What is new in 0x12C Raptor Lake microcode?

[jdj7hdo]

MSI just released new BIOS for Z790 boards with the newest Intel 0x12C microcode. Is there any info on what Intel fixed/changed/improved in this microcode?

 

[citay]

I think it's mainly fixing these:

INTEL-SA-01166

INTEL-SA-01166

www.intel.com

INTEL-SA-01139

INTEL-SA-01139

www.intel.com

INTEL-SA-01228

INTEL-SA-01228

www.intel.com

"Potential security vulnerabilities", but "via local access", so the attacker would either have to sit at the PC, or at least be in the same LAN. Usually these vulnerabilities are nothing to worry too much about in the grand scheme of things, as there are more convenient ways for a bad actor to try to get access to people's PCs. They don't tend to go through the trouble of trying something quite specific like this.

 

[Doom4159c02e1]

So all of what that update does is add more security layers that aren't a must?
Does it mean I can stay with whatever I've got now then?
I don't feel like start testing everything again with a new bios after finding some custom settings

 

[fatedust]

Does it mean I can stay with whatever I've got now then?

If i were you and my system is running rock solid, I would not update the BIOS.

 

[citay]

I don't feel like start testing everything again with a new bios after finding some custom settings

Write everything down you have now (or take photos with your phone), enter it again afterwards, and everything should behave the same. Yes, i also do some quick testing after each BIOS update just be sure things are ok. But once you found good settings - for example for "CPU Lite Load" and related ones, like you might be alluding to - then it doesn't even matter if the default value changes a bit for them. After you re-enter your settings, the CPU etc. will behave the same as before.

 

[Doom4159c02e1]

Umm I see, but I've seen some people reporting that some settings didn't worked well after a bios update (not for this one though...yet anyway) and they had to start figure out what they need to change again,
unless the update is relate to security changes only and doesn't affect performance that much, which then I don't see any hurry in updating,

I've backup my setting profile and taken pictures of what I recall I've changed, but I will probably wait some months and see if people report anything, did you updated to that version and got no issue or performance changes so far?

 

[citay]

Umm I see, but I've seen some people reporting that some settings didn't worked well after a bios update (not for this one though...yet anyway) and they had to start figure out what they need to change again,

If you go by my guide, the settings you arrive at will always give the same results, no matter the BIOS version. Only when you modify VCore directly, and they happen to change the default mode for "CPU Lite Load" (which you then leave on defaults), you could be caught off-guard.

For my board, the updated BIOS is not out yet, i only updated the Management Engine firmware (from the download of a Z790 board). When the new BIOS is out, i will update to it pretty much right away. A few people have updated their boards already, and so far, i saw no complaints. You won't have to expect performance changes when they fix some security holes which are not related to any performance features/tricks they use in the CPU.

 

[Doom4159c02e1]

If that update didn't changed Long/Short Duration Power Limits, CPU Lite Load, IA CEP Support, which I've changed on my end,
Then all of my settings (alongside memory try) should still work and keep the same performance then?

I see people still testing if it change their performances so far but got the impression that the performance part is mostly behind us after they fixed the intel issues,

Also as luck would have it, my UPS is dead so I'll wait till I replace its battries to update the bios.

 

[citay]

If that update didn't changed Long/Short Duration Power Limits, CPU Lite Load, IA CEP Support, which I've changed on my end,
Then all of my settings (alongside memory try) should still work and keep the same performance then?

Even if it changed some of that (and it will, because they will be on defaults after the update), then once you change them back to your values, everything should be the same as before, yes.

I see people still testing if it change their performances so far but got the impression that the performance part is mostly behind us after they fixed the intel issues,

Yes, i'd say so. In the past, there have been some security holes (Meltdown, Spectre, Inception, Downfall) which could only be fully fixed by turning off some clever performance-enhancing mechanisms. Because those attacks focused on exploiting these performance tricks to read out data. Even some of those fixes are not really necessary for a normal end user, because those attacks are comparatively complex. So they won't be used to attack an end user, they will never make such huge efforts there, only for datacenters or the likes. That's why i always turn one such fix off, because it costs too much performance and only protects against theoretical risks, see here. But yeah, most of performance-eating fixes should be behind us now.

