The BIOS:
Unsurprisingly, the BIOS is virtually identical to the one we have on our Z790 APEX, although a few options have been added, which we’ll talk about at the bottom of this page. As far as the BIOS is concerned, at first glance you’ll recognize that this is ASUS. Those familiar with the brand will have no trouble finding their way around. As a reminder, the tab we’re most interested in is “Extreme Tweaker”.
Before getting started, we’d like to remind you that it’s essential to regularly update your BIOS. What’s more, the Asus team regularly offers patches that we’d be remiss not to take advantage of. The advantage of a board like this APEX is that it comes with two BIOSes. So you can test a new one while keeping the previous one. For those who like to tinker, this is a real plus! You can also save your BIOS on a USB key. You can then reload them after updating your BIOS.
The BIOS captures were taken with the XMP profile of our Teamgroup Delta RGB 7200 MT/s CL34 kit enabled. The other new option is ” Memory controller: DRAM Frequency Ratio “, which arrived with Rocket Lake. You can choose between Gear 1, Gear 2 and Gear 4. In most cases, it will be the Gear 2. The Gear 4 solution is there for kits > 9000 MHz.
Loadline calibration ” is in auto mode for comparative tests, but we’ll come back to its function when overclocking the i9-13900KS. The other sections have been present since previous generations and allow you to flash your motherboard, control fan speed and create test profiles, among other things.
The different voltages :
In the ” overclocking ” section, we’ll look at the most important voltages for the CPU and for boosting DDR5 memory. Please note that it is possible to deactivate the E-core, but this will seriously affect your processor’s performance. We’ll tell you all about it in the rest of this article.
Finally, saving profiles is highly recommended when you’re running tests. It saves time. You can also save them on a USB key.
With the arrival of memory kits featuring A-Die chips, ASUS has added new memory profiles that can reach 8800 MT/s. We’ll be sure to test it out during memory overclocking.
LN2 mode:
There’s also an LN2 mode, which must be activated via a jumper on the PCB. Please note that this mode is really dedicated to cold tests, so don’t activate it for air/water tests, as certain safeties will be automatically deactivated. Once activated, a LN2 CPU profile is displayed.
A BIOS that continues to evolve:
ASUS innovates once again by adding a new option in conjunction with the accessory included in the bundle, the “ROG Memory Fan Kit”. This option is called “DIMM Flex” and must be activated in order to have access to other parameters linked to the temperature of your memory modules, but with Hynix chips, as these are currently the best for reaching high frequencies. Now we know that temperature has a major influence on memory stability.
DIMM Flex uses a thermal sensor installed on the back of the PCB under the memory modules, and a controller to monitor temperatures. Depending on the temperature, you can pre-define three profiles. As the temperature rises, you’ll switch from profile 1 to profile 2, or even to profile 3 if necessary. If your kit is compatible, this option will be available in the BIOS. You can already take a look at the video posted by the ASUS team on this new option.
We’ll be coming back to this option in greater detail during our overclocking tests with this ROG Maximus Z790 APEX Encore. Finally, there’s one more option that we can’t talk about yet, as it’s particularly related to 14th-generation processors. Just a little more patience.
