[SOLVED!] Some Intel x99 Chipset Motherboards May Need a Bios Update Prior to Using Broadwell-E CPUs

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When setting up your computer for gaming, music recording, or video editing, make sure it’s all set up for these rigorous tasks. If not, you’ll definitely encounter the error, “Some Intel x99 Chipset Motherboards May Need a Bios Update Prior to Using Broadwell-E CPUs.”

In this article, you will learn the basics about setting up your computer for these CPU-intensive activities. You will learn the reason why you encounter the error mentioned above, and how to get rid of it forever. For those who are just getting started, the error may seem very huge. Yet, when you fully understand what it means, the error interprets very simply – one any user can easily digest.

What are Broadwell-E CPUs?

Broadwell-E is Intel’s fifth generation of the computer’s central processing units (CPUs) that are powerful (and expensive), which includes a 10-core processor. Broadwell is a codename of this generation of processors that are smaller and more compact, yet very efficient compared to its predecessor, the Haswell CPUs.

Aside from sporting a whopping 10 cores, it also boasts the company’s new Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0. This technology is what you need when working on very demanding tasks because it can speed up your processor. When purchasing these CPUs, you have to be certain that you will maximize their capacity. Otherwise, you are just wasting your money on these pricey processors.

What are Intel X99 Chipset Motherboards?

While the CPU processor all the data, it’s the chipset that connects the CPU to the RAM, ROM, and to the other peripherals of your computer. Intel’s X99 chipset motherboards are designed to work hand-in-hand with high-end computers. It works well with both Intel Core i7 Extreme, Intel Xeon E5-16xx v3, among others.

Some Intel x99 Chipset Motherboards May Need a Bios Update Prior to Using Broadwell-E CPUs

Although it’s been out for quite some time now, it’s still by far the most powerful. In fact, Intel continuously creates more CPUs that work well with the X99 chipset motherboards. Intel is pushing the X99 chipset to be at the top of the game.

The Error – Explained!

As particularly mentioned in the previous section, x99 chipset has been there for a while (since 2017), even earlier than Broadwell-E CPUs. Hence, in the error, you will see that it specifies an update of the BIOS is needed to use the Broadwell-E CPU.

For New Motherboards

Recent motherboards are already released with the latest and relevant BIOS, so it should work well with any Broadwell-E CPUs. But, if it’s really needed, it is better to do as required.

Sadly, the thing is, even if you are willing to update your BIOS, you still need to have a supported CPU to do so. Either you’re lucky to get a supported and updated BIOS or you have a system that would never support your motherboard, at all. Otherwise, what you can do is to check with the store where you purchase your motherboard and check on the details.

An example would be the Gigabyte GA-X99 Ultra Gaming processor. This one doesn’t require an update of the BIOS version because it is already packed with the relevant BIOS that will work with Broadwell-E CPU. Thus, get a Gigabyte motherboard if you don’t want to ever encounter this error.

For Old Motherboards

If your motherboard doesn’t support Broadwell-E, the best thing that you can do is to flash the BIOS so that it will be Broadwell-compatible. You can use this to get the latest version of the BIOS. However, when doing this kind of setup, you must first install the latest update before you install the Broadwell-E CPU.

You can check this YouTube video on how to make a BIOS update for ASRock. For other brands, you may check their manufacturer, or you can also wait for other posts on these x99 chipset motherboards.

Motherboards acquired before 2016-06-06 don’t support Broadwell-E CPU. If you aren’t sure whether to do this, you have to check the version of your BIOS first.

When it’s version 3.0, you don’t need to get updates as it’s already Broadwell-capable, else you must really look for updates.

How to Check the BIOS Version?
  1. Right-click on the Start menu and select Run.
  2. In the small popup window, type cmd. The Command Prompt window will appear.
  3. Type wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion and hit Enter key.
  4. You will see that the command prompt returns SMBBIOSBIOSVersion. This is the BIOS version.

If you can’t do the checking in the command prompt, you can do it as you start your computer. One thing that you must know is the shortcut for accessing the BIOS menu. You can try the following keys, F2, F10, F12, or Del.

Some Intel x99 Chipset Motherboards May Need a Bios Update Prior to Using Broadwell-E CPUs

When the computer reboots, and before it displays the logo, you must hit the key that’s specific to the computer that you have. In the BIOS menu, just look for the BIOS Revision, BIOS Version, or Firmware Version to get the BIOS version number.

Can You DO Overclocking?

When you are prompted with this error, that means, you need to update your BIOS in order to benefit from the overclocking feature, which the Broadwell-E CPU supports. Until you won’t update your BIOS you will always be prompted with the warning, “Some Intel X99 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Broadwell-E CPUs.” Once you get the update, you can maximize your CPU, so you can do CPU-demanding tasks like gaming or music editing.

Conclusion

If you want to build/assemble your computer for heavy use like gaming, video editing, or music production, ensure that you have all compatible parts. Particularly with the motherboard and your CPU, if there is incoherence and incompatibility, you will be provoked with “Some Intel X99 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Broadwell-E CPUs.”

Some Intel x99 Chipset Motherboards May Need a Bios Update Prior to Using Broadwell-E CPUs

By the message, you must have the updated BIOS. To do so, you need to check whether you are using the compatible CPU. Although the recent motherboards are already Broadwell-compatible, it’s still best to check your BIOS version. This will ensure peace of mind and minimal interruptions when it’s time for you to use your computer.