@Lost_N_BIOS : There is defintley a lot of fermongering around. E.G. AJ30 and AK27 (the pins most likely to melt) should only be used by the absolute top line of ASUS ROG boards. Not even a Maximus VIII Ranger/Hero/Gene has these connected and virtually all cheaper Asus boards should be completely fine without isolation. The same should apply, though with a lower threshold, to Asrock boards. Problem though: Each of these sentences contains a “should”. One would have to test every single type of board in every single revision to be sure. And if one type of board does indeed requiere isolation, one might wreck several samples testing out which are necessary and which are not. Obviously no ones wants to do a thousand tests and melt dozens of boards, so all isolation guides apply the worst observations (or even the worst expectations) to all products of a manufacturer. In some cases this will even slightly worsen the situation, as most people and guides tape over some contacts that have the same usage in Kaby and Coffee, but are sourounded by risky pins.
If you care to jump a do-not-have-to-pay-on-first-access-wall (you will only be charged after buying articles with a combined worth of 5 € or more, so you can technically read four of 99 Cents each and never pay), I have skimmed the specs for all potentially relevant points. Here: https://www.pcgameshardware.de/Core-i9-9…en-1276543/#a16 and half page further here https://www.pcgameshardware.de/Core-i9-9…en-1276543/#a19. The picture shows those pins with changed purpose, that are part of most guides, the text adds half a dozen pins no one cares for. This is, according to Intel, the total area at risk, IF a mainboard manufacturer has ignored specifications. As you can see, the pattern is far more flakey than in most guides, especially in the “Gigabyte” area, and also stretechs futher if one considers the additional pins named in the text. Any recommendations straying from these specs is either based on information from mainboard manufacturers, explaining where they did indeed deviated from the specs (and I would not know of any such lists existing at all, so someone would have to have really, really, deep access to company data to give recommendations based on such evidence), or (much, much, much more likely) the recommendations are loose interpretations of a very limited set of (bad) experiences.
tl;dr: Guides & Co spread their messages based on a “better safe than sorry” and “keep it simple, include all in one” guesswork, but have very limited technological background. Therefore it is not nearly as bad as communicated, but also almost impossible to be sure what the actual safe limits for an indivudal case are.
@creisey : Have you tried setting Vcore to a fixed value? Your board does lack the OC options for detailed voltage control, but it should not have the runaway OC voltage auto boosts in the first place, so probably you will fine without dynamic adjustment. If all fails, you can also try to disable Speedstep and C-states. Both will increas Idle power consumption, but reduce the possibility of power managemend errors.
@lost_n_bios @pcgh_torsten @cresiey it’s not fear mongering. I melted those pins right off my i7-8700 on my ASRock board. But everything still works because those pins were reserved on the CPU, so it didn’t care. If instead the board shorted or the VRMs blew out, I’d have trouble, I guess.
I think the moral is, you can’t know if it will be a problem until after you break it, so better to isolate “needlessly.”
Yeah, Asrock has those two pins wired wrong and melting on Asrock is a common issue therefore. But have you checked whether this is true for all Asrock? Why are Owners of Asus and MSI told that they socket melt as well, despite this being not the case for most modells? And I have yet to hear of a case of exploding VRMs on anything but a Gigabyte, but all modders are afraid of this worst case. This exageration is fear mongering, but as said I agree: Better safe than sorry. One should not be surprised, though, when an unknown board does not vanish in a puff of smoke without isolation, because "works fine" is actually a more likely outcome than "fails catastrophically".
@PCGH_Torsten i have not yet tried to disable Speedstep and C-states. other options are unfortunately not available in my bios.
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@Lost_N_BIOS is my dump from AFUWIN fine, or you you need a dump with the ch341a programmer?
@creisey - Please use edit if you need to add more info and no one has replied yet, no need to double post - thanks. 
What is BIOS at #962, please explain. Ohh, is that what your last comment was about? If yes, I do not want anything from AFU, nor should you use AFU for ANY of this.
