MAXIMUS VIII HERO BIOS 3101 beta.

[Vlackrs]

I dont really want to upgrade BIOS cuz i cannot OC my non k cpu with this =/

[dannyboy292]

I updated to this 3101 beta bios last night and my computer completely locked up 3 times within 10 mins , I had to do a bios flash back to 2202 and as soon as I did my computer went back to normal.

[ledba]

I'm still on 1701.. i think. Time to update to a more recent i guess.

[Brigman]

Well, after a third and fourth instance of the 0x55 POST freeze, I've had enough of this one and am back on 2202. I need the system to wake up reliably, espcially when it's doing stuff in my absence.

It's a bit frustrating that the built-in flasher won't allow you to downgrade the UEFI - especially on a release marked 'beta'. Yes, USB Flashback is the answer but the back of my machine is a pain to reach. Suppose one solution is to leave a USB stick permanently plugged into the flashback port...

[NemesisChild]

Well, after a third and fourth instance of the 0x55 POST freeze, I've had enough of this one and am back on 2202. I need the system to wake up reliably, espcially when it's doing stuff in my absence.

It's a bit frustrating that the built-in flasher won't allow you to downgrade the UEFI - especially on a release marked 'beta'. Yes, USB Flashback is the answer but the back of my machine is a pain to reach. Suppose one answer is to leave a USB stick permanently plugged into the flashback port...

I'm curious if they will remove 3101 since it seems to be problematic for most.

[Brigman]

I'm curious if they will remove 3101 since it seems to be problematic for most.

In fairness we don't know whether it's problematic 'for most'. Sure people here are posting about it but we don't know what the overall takeup rate is. It's also a simple fact that people tend to post more about problems than they do when stuff's working great.

While clearly not perfect, 3101 also seems to be much better (on my setup at least) than 3007 was. If that translates across the user base, it's likely there will be less negative feedback on it. I'm mailing Asus with a summary of my experience now, let's see what happens. :-)

[MeanMachine]

Sorry if i'm off topic as most of the thread relates to M8 HERO. This MB is M8 Formula if it makes a difference.

Iv'e been helping a friend with an issue who was getting a Qcode 19, 32 and CPU Red light. I advised him to first update his Bios to 3101 to eliminate that possible problem.

With the new Beta Bios 3101 it's now halting during post on 7F and I was wandering if anyone can shed some light on why. 7F is a reserved Qcode relating to AMD DXE.
When reverting back to previous Bios it give the previous codes again.
Any comments much appreciated.

[emsir]

I updated to this 3101 beta bios last night and my computer completely locked up 3 times within 10 mins , I had to do a bios flash back to 2202 and as soon as I did my computer went back to normal.

There is a reason why ASUS calls this BIOS 3101, BETA. You can't expect Beta versions to be stable. ASUS will notice the feedback that comes with this Beta and fix the issues in the next BIOS release. BETA is and has always been as is, and on your own risk. If you encounter problems, you have to flash your BIOS back to 2202.
I think, ASUS released this BETA to test the compability with the Kaby Lake CPU. So far I haven't seen any complaints. But then again, how many have replaced Skylake with Kaby Lake.....not so many.

[lexcyn]

I updated a couple of days ago to the new BIOS and haven't had many issues - the only one I can see is my temperature seems to be a couple of degrees higher than it was on the previous version (28 degrees idle vs 34 degrees idle, same BIOS settings). Fan tuning seems to be kind of messed up too so maybe that's the cause.

[Brigman]

I think, ASUS released this BETA to test the compability with the Kaby Lake CPU. So far I haven't seen any complaints. But then again, how many have replaced Skylake with Kaby Lake.....not so many.

Quite. Given the marginal performance differentials between Skylake and Kaby Lake, it's likely only a small subset of real enthusiasts will have dived in straight away to replace an existing processor on a Z170 series enthusiast board, especially at launch prices.

If ASUS are going to release a public beta, it'd be really helpful if they were specific about what changes/fixes were in it so those in a position to test can do so knowing what changes to look for. You might be right in thinking that this release is focused on KBL improvements but with the best will in the world, you might be wrong because we haven't got a changelog or anything else that gives us a detailed description of what's new or different.

The only description on the download page is simply 'Improve system stability'. Indeed given that there are functionality additions/removals in the UI that are visible to Skylake users (and it also includes a Skylake microcode update alongside the ME, RST and other ROM updates), the changes definitely aren't KBL only. The fact that it's changed the system stability for a lot of Skylake users is a clue too.

You also make a very good point about stability of beta releases not being guaranteed. However it's also true that ASUS had put this file for download in the main release BIOS page without any type of health warning, and, as above, a description that says it improves system stability. I therefore have some sympathy for users who've flashed this and found their system stability is, instead, seriously compromised. In the industry I work in, if the beta file is at a level of development in which serious stability issues are expected or anticipated, especially of the magnitude that could cause the end user significant issues, we simply wouldn't release it to the main userbase unless there was an overwhelming and urgent need to do so (i.e. the need to patch a security threat or similar). The lack of info accompanying this 'beta' isn't ideal. Then again, 3007 was theoretically a 'release' UEFI and caused so many problems so quickly that it was pulled...