Looking for the BIOS chip on MSI Z370I?
Looking for the BIOS chip on MSI Z370I?
The Z370I Gaming Pro Carbon AC board is showing up as a blank after BIOS flashing, with no activity on any ports. You're trying to identify the correct chip for the BIOS and need guidance on which one to use during manual flashing.
MSI boards commonly use a winbond chip. The appearance usually resembles this design. Model numbers often indicate capacity, such as 25Q 128 FWSQ meaning a 128mbit chip. However, the photos MSI supplies lack sufficient clarity to decode the data accurately. My estimate suggests one or two of these could be the BIOS chip, while the third is less likely but not impossible if the first two don’t match. If you can share clearer images of those sections, I’d be able to read the model numbers and help identify them.
Thanks for your reply! I've included the files with the matching chip images. Chips 3 and 4 are identified as `nikos p5003qvg gnd4t0401` and `op1652 74k ag78g4` respectively. The latter appears to be an audio chip, likely a Winbond model on the back (chips 5 and 6). From my brief research, it seems these are indeed Winbond components. What do you think?
Chip 5 seems highly probable, almost certain. Before making any changes, back up the flash just in case. It's unlikely the chip isn't the BIOS, but it's safer to be prepared. Chip 1 handles regulation, 2 manages fans, and 6 controls a 2MB flash chip—only about 0.25MB, which isn't enough to store a full BIOS.