Also as luck would have it, my UPS is dead so I'll wait till I replace its battries to update the bios.

I've had two APC UPS's die on me (or rather, my customers) before, because they used too cheap electrolytic capacitors inside, which have lost their properties over the years. So then, instead of protecting against a power cut, they actually cut the power to the attached devices themselves.

I swapped most of the capacitors in both ones to low-ESR high-quality 105°C caps from Panasonic (you can judge their rating by how many hours they claim at which temperature), and they've been working fine ever since. So it wasn't the main batteries that gave me trouble, it was the capacitors used in the UPS electronics, they are a ticking timebomb.

Some other UPS models are known to "cook" their batteries too much, keeping them on a high charge all the time, constant charging basically, and then you can even get "bloated" batteries after a while, which expand and are hard to remove from the tray.

For example i tested a PowerWalker VI 1000 MS, it started charging the battery at around 30W power draw, then it got lower and lower until my power meter showed 15W. I thought, surely the battery is not fully charged yet, let's leave it on overnight. Next morning - still 15W and quite warm to the touch. This is a very simple UPS, nothing fancy, i was amazed it needs this much power constantly. Also see here, that brand doesn't know what they're doing when it comes to a UPS.

I use a CyberPower BRICs LCD 1000VA now, it is so much better. After charging the battery, it goes into a mode where it only needs 3W in idle.

 

[Doom4159c02e1]

Even if it changed some of that (and it will, because they will be on defaults after the update), then once you change them back to your values, everything should be the same as before, yes.

Yes, i'd say so. In the past, there have been some security holes (Meltdown, Spectre, Inception, Downfall) which could only be fully fixed by turning off some clever performance-enhancing mechanisms. Because those attacks focused on exploiting these performance tricks to read out data. Even some of those fixes are not really necessary for a normal end user, because those attacks are comparatively complex. So they won't be used to attack an end user, they will never make such huge efforts there, only for datacenters or the likes. That's why i always turn one such fix off, because it costs too much performance and only protects against theoretical risks, see here. But yeah, most of performance-eating fixes should be behind us now.

I see, so guess I will give it a try and just load my settings afterwards, cause I don't think they changed anything major there

I've had two APC UPS's die on me (or rather, my customers) before, because they used too cheap electrolytic capacitors inside, which have lost their properties over the years. So then, instead of protecting against a power cut, they actually cut the power to the attached devices themselves.

I swapped most of the capacitors in both ones to low-ESR high-quality 105°C caps from Panasonic (you can judge their rating by how many hours they claim at which temperature), and they've been working fine ever since. So it wasn't the main batteries that gave me trouble, it was the capacitors used in the UPS electronics, they are a ticking timebomb.

Some other UPS models are known to "cook" their batteries too much, keeping them on a high charge all the time, constant charging basically, and then you can even get "bloated" batteries after a while, which expand and are hard to remove from the tray.

For example i tested a PowerWalker VI 1000 MS, it started charging the battery at around 30W power draw, then it got lower and lower until my power meter showed 15W. I thought, surely the battery is not fully charged yet, let's leave it on overnight. Next morning - still 15W and quite warm to the touch. This is a very simple UPS, nothing fancy, i was amazed it needs this much power constantly. Also see here, that brand doesn't know what they're doing when it comes to a UPS.

I use a CyberPower BRICs LCD 1000VA now, it is so much better. After charging the battery, it goes into a mode where it only needs 3W in idle.

Oh I should've worded it better, my batteries just run out after 2+ (almost 3 actually) years of being used,
I've just replaced them but got something that is under the same volt but less ampere by mistake (old one had 9 ampere, this one got 7 ;/)
But from what I've got it just mean the UPS will have less times to hold the PC and as long as the volt is the same it should work almost the same,
I will be sure to pick the right ampere next time though~

 

[citay]

Yes, with the Ah (which is not Amperes, but Ampere-hours), it says how much charge the battery holds. As long as it's a common 12V battery, it will work just fine, even if the charge is lower than the original battery. Also, normally those batteries should still be decent after three years, if the UPS doesn't cook them. I always use mine longer than three years, and they still are in pretty good shape after three years.

