmm i downloaded the OC Bios .cmo file from my account. Put it on a usb Fat32 disk.
Went into Bios and via OC profile tried to update the OC settings.
Got the message below.
Is it because I updated the bios to the latest version?

I'd expect the bios profile you downloaded is specific for the version of the bios which shipped with your machine. PCS might still offer support with building the OC back in if that was something you wanted to do.

 

[Pauljenks]

Some of the Asus boards have a dedicated USB port for updating the BIOS

never knew that. I have a z170 pro gaming motherboard

 

[Pauljenks]

I'd expect the bios profile you downloaded is specific for the version of the bios which shipped with your machine. PCS might still offer support with building the OC back in if that was something you wanted to do.

ah ok thanks. Ill get in touch with PCS. Failing that is there a guide to doing it manually? I have a i76700k cpu which i want to increase from stock 4000mhz to 4400 mhz.

 

[steaky360]

There are probably YouTube video's giving specific tips for your motherboard and CPU. Just go in knowing it could be a pain to replicate (it could also go quite smoothly)... Not something I've dabbled in too much as of late unfortunately.

 

[Martinr36]

never knew that. I have a z170 pro gaming motherboard

go to the asus website and download the manual for your motherboard

 

[B4zookaw]

I found when I updated my own Asus bios that some field names changed between versions, or were removed. So if the saved config is trying to set a value for a field call "Mega Speed Boost", but the same field is now called "Uber Mega Speed Boost" in the new bios, it's probably failing.

 

[Pauljenks]

T

I found when I updated my own Asus bios that some field names changed between versions, or were removed. So if the saved config is trying to set a value for a field call "Mega Speed Boost", but the same field is now called "Uber Mega Speed Boost" in the new bios, it's probably failing.

That makes sense! I've contacted PCS via email. Lets hope they can help me. If not Ill do it manually. I seen some guides already. I want to OC it from 4000mhz to 4400mhz. As it was when I bought it from PCS.

 

[Pauljenks]

I've installed the new ram and enabled xpm again. Shows up in windows as 32GB running at 3000mz so all good. Waiting to see if PCS get back to me now regarding the OC the cpu.
Funny thing is my cpu is already running at 4200mhz. I thought stock was 4000mhz?