Plundervolt Intel microcode update potentially killing undervolting for security?

Yeah, pretty much anything that has the Micro$lop name on it sucks. That's just how they roll. They're a sucky bunch.

 

It's pretty clear that the Intel microcode patch locking out voltage tuning will affect all OS's, not just Microsoft.

 

It's still up to the desktop/notebook, Motherboard ODM/OEM/manufacturers to give you options to still be able to tune voltage settings. With Microsoft you're screwed. They just follow same paths as Apple... Lock out everything.

Imagine for yourself... Microsoft as a well known desktop motherboard manufacturer The only one in town that lock you out. I wonder how long they would stay in the game

 

Small form factor laptops / 2in1's like the Surface line don't have any voltage tuning in the BIOS, it's rare to see any BIOS tuning available in anything except enthusiast laptops.

Microsoft doesn't make any desktop motherboards that I am aware of, so it's hard to say what they would do to be competitive in that market - but I doubt anyone would buy their products if Microsoft doesn't compete in features in any tier of product.

Maybe that would be a good thing, for Microsoft to make desktop motherboards, and then Microsoft would then be exposed to the required enthusiast BIOS tuning to be competitive.

Perhaps that would give Microsoft exposure to enthusiast BIOS tuning that would then give Microsoft the freedom to consider adding enthusiast BIOS tuning to their laptop motherboards as well?

I've wondered for decades why desktop motherboard makers that do so well providing enthusiast BIOS tuning in their desktops have little to no enthusiast BIOS tuning in their laptops, and for the most part they all still have poor enthusiast BIOS tuning support as compared to their desktop motherboards.

Maybe Microsoft can be the maker to shake up the industry and provide excellent enthusiast tunable desktop and laptop motherboard BIOS's that are similar in both of their product line ups?...

Nah, that would be about as likely as Intel shipping 10nm desktop CPU's as well as their puny 10nm ULV CPU's...

 

It was available through using Throttlestop, but the new microcode blocks it.

 

I was referring to the actual visible changeable options in the BIOS GUI interface, not the tuning options accessible from Windows - or in this case inaccessible...

BTW, has anyone tried reverting to the previous BIOS on their Surface to see if they can restore undervolt?

All the vendors are getting Intel microcode updates to add to their BIOS's to lock out Intel CPU voltage tuning, so Microsoft isn't alone.

Will a vendor ignore security problems that everyone else is applying fixes to their BIOS's? I think it should be an option for those few of us that care to get a version of the BIOS without the voltage lockout, but I doubt that will happen from many vendors.

They should all have made it a switchable option in the BIOS GUI, but that would make too much sense.

 

Yeah, and now we can see the fruit from buying a locked system. Flaws with the product can't be fixed anymore. People should start vote with their wallets.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Micro...-facing-heavy-throttling-issues.232538.0.html

Microsoft want so bad being Apple. Everything can happen. They tried with phones and failed. But they won't give up their wet dream.

Microsoft combines Windows and Surface, potentially making it tougher on PC makers pcworld.com | Feb 06, 2020

Microsoft's latest reorganization reportedly sees chief product officer Panos Panay taking control of Windows and Surface development, as Windows experience chief Joe Belfiore moves to Office.

And with Microsoft's move to be a major hardware brand we will see their OS will be designed around own products...

Fail | Microsoft Modern Standby causes some XPS, Lenovo and Asus laptops to get incredibly hot

 

Well, looks like Dell has started pushing updates that kill undervolting. It happened to me and I've just managed to reverse it. Check full info here for how to do it: https://www.ultrabookreview.com/370...g-on-their-laptops-heres-how-to-re-enable-it/

 

Thankfully my Gram 17 (1st Gen) hasn't been updated with any microcode to prevent undervolting. :cross fingers:

 

Guess what, 10th gen laptops will come with the plundervolt mitigation by default so no flashing older vbioses to regain undervolting functionality.

New unsuspecting users get shafted immediately

 

I saw that too. I am awaiting to hear if MSI laptops still have access to the BIOS, and if so then we should still be able to go in there and set a manual voltage or offset ourselves.I like the looks of the new MSI GS66 but can't justify a purchase until 10nm high end with new gen GPUs. I'm sitting just fine with my 8750H and 2080 Max-Dud.

 

High end 10nm is coming in mid to late 2021 and amd will have released ryzen 5000 (zen4) by then which will already be on 5nm and probably have smt-4 with 12/16 cores per ccx.

