Hi guys,
as I am trying to investigate BCLK overclocking on non-K CFL CPUs as a little project, I am currently looking for the original Asrock Z370 Taichi BIOS 1.01 or similar (anything older than 1.10).
It seems that originally, this board did support BCLK overclock on non-K, like described here:
https://forum.level1techs.com/t/explorin…ake-cpus/120099
And as it has happened often before, Asrock was probably forced to remove every reference to those old BIOSes.
So, if anyone still has the file and/or link for any BIOS older than the 1.10 version that can still be downloaded, please let me know!
I would like to analyze this a bit and try to see what can be done for other boads.
Thanks in advance!
Best regards,
Ingmar
Edit:
Added the Pro4 to the search list, due to the hint from oldirdey.
Ingmar, did you know if bclk oc was available on the z370 pro / xtreme 4? I have 2 older dumps from one of them but didn´t know the version number yet.
I did not know specifically, but I had guessed that there probably were other boards. Makes sense, that it was also Asrock.
If you have a chance to provide these old dumps, that would be really nice.
Edit:
Seems like the BIOS needs to be older than October 2017. If it is, chances are, that it still includes the BCLK functionality. Anything that is still officially available for download was released at the beginning of October 2017.
This is the only file I found on my drive. Second one was a copy of it.
https://filehorst.de/d/cohyjfvb
Hi oldirdey,
thanks for providing the dump.
Unfortunately that BIOS is from June 2018, which means it is much newer, then the versions I am searching for.
Thanks anyway for the effort. Appreciated! 
@ celemine1gig - You can do this mod yourself usually, change out the microcode for an older version and then change the ME FW for old version (do last, after initial test, not always needed).
Then unlock (make visible) whatever Asrock’s BIOS setting is for non-K OC (usually still in current BIOS just hidden)
Here, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, 1.8
https://www.asrock.com/MB/Intel/Z370%20T…dex.jp.asp#BIOS
You think I did not already try that? 
Simple reason why I am searching for the old binaries is, that they did something special there. And I would like to be able to analyze what it was. Obviously it was worth pressuring some customers (Asrock…) into removing all corresponding files from their servers.
Eventually it might be easy, but I still would like to see the originals for reference.
Already try what? If you meant the manual mods, maybe you didn’t do something right, or missed something needed, or used not old enough versions of files etc?
Original BIOS files are linked above, do you mean those have now been edited to remove this functionality? If yes, then I can do manual mods for you if you don’t know how to do that.
You are right about the possibility, that I still missed some detail.
However, you are missing a bigger point:
There originally were BIOS versions 1.00 and/or 1.01 for several Asrock Z370 boards and some people (even though not many) reported fully and easily working BCLK overclock with non-K CPUs.
And then Asrock removed all those BIOSes and replaced them with "updated" versions in October 2017. Then no more BCLK-OC on non-K and no more files for download.
If it is as easy as you suggest, then just tell me what needs to be done exactly. Honestly, that would be nice.
However, I do have access to the official Intel platform tuning guide for CFL. And I already tried everything (hopefully really everything), that is mentioned in the OC-related section in there. Including ME and MC downgrade.
Sorry, I thought maybe 1.1 was old enough, so I didn’t look further for 1.0 or 1.01, once I have more time I will try to find for you. Are you 100% certain this was possible on Z370 with retail CPU’s?
I assumed all BIOS after the Z170 fiasco and Non-K/Non-Z Intel would have forced everyone to make sure that never happened again, so surprised to hear about this on Z370
In general, for this, you need Bclk visible in BIOS, and whatever Asrocks name for Non-K OC thing is made visible, then you need the old microcode version installed and sometimes old ME FW.
To find which microcode works for this, and or ME FW, download any other BIOS for your same CPU from any brand that you know works for bclk OC, and get that ME FW version and microcode versions, and then build BIOS with those (you will have to redo your own ME FW, don’t pull it from the other BIOS)
Since you already tried MC/ME downgrade, you may not have used old enough versions? And you need those options enabled in BIOS too probably.
What CPU are you using?
I checked the 1.1 BIOS, and I see 2017 microcodes, so that is a good start, but may still need to be older or PRE versions
ME FW 11.7 is not ideal, assume you need some older 11.0 or 11.6 and in ME FW you would need to setup an OC ICC Profile if not there already, that has bclk ranges enabled (or edit current/stock ICC profile for that) << I checked this BIOS ME FW, all Bclk settings at ICC profile are setup/OK for this >> - may also need Z170 SKU Set, doubt this, but mention just in case
I see several bclk related options (may not be all visible in non-edited BIOS), but I do not see any non-K OC type setting however that shouldn’t really be necessary for bclk OC in general.
