Intro and warning
Warning: Flashing this modified UEFI firmware may permanently brick your motherboard. Proceed only if you fully understand the risks! I am not responsible for any damage, bricked hardware, or other issues caused by this firmware. Flash at your own risk.
This is a modified UEFI firmware for the ASUS ROG STRIX B760-I mini-ITX motherboard (firmware version 1805 with Intel’s 0x12B microcode) to enable undervolting and overclocking. This modification unlocks the ability to set the Global Core SVID Voltage to adaptive or offset mode.
All settings remain at their defaults, so you’ll need to manually toggle the necessary locks before making any changes. The main reason I modified this firmware was to unhide CFG Lock, which improves power management in macOS with OpenCore for Hackintosh setups.
Important Notes
- Use only on ASUS ROG STRIX B760-I running firmware version 1805 or lower.
- This motherboard was not designed for overclocking, and some of these hidden features may have been disabled by ASUS for good reason. While this firmware unlocks these features, their functionality and stability are not guaranteed. So far I haven’t noticed any issues though.
- Advanced features present on higher-end ASUS Z-series motherboards are still missing from this modification. Features such as Extreme Tweaker, AI Features, and Silicon Prediction (SP Score) were not present at all in the firmware for the B760-I motherboard, so of course they can’t be unhidden.
- Using UEFI-Editor, I modified the access level of hidden features from 9 to 1, which unlocked several menus and additional options dependent on the ones listed below. These changes also revealed many advanced settings, including options that may not have been designed for end-user access.
Unhidden Features
Unlocked Drop-Down Menu Options
Global Core SVID Voltage
- New Options: Adaptive and Offset
SVID Behavior
- New Option: Trained
Intel Default Setting
- New Option: Extreme
New Menus
CPU Lock Configuration
Advanced → CPU Configuration → Power Management Control → View/Configure CPU Lock Options
- Includes options to enable or disable CFG Lock and Overclocking Lock
OverClocking Feature
Advanced → OverClocking Performance Menu
- Adds extensive overclocking capabilities, including frequency and voltage tweaking.
RC ACPI Settings
Advanced → RC ACPI Settings
- Unlocks power state-related options, including “Low Power S0 Idle Capability.”
Security Configuration
Advanced → PCH Configuration → Security Configuration
- Unlocks additional security-related settings tied to platform controllers.
Instructions
Requirements
- Windows 10 or Windows 11
- Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware and Tools for ME 16+
- AMISCE/WINSCE (SCEHUB)
- Visual Studio Code (Optional)
Introduction
To flash the firmware, we first need to unlock the BIOS lock. Since this is hidden in the stock firmware, we cannot simply toggle the setting through the BIOS interface. Instead, we’ll need to modify the values via NVRAM. There are several guides on WinRaid that use modified grub, setup_var, and RU.EFI tools to achieve this. However, all three of these applications encountered errors due to write protection.
The only tool that worked for me was AMI SCE / WinSCE. The others produced the following errors:
RU.EFI 5.34.0426-BETA:
Error: Write variable failed (0x0000001A)
Setup_var.efi (0.3.0):
Error: Failed to write variable
Error: Failed to set content of variable CpuSetup (SECURITY_VIOLATION)
grub-mod-setup_var.efi (2.06):
Error: Unable to set variable using EFI (Error: 0x000000000000008a)
Preparation
-
Boot into BIOS by pressing F2 at boot, press F5 to restore factory defaults, then press F10 to save and reset.
-
Boot into BIOS again with F2. Enable the following two options (Use F9 to Search):
- Setup → Tool → Publish HII Resources
- Setup → Advanced → UEFI Variables Protection → Password protection of Runtime Variables
- Press F10 to save and boot into Windows 10 or 11.
Downloading AMI SCE / SCE WIN
- Navigate to AMISCE/WINSCE (SCEHUB) and download the latest release. Launch DL_SCEWIN.exe, which will open a command prompt window. SCEWIN should begin downloading automatically. Be aware that it might take some time for any activity to appear; in my case, the prompt remained black for an extended period before progressing.
- Optional: Once the process is complete, copy the contents from
.\SCEWIN\5.05.01.0002toC:\TOOLS.
Download Flash Programming Tool (FPTW64)
-
Download FPTW64 from Intel Management Engine: Drivers, Firmware and Tools for ME 16+ and extract the archive.
-
Optional: Copy the
FPTW64.exefromCSME System Tools v16.1 r0\Flash Programming Tool\WIN64toC:\Tools.
Create a backup
- Right click start, open PowerShell as Administrator and navigate to the folder where
FPTW64.exeis located.
