ASRock Z170M Pro4S - BIOS

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   After updating to BIOS 2.2, it's stable - otherwise it crashed frequently with my setup. My system has 4 components:
Intel i7-6700K, Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x4GB Dual Channel (CMK8GX4M2A2133C13), Samsung SM951 (MZVPV128HDGM) M2 boot disk, Toshiba 3TB (DT01ACA300). Tested with Windows 10 64bit Pro.

If you have a small cabinet, you may not be able to access most of the SATA ports as they stick out *sideways* on the motherboard's edge. I only have a few millimeters of space to my cabinet's power supply - so those sideways ports cannot be accessed. Don't see any good reason why they need to be sideways. 

For future MicroATX boards, maybe reconsider this design as small boards often are used in small cabinets? Using MS-Tech LC-02 rev.C slim desktop case. Luckily two SATA ports are normal.

Fast boot is same speed as disabled fast boot, thus normal 15 seconds of waiting before OS boots. Ultra Fast Boot is not working at all, cannot save BIOS settings. Maybe it works with other components. Would be nice if BIOS is updated for the future to support Ultra Fast Boot.

Does anyone succeed with Ultra Fast Boot with similar components (NVME boot disk)?

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janolsen Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 12 Nov 2015 Status: Offline Points: 3	Post Options Post Reply Quote janolsen Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: ASRock Z170M Pro4S - BIOS Posted: 12 Nov 2015 at 5:11pm
	After updating to BIOS 2.2, it's stable - otherwise it crashed frequently with my setup. My system has 4 components: Intel i7-6700K, Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x4GB Dual Channel (CMK8GX4M2A2133C13), Samsung SM951 (MZVPV128HDGM) M2 boot disk, Toshiba 3TB (DT01ACA300). Tested with Windows 10 64bit Pro. If you have a small cabinet, you may not be able to access most of the SATA ports as they stick out sideways on the motherboard's edge. I only have a few millimeters of space to my cabinet's power supply - so those sideways ports cannot be accessed. Don't see any good reason why they need to be sideways. For future MicroATX boards, maybe reconsider this design as small boards often are used in small cabinets? Using MS-Tech LC-02 rev.C slim desktop case. Luckily two SATA ports are normal. Fast boot is same speed as disabled fast boot, thus normal 15 seconds of waiting before OS boots. Ultra Fast Boot is not working at all, cannot save BIOS settings. Maybe it works with other components. Would be nice if BIOS is updated for the future to support Ultra Fast Boot. Does anyone succeed with Ultra Fast Boot with similar components (NVME boot disk)?

ToJiK Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 13 May 2016 Status: Offline Points: 1	Post Options Post Reply Quote ToJiK Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 May 2016 at 8:30am
	Same problem here. Fast is the same as standard load. When I swith to ultra fast book, my uefi just freezes. Need to reset pc. Its AsRock z170m Pro4s with i5 6600k and gtx 970 4gb.

Xaltar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 2015 Location: Europe Status: Offline Points: 25088	Post Options Post Reply Quote Xaltar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 May 2016 at 12:09pm
	[edit] I will bow to Parsec's superior knowledge on this one Edited by Xaltar - 13 May 2016 at 2:46pm


parsec Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 04 May 2015 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 4996	Post Options Post Reply Quote parsec Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 May 2016 at 2:23pm
	The Ultra Fast setting of the Fast Boot option will only work with full UEFI booting Windows installations (CSM set to Disabled, not just the Launch Storage OpROM Policy option set to UEFI Only, with CSM set to Enabled), and with CSM set to Disabled at all times. That configuration has been required for using the Ultra Fast setting as far back as the ASRock Z77 boards. The description of the Fast Boot setting in the UEFI does not make that particularly clear. The recent "NVMe Support" provided for the Intel 100 series chipset boards (Z170, etc) detects NVMe SSDs as the OS drive, and seems to set the Launch Storage OpROM Policy option to UEFI Only automatically. That allows NVMe SSDs to be used as OS drives without knowing about the necessary configuration of the CSM option. That lets NVMe SSDs become plug and play type devices, which they aren't on earlier platforms. But that does not create a full UEFI booting configuration, which only happens if CSM is Disabled. Disabling CSM is not something that can be done with any hardware, mainly the video source is the problem, and requires a few differences in the way Windows is installed. CSM cannot be set to Disabled if the PC is not configured correctly. I can use the Ultra Fast setting fine with my Z170 Extreme7+ board, with a Samsung 950 Pro as the OS drive. The Win 10 installation on the 950 Pro is a full UEFI booting installation, and I always have CSM Disabled. If you select Ultra Fast with a non-full UEFI booting Windows installation, with CSM Enabled, and/or your video source is not GOP (UEFI) compatible, the result is you'll be automatically put into the UEFI UI to fix the inappropriate setting(s). The term Fast "Boot" is misleading. It should be Fast POST, since the length/time of the POST process is really what is shortened by the Fast and Ultra Fast settings, NOT the actual OS boot time, as you have seen. Since we tend to refer to the entire PC startup process (which is really POST plus the OS loading/boot process) as "boot", that is why this option is called Fast Boot.