@dsanke @_haru - I bet would be able to give us more exact specifics on what is required for this functionality, as far as what ME FW version needed, what specific microcodes (once you tell us what CPU you are using), and if anything needs changed at ME SKU or FD
As far as I knew, doing proper (more than 103ish MHz) BCLK OC on Kaby Lake and newer was straight up impossible. If we can find this BIOS, and port the functionality to other boards, it would be a major breakthrough.
@_haru - thanks for your thoughts here. Supposedly via external glockgen on the board, per link in post one, but only graphs and text shown, no proof/CPU-z images etc, so it may all be dreamed up (have not heard of that site, so unsure of their respectability?)
Yes, I just had a quick check and I can’t find any CPU-Z validations with such a high BCLK.
I see the reason explained here why that Bclk chip is left on Z390 board, so I think based on this and no proof in that article, maybe he’s stretching those results/lying?
http://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?..370-motherboard
Or, maybe there is some special BIOS? I’d assume, if this was true, we’d be able to easily find, for this specific reason people would have kept rehosting those BIOS and we’d find them floating around (I looked for 1.01 and 1.13, nothing)
The LGA 1151 Coffee Lake platform, including the Z370 Chipset, officially launched on October 5: https://www.anandtech.com/show/11860/z37…ar-msi-gigabyte
This review of the AsRock Z370 Taichi is from October 9 and was already using P1.10 BIOS: https://proclockers.com/reviews/motherbo…review/page/0/3
That Thread you used as reference is from October 9, too.
There is a very small window, as you’re looking for prestocked launch day Motherboards or press samples.
Also thought about that.
First off, I do not believe that it’s a hoax. Why? I work in embedded computing and I have seen some things over the years. Does not seem too unreasonable, that at product launch this functionality could still be/get unlocked.
About the rehosting of files:
People were preconditioned by previous generations (Sky/Kaby) to think that non-K BCLK-OC was impossible. So, logical conclusion would be, that only very few even tried the function with a non-K CPU.
Plus, if the story is actually true, then the issue was "fixed" by a BIOS update, without explicitly mentioning that the functionality would be gone afterwards.
That means: If the non-K OC BIOS was the initial release BIOS (which version 1.0x would indicate) and maybe they did not even put it up for download on their page at that time (but just preprogrammed it), then after the update you had no way back.
Unless you performed a BIOS dump before, which even I do not do regularly on my new boards, due to thinking one could just download the version.
I agree, and know what you mean, especially true with ES or early launch/review samples too, however… what I said remains true as well.
What can you see at OC Tweaker >> CPU Config> Can you see Blck Freq, Bclk Step, Bclk step delay (These are the “granularity” type settings mentioned by the Mod at MSI Forum I linked, answering why external clock gen remains)
Sky/kaby had non-K, and people knew this, all those BIOS are still around too if needed. Everyone always tries 
There is always a way back, and as I mentioned, even if this review guy is the only one in the world that got that early BIOS, he would have shared it and or provided screenshots/CPU-z validations etc, and that BIOS would be around.
I agree, maybe many do not dump, but I’m sure as soon as he posted that review people wanted that BIOS and even though he didn’t reply on that guide I’m sure people in background, other forums, etc ask him for it and he shared around, so it should be out there and I only find his one reference without any validation or proof
It may be true, but I’m not seeing that anywhere with Z370
Can you find other reviews of Z370 with high Blck? How about CPU-z validations?
* edit
More talk, hopes, and dreams, no results anywhere
https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/i5-…ocking.2521222/
https://www.overclock.net/forum/5-intel-…k-models-2.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/intel/comments/…king_to_52_ghz/ << First post referencing the link you did it post one
Google this for the 300+ page thread and all you see is 103 and 104 making items quit working
bclk x370 taichi site:https://www.overclock.net/
I found this Reddit Thread referencing the original Level1Techs Thread: https://old.reddit.com/r/intel/comments/…king_to_52_ghz/
I just paid attention than the guy from Level1Techs said that he was “simulating” a Ci5 8400, as it seems that he was actually using a Ci7 8700K at lower clocks. Basically, that is no proof that non-K Coffee Lake overclocking was ever possible for obvious reasons, and there doesn’t seem to be any other source saying that (Ironically, most things I found point to that Level1Techs Thread). I mean, giving the commotion than non-K BCLK overclocking produced during Skylake, it makes no sense that Intel would do the same mistake twice in a row.
Looks like we like to spend the night searching for the same things.
BTW, on your last edit of your previous Post you got something wrong:
It is Z370, not X370! If that wasn’t a typo, it means you were reading about the Ryzen based one.