- Run the following command to check if FPTW64 is working:
.\FPTW64.exe -I
If this is was successful you can now create a backup by dumping the BIOS, I recommend doing this at least two to four times and comparing the resulting file hashes to verify the integrity of the dump.
Run the following command to create the first backup:
.\FPTW64.exe -BIOS -D B760-I_1805_DUMP1.BIN
After the first dump is complete, repeat the process with a new file name for the second dump:
.\FPTW64.exe -BIOS -D B760-I_1805_DUMP2.BIN
Next, compare the two hashes to ensure the files are identical and verify that both are 32,768 KB (32 MB) in size. If the files meet these conditions, store them in a secure location. This will allow you to recover the firmware using a hardware flasher if anything goes wrong.
To compare the hashes, use the following command:
Get-FileHash .\Filename.bin
We can try to flash them back but you will see the BIOS lock prevents this. Try:
.\FPTW64.exe -BIOS -F B760-I_1805_DUMP1.BIN
Extract the NVRAM variables
Next, open PowerShell with administrative privileges and navigate to the folder where SCEWIN_x64.exe is located (in my case, it’s the same folder: C:\Tools).
Then, run the command:
.\Export.bat
A new file named nvram.txt should appear in the folder. Open it in a text editor, then open a new, empty file.
Copy the first few lines from nvram.txt into the new file.
Next, use CTRL + F to search for BIOS lock. Once located, copy the block of code containing the BIOS lock to the new file and move the asterisk from [Enabled] to [Disabled]
Run .\Import.bat through PowerShell.
Reboot your PC, then open PowerShell as Administrator once more.
Navigate back to the folder containing FPTWIN64, and copy the modified firmware (downloaded from the bottom of this page) into the folder.
Flash the modified firmware using the following command (it should succeed now):
.\FPTW64.exe -BIOS -F B760-I_1805_MOD.BIN
Reboot your PC again, and you should see a screen prompting you to press F1 to enter BIOS and F5 to reset to factory defaults.
Don’t worry if the first boot takes longer than usual. This is normal after flashing new firmware. Once the process is complete, the GMAN should appear, and the hidden features will be accessible when you enter the UEFI BIOS.
Recovery Methods
The firmware I provided was thoroughly tested and should not have caused your device to brick. However, but it might still be usefull to know how to recover.
You might have panicked midway through the flashing process after realizing you were installing firmware created by a stranger on the internet and pulled the power plug.
Alternatively, you might have liked a challenge and attempted to recreate the modified firmware by following the guide below but did something wrong.
Another possibility is that you tried flashing firmware intended for a different board, such as the Z790I, in an effort to add new features, only to find your device doesn’t do anything anymore (I’d be interested to know about such experiments).
In any of these scenarios, your motherboard should still have been recoverable using ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3. If this feature didn’t resolve the issue, you could have restored your backup using a hardware flasher.
The Easy Way: ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3
According to the official user manual, this motherboard includes ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3, which may allow recovery if something goes wrong and the system becomes unbootable.
- Download the official ASUS UEFI capsule file for your motherboard.
- Rename the file to ASUS.CAP.
- Copy it to the root directory of a FAT32-formatted USB drive.
- Insert the USB drive into your motherboard and boot.
Note: I haven’t personally tested this feature, so results may vary.
Advanced Recovery: Flashing the SPI Chip
If the device is completely unresponsive, or you’re using this guide for a different motherboard where the BIOS Lock can’t be disabled through software, you’ll need a hardware flasher like the CH341A. These devices are very cheap, but the process might not be so easy for someone inexperienced.
On this motherboard, the SPI chip is a GigaDevice 25B256EYIG WSON-8. WSON-8 chips don’t have traditional pins, their solder pads are located underneath. Fortunately, on this board, the pads extend slightly beyond the chip’s edge, making it possible to solder tiny wires to it without having to remove the chip. You could also use 8x6 Pogo Pin Chip Programmer.
The BIOS chip is located between the screw for securing the NVMe drive and the Intel B760 chipset.
On my board, the chip was a GigaDevice 25B256EYIG, but I’ve also seen images online of this specific board using a Winbond chip. While the specific chip on your board may vary, there should be a 32MB WSON-8 chip there.
Download
Changelog
Edit 1 - 18/01/24: Revised several sections for clarity.
Edit 2 - 18/01/24: Included a screenshot of the boot logo.
Edit 3 - 18/01/24: Added Changelog.
Edit 4 - 23/01/24: Added recovery methods.
Edit 5 - 24/01/24: Added an example image to hardware recovery.
