One of the main questions as to our unique Core i7-11700Ok evaluate was the validity of these outcomes provided that, as ordinary with launches, motherboard distributors push BIOS updates as we transfer nearer to the official launch. At the time, we have been testing on Intel’s microcode 0x2C, the most recent model obtainable to the motherboard vendor. Intel has since launched microcode 0x34, and now we have retested our outcomes on this new replace.
The March on Microcode
What is microcode? Most think about it to be the underlying firmware for an Intel system. Microcode finally controls processor operation in addition to the interpretation between the user-exposed instruction set and the underlying processor design. Within this microcode, the processor can management and react to what code is flowing into the processor, the place to ship it, how one can modify voltage/frequency, in addition to quite a lot of optimizations or fixes which can be wanted.
For instance, a few of the preliminary variants of Spectre and Meltdown have been ‘fixed’ by adjusting the microcode to not make the processor susceptible. This required these techniques to be up to date to the brand new microcode, and there was a efficiency penalty. Future processors have been constructed with these fixes in {hardware}, and so incur much less of a efficiency drop. Microcode permits for after-production changes within the title of safety, or efficiency.
Leading as much as a launch of a brand new processor household, microcode is King. Intel takes its microcode, and {couples} with it up to date energy administration management, initialization code, administration engine firmware, system drivers/keys and UEFI drivers. This bundle creates an replace candidate, which is shipped to the motherboard producers. On prime of this, motherboard distributors sprinkle their very own garnish, however can even modify parts comparable to turbo or reminiscence coaching, which we’ve seen extensively completed up to now. As we’ve mentioned beforehand, quite a lot of advised settings that Intel makes can (and infrequently are) ignored by the motherboard distributors. But the microcode is pretty inflexible in what it does.
The key level to notice right here is that motherboard distributors don’t all the time replace their BIOS choices every time a brand new microcode bundle is made obtainable to them. So, for instance, a motherboard BIOS vendor would possibly solely deploy one new replace a month, even when Intel is supplying new updates for per week.
Moving Closer To Launch
So you may think, as a brand new processor household and motherboard stack will get nearer to launch, there may be an impetus to allow the most recent microcode in a brand new BIOS each time one is made obtainable. Motherboards are manufactured as much as Three months prematurely with very early microcode, and so they must be up to date constantly, each for Intel’s newest updates but in addition the motherboard vendor’s optimizations.
Even boards for retail can have tremendous early editions of microcode. Z590 boards are already in the marketplace, with the most recent variations on the time of manufacture. So far in our Rocket Lake testing now we have been despatched three completely different motherboards, with the next microcode variations:
- Board 1: BIOS from January 8th, microcode 0x1B (model 27)
- Board 2: BIOS from February 6th, microcode 0x24 (model 36)
- Board 3: BIOS from February 7th, microcode 0x23 (model 35)
These numbers are all in hexadecimal, however there are 9 completely different variations between the primary motherboard and the opposite two. Since then, to March 6th, there have been no less than 16 extra variations (0x34, model 52), and sure one other few to return.
Not all motherboard producers will launch BIOSes for all of their motherboards with each microcode launch, simply as a result of time and personnel, plus they don’t envisage the techniques being up to date each 36 hours. After every new revision, they must wrap the microcode bundle into…
