MSI has started to push out the final BIOS to address the issues of Intel’s Arrow Lake CPUs running on the Z890 platform.
At the time of writing, the only model that has the BIOS update listed on the website is the MEG Z890 ACE under the name of “7E22v1A41,” which incorporates Intel’s 0x114 microcode and updated CSME firmware, addressing platform issues and promising performance improvements.
Intel previously acknowledged Arrow Lake’s inconsistent performance at launch, citing root causes that have since been largely resolved. While progress was reported in a recent update, Intel committed to delivering a complete fix via a BIOS patch by January, which would pair the 0x114 microcode with CSME Firmware Kit 19.0.0.1854v2.2 or newer. Also, they are very strict on the requirement of both the BIOS + CSME Firmware Kit must be paired together in order to solve everything once and for all.
The newly released BIOS for the MSI MEG Z890 Ace adheres to Intel PR5 standards, offering improvements in gaming performance, with Intel estimating a modest single-digit uplift across a variety of 35 titles. Users do not need to source the CSME firmware separately, as MSI’s official BIOS bundles both the microcode and updated firmware.
With next week’s CES 2025 event ready to showcase the mid-range B860 and H810 motherboards to go with the non-unlocked Intel Arrow Lake CPUs, gamers could expect none of these problems to affect them if they are to build a new system based on these upcoming components.
Source: Tom’s Hardware, WCCFTech
