[ARCHIVE] Outdated UBU Tool related Questions, Reports and Suggestions

Last Bios Version for my ASRock H87 Pro4 is from 0IME4.08.2014 (and all the modules are outdated).
So i started with updating the INTEL ME Firmware with success.
But now i was thinking about updating rest of the modules in the hope of better performance:
- Intel VGA ROM/EFI = i use the onbord Intel Graphics of the processor (Haswell) and has some "screen goes dark for 1 sec and back on issues [only in windows, i have 2 screens, happenes to both])
- Intel LAN PXE ROM = couldn’t hurt updating (maybe just better compatibility and better power usage profiles?!?)
- Intel CPU MicroCode = maybe better performance and/or better usage of the C states and so on?!?
- Intel RAID ROM = having only one SSD attached it won’t help ther RAID performance for me, but maybe the AHCI performance?

Anyway: I would like to update those modules and i started with the UBU Tool and loaded my Bios into it.
As i have a Windows 8.1 UEFI installation as my system and didn’t want to mess anything up, i installed Windows 7 on a Virtual Machine and used the Tool there.

First the output:


1.) Updating Processoir Code = no Errors.

2.) Updating RST ROM = Error


3.) Updating INTEL GOP/VBIOS = Error


4.) Updating LAN = Error


My Questions:
1.) this module updating, does it help with what i hope to get out of this? performance, lower power usage (even a few mili watts, etc, like described above), screen not going dark etc.
2.) What am I doing wrong

i hope someone can help me out.
thx

Any update of the Intel RAID ROM/EFI SataDriver will not affect your system at all as long as you are running the Intel SATA ports in "AHCI" mode.

Nothing. The space problem is BIOS and not UBU related.

Nevertheless SoniX, the developer of the UBU tool, may be able to solve the space problem. That is why I have merged this thread with the UBU discussion thread.

Thats good. i hope hear from him soon.
But would updating the other modules (like LAN ROM, but specially the Microprocessor Code & VBIOS/INTEL GOP Driver) improve anything (at least for me)?
Otherwise there is no sense at all (at least from my point of view).

CPU Microcode and Intel VGA ROM/GopDriver yes, LAN ROM probably not as long as you don’t want to use the "Wake-on-LAN" feature.

I hope somehow (and with help) i can get those 3 modules updated

@ PKOneTwo
Unfortunately, many of the BIOS ASRock Immersed similar problem "Free space". A lot of useless pictures that can not be removed.
In your case could be partially updated with the utility UEFITool.
I would not recommend you to update the CPU microcode. Since the BIOS the microcode which allows overclocking.



OK, i’ll try updating INTEL VGA/VBIOS with UEFITool (although i don’t know how yet).
I have a i5-4570. So no "k" modell and I don’t overclock with FSB rising. Did you mean the Turbo Overclocking (which system does by itself)? If not, it would not concern me (or am i wrong)?

@ PKOneTwo
OROM VBIOS update you can not just GOP Driver for UEFI mode.
If you overclock is not necessary, you can update the microcode CPU.
I really do not remember, after 7 or 9 versions, Intel has blocked the possibility of overclocking without the "K" index.

@ SoniX:
summary:

- i can not update the INTEL VGA ROM (because i have windows 8.1 UEFI installation)?
- newer CPU Micricode would not nebenfit me at all?
- LAN ROM update is useless (as i know myself)
- INTEL RST ROM update useless (if i inly use AHCI mode)

Is this the summary?

@ PKOneTwo
If you use UEFI mode, the update OROM You do not need. In UEFI mode OROM are not used.
Update LAN, you also do not need to. This is for those who loads the operating system on the network.
If you do not use RAID mode, the update IRST You also do not need to.
At the expense of CPU microcode is up to you, to update or not. But can discuss here RE:CPU Microcode BIOS modding questions/problems

Attaching a file is updated only EFI Intel GOP driver for the iGPU.

mod_H87 Pro4(2.10)ROM.zip (5.14 MB)

@ PKOneTwo:
Yes, the summary is, that you probably will not benefit much from any modification of your ASRock mainboard BIOS. Nevertheless the BIOS space problem (it’s ASRock’s fault) will persist and may prevent any future BIOS customization (when you really would benefit from it).

@ Fernando
Some free space can be obtained by removing the modules LAN OROM and EFI. They are not used by home users.

@ SoniX:
Thank you for the file and for explanation.
I was thinking, if i update Intel VGA ROM my problems would be soöved (perhaps).
I did not know, that (if i have UEFI installation of for example Windows 8.1) the ROM is not used.
(Maybe offtopic): so only Intel drivers in the OS (in my case Windows 8.1 drivers) are used?

I have a CPU Microcode in my 2.1 BIOS version, that does not allow overclocking (for example all Cores Turbo).
In older Bios this was allowed, but not anymore. So only thing is: if newer CPU Microcode would have any benefits (except support for newer CPUs).
Is there a changelog of CPU Microcode? I have right now the Microcode version 9.

@Fernando :
Yes in future this will be a problem. Maybe we will have some tool for automatically deleting those unneeded logos etc. from BIOS in the future

I also wroite an emial to ASRock and asking if there is any way they would give us the tools (or at least information we would need) to update the modules easily without the need to wait for a new BIOS version, if it ever comes out.

@ PKOneTwo
You can not just go and update the OROM VBIOS in the BIOS. First you have to configure the VBIOS, otherwise you can get a "blank black screen", that is not the image on the screen.
Then for sure. Version 7 CPU microcode is not blocked from overclocking.



I know, i read it in the UBU guide.
My problem just was if i would benefit from updating the INTEL VGA. And as you both mentioned: i would not benefit, because i have UEFI installation (so no difference for me), right?

CPU Code: Yes, version 7 was last one. I have now 9. Only question is: wqoul di benefit from updating to newer one? i can’t find changelogs from one version to another (like from 9 to newest)


Yes. For UEFI mode update any OROM does not make sense.


Almost no information. We only know that after 7 version is locked overclocking and starting with version 1A - disabled TSX.

I think in future versions UBU, for LGA1150 processors Haswell worth adding 2 CPU microcode update?
07 - êàê do allows CPU overclocking without the index "K" and 19 - where TSX instructions - enabled,

Good news.
Then i’ll wait and give it try in the future.
As you said, right now no use for me.

Thank you all for your help.
Maybe future versions of UBU will have a slution built in for BIOSes like Asrock with “insufficient space” error


From UBU it does not depend, only on ASRock.

@SoniX

I hope you take this with the same amusement as I did: this time, I see you forgot Broadcom EFI for good; you must be really upset with them.
MMTool5 doesn’t see OROMs from 365C62BA-05EF-4B2E-A7F7-92C1781AF4F9. Take X99 WS-E10G for example. Nothing you can do.
Found ASMedia AHCI 3.80 in this Biostar board = GAMING Z97X. Maybe this one works with onboard?

And since this is a short message, other notes from me:
- a few changes to work with new UEFITool releases.
- Added Nvidia GOP detection, since I have found one HP image with Kepler and Maxwell GOPs.
- Detection of all OROMs, compressed or not. Using UEFIFind to get a list of GUIDs, from which I exclude duplicates and already extracted OROMs or known CSM GUIDs. This works pretty well, it even found some OEM-specific OROMs used by HP or Insyde. Every OROM starts with 0x55AA (little indian from AA55), followed by size in paragraphs, then a call to init (jump, jump short or call).
- added info for FIT table.

1B21-0612-0611 ASMedia AHCI 3.80.rar (20.4 KB)

#Extr.rar (64.5 KB)