Is updating bios a necessity even for 12th gen cpus to prevent any potential degradation/malfunction?

8 posts · originally from https://geek.digit.in/community/threads/is-updating-bios-a-necessity-even-for-12th-gen-cpus-to-prevent-any-potential-degradation-malfunction.212616/

i am planning to get a new 12th gen i5 cpu(most likely 12400) and a gigabyte b760 motherboard in the near future.

Do i need to install the latest bios updates for this board to ensure the cpu doesn't degrade or go bad over time? Or are such updates required only if i am using a 13th or 14th gen processor?

I observed that in gigabyte's newer bios versions,it has been including intel's 0x129 microcode patch to prevent elevated voltage usage in 13th/14th gen cpus. Has anyone tried this newer update? Is it safe to install or could it potentially cause more unforeseen issues in the long run?

Please advice whether i should stick to the default bios included with the motherboard,or upgrade to the newer version just for the sake of safety?

12th gen is not affected. Officially all 13th & 14th gen desktop CPUs are affected, although H/HX laptop CPUs might be affected as well potentially.

Also, do not overspend on a mobo with i5 12400 as assume the upgrade path as non-existent. So save money with i5 12400 or go for R5 7600 rig.

quicky008 said:
i am planning to get a new 12th gen i5 cpu(most likely 12400) and a gigabyte b760 motherboard in the near future.

Do i need to install the latest bios updates for this board to ensure the cpu doesn't degrade or go bad over time? Or are such updates required only if i am using a 13th or 14th gen processor?

I observed that in gigabyte's newer bios versions,it has been including intel's 0x129 microcode patch to prevent elevated voltage usage in 13th/14th gen cpus. Has anyone tried this newer update? Is it safe to install or could it potentially cause more unforeseen issues in the long run?

Please advice whether i should stick to the default bios included with the motherboard,or upgrade to the newer version just for the sake of safety?

I'd rather suggest you to get 14th gen cpu or 13th gen cpu with p-cores and e-cores. Just go to BIOS and disable turbo boost after the first post. After that just install your OS and update the BIOS. Also Intel is giving additional 2yr warranty on their CPU 's.
Keep in mind that your cpu will only get hurt if it goes beyond 5Ghz.

Wouldn't that impede their performance to a great extent? Their base frequencies aren't that high afaik.

quicky008 said:
Wouldn't that impede their performance to a great extent? Their base frequencies aren't that high afaik.

You would need to run the CPU like this for about 15 minutes till you upgrade the BIOS. Do you need performance even for those 15 minutes?

Gollum said:
You would need to run the CPU like this for about 15 minutes till you upgrade the BIOS. Do you need performance even for those 15 minutes?

oh got it now!

can't say for sure what other skeleton might show up from Intel's closet. Using a 12400F and updated the bios just to be on the safer side. Don't plan to do it regularly though and I needed this as I got a paltry 610 motherboard

^are u also running a 12400f? have you installed the latest updates for the bios for mitigating what intel calls the vmin shift issue?