Need assistance with the latest BIOS updates for Z690 and B660 chipsets on the 13th generation.
Need assistance with the latest BIOS updates for Z690 and B660 chipsets on the 13th generation.
You're looking at pairing a Z690 AORUS Elite or B660 AORUS Master with the 13600KF and sticking to DDR4. You're wondering if the Z790 supports DDR4 and DDR5 but isn't physically the same. Regarding BIOS updates, newer drivers are likely for 14th generation support, but it's unclear if they cover the 13th generation. The updates mentioned seem aimed at future generations rather than specific versions. Check those links if you need more details. Thanks!
For Z690 Aorus Elite, ensure BIOS is F21 or newer. For B660 Aorus Master, make sure BIOS is F22 or newer. Both boards require Intel VMD driver to version 19.5 or higher after installing Windows 11. These updates are primarily for the motherboard, so you should be comfortable updating the latest drivers.
You can boot the PC and access the desktop right away without updating VMDI first. Installing W10 won’t interfere with the boot process, and everything should work normally until you install Windows.
I think it's okay to start in Windows and then set up VMD. The BIOS notes mention updating before installing the driver, but if you're beginning from scratch, it's best to do that quickly. Just a reminder; usually people reinstall the OS when changing the motherboard because drivers from the old board and the new one can affect stability. However, lately Windows has handled hardware changes well, so it should work. If you prefer to keep things the same, check the old drivers and replace them with those from your chosen board. Also, consider moving to Windows 11 because it improves the Task Scheduler for Intel's P-cores and E-cores. Microsoft hasn't pushed Windows 10 upgrades to newer versions, so you might face issues if you're using a hybrid CPU. You should be able to upgrade on Windows 10, though. I think it's worth trying, even if you're unsure—check the articles and see if it works for you.
You're planning to try Windows 11 for the first time and want to know if gaming will be affected compared to Windows 10. There are concerns about stability and bugs, but it seems the latest updates have improved things. Regarding VMD, it's a tool that helps combine multiple hard drives into one, which can be useful for performance. If you're experiencing issues, disabling it might help. Keep an eye on your system later to see if the situation changes.
I haven't noticed any performance drops when switching to Windows 11 versus Windows 10. I remember it happening before, especially with Ryzen processors, but AMD and Microsoft have already addressed that issue a while back. I haven't faced problems using Windows 11 on my Ryzen machine or the 10th generation Intel laptop. The main concern I've heard is slower SSD performance with Gen4 or Gen5 NVMe drives on Windows 11 compared to Windows 10, unless you're doing intensive video editing or large file transfers. Unless you're working with heavy encoding or big data moves, I wouldn't worry much about it. Microsoft likely fixed this in a recent Windows Update in summer 2023. I don't own a Gen4/5 drive, so I can't confirm personally if it's still an issue. VMD seems to be Intel's controller for RAID and Optane, so unless you're using RAID setups with SSDs or HDDs, I wouldn't recommend installing it unless necessary. Just in case, it's probably safe to install but avoid making changes.
Thanks for the info. I mainly use my PC for gaming and browsing, not for heavy work. I’m installing Windows and will skip the M.2 slot if it isn’t recognized. This is my first time using VMD, so I’m not sure how to set it up correctly. I’ll look into it a bit more. Appreciate your help!