I started to use the Z790Dark build daily from the end of July, and from the first days i encountered strange bios warnings at reboot or startup, not always but very frequently, can be after a one hour session or maybe after a two days one. The errors are always different, so it's not necessary to take them seriously (there's even an empty one!!!), in the beginning i was thinking that itcould be a beta bios 1.15 issues, but recently i switched bios chip and used the stable bios v1.13 @stock settings (rock solid, just for the records, about 65°@320W, the cpu is delidded and cooled on a double D5 pumps and double 360rads custom loop with Iceman WB and even the ram is watercooled).

From some weeks i started to take a photo of the errors when they came, they're not all but here is the collections:



Someone have the same issue? What could it be? What should I do? Open an RMA? Is there anyone from EVGA that could give me a reply?
 

Mathieas
Hmm, that is very strange, any chance your cmos battery is bad or low voltage? I am not sure it would behave this way but I have seen some very weird behavior from bad cmos batteries and with so many random setting change messages it might be worth checking.

mmm... well, I've never actually had any problems with losing settings or anything, and there's no sensor on the battery (or is there?), so I don't know, unfortunately it's hidden under the plastic cover lower, so I can't change it now (I have dozens of them, brand new...), maybe I'll try soon, when I'll have the chance to dismantle that cover (by the way, does anyone remember how to do it quickly?).
Thanks for the suggestion and I'll let you know.

Anyway, does anyone have any other ideas?
 

rjohnson11
Reset the BIOs to default. Save the default settings. Reboot and check to see if the system is stable. If the errors continue roll back to the last known good BIOs before the beta BIOs. 

seriously?
as i already said i've tested more bios version and more bios chips, obviously starting with default settings.
 
please read before answer.
 
 
edit: and just for the records now i'm running v1.13 stable @stock settings, and the errors still goes on.

ty_ger07
I would replace the CMOS battery before RMAing the motherboard.  It may be a painful process, but at least you are already heading down the path of a painful process.

I will, just i need to see if it possible to remove the plastic cover without unmount the board.

rjohnson11

nlodeserto

ty_ger07
I would replace the CMOS battery before RMAing the motherboard.  It may be a painful process, but at least you are already heading down the path of a painful process.

I will, just i need to see if it possible to remove the plastic cover without unmount the board.

nlodeserto

ty_ger07
I would replace the CMOS battery before RMAing the motherboard.  It may be a painful process, but at least you are already heading down the path of a painful process.

I will, just i need to see if it possible to remove the plastic cover without unmount the board.

Hopefully this won't be too much trouble. 

It's not a big deal, it's just that with a custom loop it's a little different to simply replace a battery or take the whole loop apart to do it, right? The battery alone could be replaced in ten seconds, the full loop in at least ten hours (actually quite a bit more due to a physical problem). Maybe it's just good to know beforehand.
At least for me it's not too much trouble to read a post in full and avoid banal teacher-like answers.
 
 

Mathieas
You mentioned in the OP that you switched the bios chip. Just to make sure, you have these errors show up with both bios switch positions? I don't have this board, is the bios chip able to replaced with a physical new one? I have had EVGA boards that let me do this in the past

This board have 3 bioses, i'm sure to have the problem with two of them and probably with the third too (i used it just for benching, i don't remember very well so i'm not sure, but i think that it has the problem too), and they're not hot swappable, off course everything could be changed with some soldering, but for a new board I don't think i can if I wanna stay in warranty.
 
edit: off course i will test again the third bios soon to be sure.

B0baganoosh
Do you have E-Leet or HWiNFO64 start wit Windows? There have been some reports of similar errors showing up when those are enabled. I have no idea why or how that's possible, but I remember several reports of it and I had a similar problem on one BIOS version.

Yep, I have them both.
Many thanks,
this is a strange but nice suggestion on where to look at, I will make some try on disabling motherboard sensors etc.

Tuthsok
Hi,
 
I have the z690 classified and get the same errors on boot that you are showing. It happens on all 3 BIOS, one of which is still the original the board came with. The system always starts up as expected though by just selecting "No".
The board also hasn't been able to wake properly from Sleep or Hibernate for some time as well on all the BIOS. Battery appears OK I'm guessing, nothing appears to be lost after a full power down.
 
I forget how long it has been doing this but at least a few months.. Otherwise it still seems to work fine.
 
EDIT:   Just disabled Elite X1 "Start with OS" and after just a few quick tests the BIOS Boot Error issues didn't appear. Seems that Hibernate/Sleep are waking again as expected. Found a thread suggesting that in the Z690 forum. It may work on Z790 if you happen to be starting X1 during OS start but can't confirm as I don't have an EVGA Z790.

many thanks for your feedback.

Kadao
I also have this errors about every other boot. Specially while cold booting. It also happened with my dark z690. My dark z490 also did it, but to a much lesser extent but that board was very problematic, the first thing to die was the POST leds and one day it simply would just no power on.
 
Now regarding the errors I always assumed it was common and everybody has it.

mmm... very bad omen...
but wait, just one question: did you had hwinfo64 with "EVGA EC" sensor enabled and eleet x1 both running?
 
 
edit:
Forget it, I hadn't had any errors for one day and I was under the illusion that it might be related, but I just had more.
Now I'll try without X1, you never know...

As far as possible conflicts go - Do not have Any software start on Boot.  Then add one program (per re-Boot) at a time & see if issue happens

jasnxl
I had the exact same issue with my Z790 Classified, (and was similarly concerned). However, after reading this thread and removing X1 and Eleet from my system startup, (and not running them), I'm seeing no more BIOS boot errors here.

I did the same, but i'm not testing anymore 'cause theese days i couldn't use that buid, anyway wow, another wonderfull sw support from evga  -.-'

Kadao
Just to confirm that I'm also not getting any more bios errors after stopping Eleet X1.

Thanks for your feedback.
I'm wondering if it's possible that we're the only users of the official evga software, and if it's possible that it's so bugged.
But who cares? we don't even have the basic fw/drv support here, and the fanboy will always remember us that the company is shutting down, the poor poor company, but it wasn't when they sold and marketize theese boards, and the money they took where enough for a complete support, and when they want they even launch new products like the new psu... shame on you evga.