 

[Doom4159c02e1]

I see,
I was actually told before that batteries should hold up more in general, but was also told by people who use the same UPS that its batteries usually hold 3 years max,
Idk much about batteries to know which type can hold longer, but from what I've got it's the type that got designated life span.
Idk if my UPS cook them either but there's some heat sink inside next to them as well as some rear fan that Idk if still works tbh xD

Btw so far I've updated the bios and didn't encountered any issues after apply the same settings manually (apparently it didnot let me load the settings from a different bios ver... kind of a bummer).
But I've also didn't tried any stress tests, just seen stuff are fine while gaming so far

 

[citay]

I was actually told before that batteries should hold up more in general, but was also told by people who use the same UPS that its batteries usually hold 3 years max,
Idk much about batteries to know which type can hold longer, but from what I've got it's the type that got designated life span.

You don't have to go by the "three year rule", that's mainly given by the UPS manufacturers to cover them, so nobody can blame them when a battery doesn't last any longer in there. Yes, some UPS models don't treat the batteries that nicely, you may have to do some research about your UPS model, see if there's any complaints about that. But if it does treat them nicely, you can use them longer. I mean, look at it like this, do you change your car battery every three years because someone told you that's how long they last?

Idk if my UPS cook them either but there's some heat sink inside next to them as well as some rear fan that Idk if still works tbh xD

The fan might be for when it's running, because then it becomes a sort of "battery-powered reverse PSU", transforming the 12V battery voltage to 230/115V (depending on your country) for your electronics to use. And when that has to run for 30 minutes or so, there will be some heat.

Btw so far I've updated the bios and didn't encountered any issues after apply the same settings manually (apparently it didnot let me load the settings from a different bios ver... kind of a bummer).
But I've also didn't tried any stress tests, just seen stuff are fine while gaming so far

Usually, if you enter the same settings as before, it should be working just as well as before. I only do some quick stress-tests, nothing too major. I only do major testing when i first set up a system and find the best settings.

 

[Svet]

MSI just released new BIOS for Z790 boards with the newest Intel 0x12C microcode. Is there any info on what Intel fixed/changed/improved in this microcode?

In my own observation (direct compare) from 27 Feb(early testing) with 0x12C until now:

0x12B vs 0x12C:
I've noted 0x12C has some of CPU's voltage states modified,
and it has better performance optimizations compared to 0x12B

Don't know what else, Intel doesn't really provide detailed release notes.
But I saw some info as followed:

Microcode 0x12C, released in late March 2025, addresses issues related to the eTVB algorithm
and high voltage requests by the processor, specifically for Intel's 13th and 14th generation CPUs.

In my opinion always go for latest Intel's uCode version especially with those CPUs 13/14 series

 

[Svet]

For my board, the updated BIOS is not out yet, i only updated the Management Engine firmware (from the download of a Z790 board). When the new BIOS is out, i will update to it pretty much right away.

Here it is:
E7D32IMS.1L1

You won't have to expect performance changes when they fix some security holes which are not related to any performance features/tricks they use in the CPU.

Definitely there is a performance improvements compared to prevision one.
Think they polish it with each version to restore the performance as much as possible.
The initial fix for CPU degradation issue was let's say too rude, and harm the performance by a lot,
and I think they try to restore and optimize it further,
like fine tune with each newer version since then.

 

[martin.werne155502da]

New Microcode with further improvements for CPU degradation incoming:

Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen Vmin Shift Instabilty Update - New Microcode Update (0x12F)

As part of its effort to continually improve its products, Intel is releasing a new microcode update (0x12F) supplementing the 0x12B microcode update released in September 2024. This new microcode further improves system conditions that can potentially contribute to Vmin Shift Instability on...

community.intel.com

 

[Svet]

New Microcode with further improvements for CPU degradation incoming:

Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen Vmin Shift Instabilty Update - New Microcode Update (0x12F)

As part of its effort to continually improve its products, Intel is releasing a new microcode update (0x12F) supplementing the 0x12B microcode update released in September 2024. This new microcode further improves system conditions that can potentially contribute to Vmin Shift Instability on...

community.intel.com

Thanks for info