A Z170 Extreme6+ With a Z170 Extreme 4 Bios
Printed From: ASRock.com
Category: Technical Support
Forum Name: Intel Motherboards
Forum Description: Question about ASRock Intel Motherboards
URL: https://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=2933
Printed Date: 03 Feb 2025 at 4:08am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: A Z170 Extreme6+ With a Z170 Extreme 4 Bios
Posted By: LutaWicasa
Subject: A Z170 Extreme6+ With a Z170 Extreme 4 Bios
Date Posted: 27 Jun 2016 at 1:30pm
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Was helping a bud troubleshoot a non-booting problem on a new build. Got that squared away, but...when he made it into the eufi bios screen it showed as Z170 Extreme 4 P2.40 . So...he does the internet auto update (thinking it would flash the newest correct version) and it now shows as Z170 Extreme 4 P3.20 Head over to Asrock and d/l the newest Extreme 6+ bios and try to flash via instant flash....doesn't see this bios image at all. Ever see or hear of anything like this?   |
Replies:
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 27 Jun 2016 at 4:52pm
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Flash back his BIOS from the backup BIOS. The Manual explains the procedure. Then you'll be good to flash to 2.50. Friends don't let friends flash via Internet Update! Instant flash ONLY!! Keep me posted on your progress. |
Posted By: Jeff G
Date Posted: 27 Jun 2016 at 10:44pm
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The board came new with the Z170 Extreme4 P2.40 bios loaded on both the A Bios and B Bios. The stickers on the bios chips do indicate that as well. Doing an instant flash with the latest Extreme6+ bios resulted in "No Image File Found". Multiple attempts using multiple USB ports, multiple USB drives, and using the F6 for Instant Flash and F2 through BIOS and selecting Instant Flash were made, all with the same result. The file I downloaded from AsRock was a .50 file as well. The bios on the chip currently is a .20 file.
I'm not sure if this is why it can't find it, or if there's something else I'm missing. |
Posted By: clubfoot
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2016 at 3:11am
I think you missed the point of the board being an Extreme 6+ and it will only flash an Extreme 4 BIOS! What he needs to know is if it's flashing the wrong BIOS because it has the wrong BIOS chips installed or,...the board was incorrectly silk screened at manufacture! :) ------------- https://valid.x86.fr/1tkblf" rel="nofollow"> 
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wardog wrote:Posted By: Jeff G
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2016 at 3:39am
| A google search shows the Extreme4 to be visually different from the Extreme6+, enough to the point that I'd be surprised if it was a Extreme4 board that with the wrong silk screen. |
Posted By: Jeff G
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2016 at 3:57am
Actual board in question. 
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Posted By: clubfoot
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2016 at 4:30am
Correct-a-mundo! Which is why I said it may also have been shipped with the incorrect BIOS chips,... Of course if the board works you could live with it,...but I would send it back to the retailer if it is new or RMA it. ------------- https://valid.x86.fr/1tkblf" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Jeff G
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2016 at 4:46am
| It's new, ordered 6 days ago and received 2 days ago. I'm hoping AsRock will get back to me and it will be a simple reflash of the bios. Aside from the fact that I don't want to tear my system back a part, I hate dealing with Newegg's RMA process and really don't wan to be without a board for the next several weeks. |
Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2016 at 5:13am
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It's definitely the Extreme 6+ not an Extreme 4 mislabeled so it must have been fitted with the wrong BIOS. In your pics there appears to be a sticker over the screen printed text for the model but I suspect it probably says Extreme 6 as they are both based on the same PCB. The fact that it has the sticker though leads me to believe it is an early production model (old stock). I would return it to be on the safe side. Weird things happen sometimes and aside from the novelty of having an odd product they are really annoying. The last thing you want is to discover your board uses some strange hybrid BIOS that you can never update. Maybe try flash it with the Extreme 4 latest BIOS? Cancel the flash before it begins, just check and see if the image is found. ------------- 
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Posted By: LutaWicasa
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2016 at 5:47am
In the original post I mentioned he had tried the internet auto flash...it did and is now on the 3.20 for the Extreme 4  |
Posted By: Jeff G