Send me programmer dump, this way I can unlock FD for you and ME can be downgraded. I will also make all those BIOS things visible to you in BIOS while we’re at it 
Power & Performance that you showed in image “grayed out” this is a title, not a grayed out submenu. Inside there is only CPU - Power Management Control + GT - Power Management Control (onboard GFX)
I will make all the hidden from you stuff inside CPU - Power Management Control visible.
Then, inside CPU VR Settings >> Core/IA VR Settings you will find the IA AC/DC settings mentioned in the settings I quoted.
Speedstep and C-Stated are visible to you already.
Can you see Advanced >> OverClocking Performance Menu (here you will be able to change vCore!)
And Advanced >> CPU Configuration
If not, I will make those two submenus visible to you as well.
@Lost_N_BIOS sure editing is much better!
i took my pc now a bazillian times appart 
here is the dump form ch341:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19s0OzQQ…iew?usp=sharing
the
#962 was made with AFU, yes
but i made later a dump with ch341:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19s0OzQQ…iew?usp=sharing
that would be awesome, i have no options no to change.
> no i dont have those adjustment options at that time
Thanks, last one was main one I needed to know, sorry for not specifying
Hello!
Can you help me out with a bios for ms-98l9 v2?
@creisey - Here, now you should have plenty more BIOS options too
http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?fil…435603741181962
@nakos937 - MUCH more info needed! Please give the proper model, and a link to stock BIOS download page. What is your current ME FW version? What CPU do you have, old one, and what is the new ones SSPEC?
Do you have flash programmer?
I have this exact same ME configuration does that mean my ME is Compatible? if so why does it also say 11.8, build 3460, hotfix 50
also do i also have to hard mod board if i have a asrock z170 OC formula ATX?
@Lost_N_BIOS link this is the latest BIOS. i didnt update ME yet or tamper with it in any way, so the ME version mathces this BIOS. I have the 7700 now, and I would like to update to a way faster cpu like the i5 9600, the i7 9700, i9 9900, non-k versions.
I do have a Ch314A flash programmer.
@Pop000100 - Your post is confusing and contradictory, you can’t have 11.7 and 11.8 at same time, please show me that exact page/area when running HWINFO64 on your system.
If you have ME FW 11.8 you need to downgrade to 11.7, and depending on your current FD status that may only be possible with flash programmer, or pinmod to unlock FD
Board never has to be hard modded, but you usually should isolate and connect pads on CPU per your board brand, but that does not have to be hardmod either.
@nakos937 - Thanks for the link, and sorry, I seen ME-xxx and assumed MSI motherboard, but didn’t realize they sold boards like that without a normal mainstream model name.
Can you confirm the ME FW version, what’s in a BIOS download is not always what’s running on the board. Ahh great, you have programmer, so it doesn’t matter!
What is your BIOS chip ID, so we can be sure to use known working software/version per your chip ID so dump and write is good.
If you already know, ie you have written to this chip before with a specific known version and it was OK, then send me dump and tell me what CPU you want made compatible
I can try to make all the models you mentioned compatible, but will need your dump first to see if there is room.
woww…
@Lost_N_BIOS
My section is the same as that section.
I was asking about the string to the right of "Intel ME FITC" that says "11.8, build 3460, hotfix 50"
My "Intel ME" is
I did not do anything to this board yet, except installing the latest BIOS that I had linked, I tried to put in new microcodes with CoffeeTime but it errored out stating it was way too big for my ROM.
@Pop000100 - You’re very confusing! Please show me image of your HWINFO at that area, unless the one above is from your system? If yes, then you have me FW 11.7
FITc version does not matter, this is the software that last compiled your BIOS or ME FW region.
@nakos937 - Send me your BIOS dump from programmer, and tell me your BIOS chip ID if you have not already erased and written to this exact chip model before (so you know what works properly, or not)
Since you are using the linked BIOS, much more needs to be done to your BIOS than just microcodes anyway, starting with ME FW downgrade
@Lost_N_BIOS
Here my ME FW
Btw, I tried mod bios using Coffeetime 0.85a
Please correct me.
Step 1
I select number 5
Step 2
I select number 1
Step 3
I select number 3
Step 4
I select number 2
Step 5
Done. Select "e"
After this, what else?
I dont understand about stepping b0, r0, u0
I still dont get it about isolate and connect