I'll be waiting for nvidia's 4000 series gpus before getting a new laptop. 2022 hopefully.

You are free to join my ever growing party of people with superpowered (shunt modded) mobile RTX cards in the meantime to weather the long wait till then.

 

Dell is well represented on the shame list... And I expect more models will be added on the list as new firmware being thrown out.

BLACK LIST. Adjustable voltage control/turbo ratio limits are locked out due latest Win Update/Bios

 

as long as my silly little 15W 4 core can push enough to the GPU play games I'll just throw a new GPU in my eGPU and call it a day.. At 1600p I'm still GPU limited most of the time even on this paltry CPU. I do worry about not being able to undervolt any longer, hopefully its added to the BIOS at the very least for some units.

 

Asus added on the shame list recently got a bios update while being ignorant about this intel microcode and that broke my undervolting rip to my laptop I guess I'll have to learn how to live with high temps while gaming

 

Please make a post and add in specs in my thread. Thanks
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...locked-out-due-latest-win-update-bios.831450/

 

The exploits just keep rolling in, Thunderspy. Doesn't worry me though, seems a lot of these require physical access.

 

Guys, GL704GW does disable undervolt. I stupidly updated fw to 309 then checked our specific subforum. Anyway I can flash back to 308 using winflash. It is very simple actually. I think it should work for ALL of the Asus notebooks. Download that.

Open cmd with admin privileges.
cd to where winflash.exe is
then enter Winflash /nodate

Doesnt matter the version this always works. It worked on my previous Asus laptop too.

However, now whenever I restart it says "restart needed to update firmware" or some bs like that. And whenever I restart it automatically flashes the recent bios. I updated to 309 using a bios installer, and that might be triggering restart to update thingy. After flashing 308 I rollback firmware driver in device manager which fixes the yellow warning icon it has but it still flashes new bios on restart. How can I fix this, please? There must be a flag or something that triggers that.

 

Ask @gieffe22 in my thread... black-list-adjustable-voltage-control-turbo-ratio-limits-are-locked-out-due-win-update-bios

 

Expect new rounds with bios updates. And many of you will rub you hair in anger wondering why your Cpu touch 100C


http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...atches-and-more.812424/page-133#post-11057998

 

Unless microcode is being pushed by MS via WinUp, why are people so anxious to keep updating BIOS firmware? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix. If it is broke without the update, RMA.

Only time I will update my firmware is if I want to install a new CPU on an older chipset.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

Some think/hope that newer has to be better.

51m - What's the difference between drivers downloads from the dell support site and the build-in 'upgrade' tool?

 

CPU microcode is not the only thing patched by BIOS updates.

 

This is my thought:

https://www.online-tech-tips.com/cool-websites/determine-if-bios-update-is-needed/



I've had my EVOC since the spring of 2019 - no BIOS updates; I've had my Eluktronics since January 2020 - no BIOS updates; and I've had my desktop since March 2020 - no BIOS updates. If I were to upgrade my CPU from a 3950X to a 5950X, I would need to update the BIOS. Otherwise, the BIOS is the same version that was shipped. These machines were quality tested before shipping. I know that the BIOS as delivered was acceptable.

 

I keep old BIOS too, and also have one with the ucode removed. And, I delete the microcode file from Windows. Performance is more important than security to me. I am not willing to sacrifice the former for the sake of the latter. Sometimes it is better to just run through the woods naked and enjoy being wild and free. It is easier to stop the cancer from metastasizing with Linux. Just blacklist the filth you don't want.

 

How do you remove the microcode from windows!? Thanks in advance

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/the-throttlestop-guide.531329/page-1230#post-11054133

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/the-throttlestop-guide.531329/page-1230#post-11054180

 

7th/8th gen ship BIOS capsule updates like Surface firmware updates through Windows Updates.

 

Sounds like a good reason to avoid those kind of products altogether if unasked BIOS updates are part of the entree. These devices are not cheap.

 

They are the epitome of what it is to have a zombie PC... the Micro$lop version of an Apple pile of crap. Infinite control over consumers puppets, removing them from the decision-making process, and an unmetered flow of digital sewage.

 

Sometimes its nice to have. Say parents and sibling hardly understand BIOS/firmware update to secure their devices. But, if all people in the world used same products it would be easier to say its 100% successful but with variety of config its hard to judge from face value of firmware updates are good or bad. If you're device is EOL it becomes awkward to update the device and later find it destroyed.