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2016 at 10:59am
| Spoke to AsRock directly via the phone, he told me it isnt possible to load a P2.40 bios onto an Extreme6+ board (I assure you, it seems to be working just fine). So, they're calling it defective and now I get to deal with Neweggs terrible rma process. It's just not worth risking issues down the road with Ex4 bios on an Ex6+ board. Thanks for the help everyone! |
Posted By: parsec
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2016 at 11:11am
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Given the OP's picture of the board, it is definitely a Z170 Extreme6+ After looking at the picture on the Z170 Extreme6+ product page on ASRock's website, they match perfectly in many major details I can see. If you then look at the Z170 Extreme4's product page picture, IMO the Extreme4 board is not just a relabeled version of the Extreme6+. First, the Z170 Extreme6+:  Second, the Z170 Extreme4:  Check some details on the "bottom" of each picture, really the right side of each board when mounted in a PC case. The Extreme4 immediately above, has a CHA_FAN2 header next to the BIOS Select switch. The Extreme6+ does not have the CHA_FAN2 header in that location. Back to the Extreme4, we see a single piece, multi-SATA ports and SATA Express connector. The Extreme6+ has that same connector, and four more SATA ports just to the right of that connector. The Extreme4 does not have four SATA ports in that location. That's only a few of the MANY differences I see between the pictures of these two boards. I could go on and on, the Extreme4 has a four pin fan header where the Extreme6 has the four extra SATA ports. How could you do things like that with the same basic board? Just look at the area around the battery in each board, very different. The Extreme6+ has two four pin fan headers next to the battery, and many small chips above and below the battery. The Extreme4 is relatively clean with very few parts around the battery, and no fan headers in that area. The location of the battery itself is different on each board. So IMO we can say the two boards are different, and not just a relabel job. Back to the main issue, the Extreme4 UEFI version in a Extreme6+ board. Given the evidence we have, the OP's two pictures, it seems the board was originally flashed with the Z170 Extreme4 UEFI version at the factory. Given the specs, the UEFI chips are the same size, but are wrong in the sense they have the wrong board's UEFI version. And no, I have never seen this before.  I don't know how the manufacturing works, if pre-flashed UEFI chips are inserted in the board, or the board is actually flashed with a UEFI version with empty UEFI chips. Another question is how a board identifies itself, where is that information stored and can it be changed? Regardless, I would suggest returning the board to the retailer. It might be hard to convince them that the situation you have exists, and is not something we can fix. I don't know if replacing the UEFI chips with an Extreme6+ UEFI version in each one will fix the problem. I do think that a board with the wrong firmware would be likely to not function correctly in several if not many aspects. I would personally not try a salvage it. Another clue or indication of the factory problem: The stickers on the UEFI chips should say 2.40 on them, right? That is the UEFI version the board came with, right? The Extreme6+ does not have a 2.40 UEFI version. The Extreme4 does. Check the BIOS download list of each board. Sometimes UEFI versions are removed from a board's list, so this check may not be 100% perfect in all cases. The dates of similar UEFI version numbers for each board are not close in their dates. ------------- http://valid.x86.fr/48rujh" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Jeff G
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2016 at 11:33am
 Its the Ex6+ board for sure, and it definitely came from AsRock with Ex4 bios. This should be a cut and dry case of defective product, I'm hoping its an easy swap. |
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2016 at 11:41am
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Definitely has an Extreme6+. Battery position relative to the cpu socket, and two cha fan headers right next to. Odd thing is the silkscreened AMD and Crossfire logos . RMA it or request two BIOS chips from ASRock now that you've documented it. |
Posted By: Jeff G
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2016 at 11:53am
| My solder skills are not up to the task of replacing those chips. The board is less than a week old, I'd prefer a new board over soldering. I was hoping they could have sent me an unlocked bios I could flash to them to get it over to ex6+ bios but they just told me to return it as defective instead. |
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2016 at 2:34pm
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No soldering req'd. They're socketed and thus pull up and out, then carefully press the new ones back in. |