MSI Implements Intel Default Settings BIOS Profile For Z790 Motherboards

MSI, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, has started rolling out its new Z790 BIOS. This BIOS implements the “Intel Default Settings” profile for 14th & 13th Gen CPUs. This move comes in response to Intel’s official statement recommending motherboard vendors to use the “Intel Default Settings” over the "Baseline Defaults".

The New BIOS Features

The new BIOS implements two main features:

1. A cautionary message stating that setting the cooler type to “Tower Air Cooler” or “Water Cooler” profiles will reduce system stability on 14th & 13th Gen CPUs.
2. A “CPU cooler type” BIOS setting which gives you three options:
   • Intel Default Settings: 125W PL1 / 253W PL2 / 307A Current Limit
   • Tower Air Cooler: 288W PL1 / 288W PL2 / 512A Current Limit
   • Water Cooler: 4096W PL1 / 4096W PL2 / 512A Current Limit

These settings are based on the official “Intel Default Settings” profiles provided by Intel.

Impact on Performance

Setting your Intel 14th Gen & 13th gen CPUs to their default profiles will result in lower performance versus the “Performance” and “Extreme” configurations. You will notice lower power consumption and lower temperatures, but one should expect trading performance for CPU stability.

The Intel Default Settings profile on MSI motherboards was previously known as “Boxed cooler” which set the PL1 to 253W by default. There’s a significant reduction in power limits in the latest BIOS, which had to be done to comply with Intel’s recommended default profiles.

Availability

The new MSI BIOS is already available across their Z790 and Z790 MAX series. You can grab it from the official support page.

Conclusion

This move by MSI is a step towards resolving the stability issues faced by users of 14th and 13th Gen Intel CPUs. While it may result in a slight performance trade-off, it ensures a more stable and reliable system for users. As always, it’s recommended to keep your system BIOS up-to-date to benefit from the latest improvements and fixes.