# KabyLake (and Skylake) runing on Z370 mobo



## <-_-> (Dec 1, 2017)

Core i7-7700K (KabyLake) on Z370 mobo CPU-Z


ASUS / MSI / GIGABYTE / ASRock / Colorful Z370 mobo can support KabyLake and Skylake.
this picture from here.


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## Toothless (Dec 1, 2017)

If it were english I'd understand it better. Guess I gotta wait for the bootleg translation.


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## FireFox (Dec 1, 2017)

Trying to figure out where is the mistake


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## R0H1T (Dec 1, 2017)

Why is that a surprise, someone from ASUS confirmed it officially that they could update Z270 to make CFL work on it, but Intel obviously banned it & so Z370 would be no different.
Anyway why would you want the older KBL for Z370 in the first place?


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## FireFox (Dec 1, 2017)

Something to hide?






Oh, and dont forget that the screenshots can be mix it and makes it look like they are on the same screen


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## P4-630 (Dec 1, 2017)

I'd much rather see 8th gen CPU's running on Z170.....
And that M$ still offering windows updates to pre windows 10 OS's....

One can only dream...



Knoxx29 said:


> Something to hide?



Serial number?


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## Liviu Cojocaru (Dec 1, 2017)

It doesn't really matter, it would've been interesting to see it work the other way...Z270's to work with Coffee Lake


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## FireFox (Dec 1, 2017)

P4-630 said:


> Serial number?



Any reason to hide it?


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## R0H1T (Dec 1, 2017)

Knoxx29 said:


> Any reason to hide it?


Would reveal the identity of the leaker, with a unique serial number, assuming Gigabyte themselves didn't want want to leak it & this is of course legit.


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## FR@NK (Dec 1, 2017)

The processor is also an ES so that might have something to do with it working since it might have different microcode.


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## SnakeDoctor (Dec 1, 2017)

Google translate?This is as useless as my post


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## newtekie1 (Dec 1, 2017)

I don't see how this is a big deal.  When you know what they really changed in the socket, this isn't a surprise at all.  It also isn't really important, because no one really wants to put an older processor in Z370, especially when Z370 doesn't really offer anything over Z270.

Coffee Lake on Z270/Z170 is more impressive, but also dangerous.


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## jaggerwild (Dec 1, 2017)

It was already stated by Intel they were backwards compatible, but it would not be workable..............As above why would you do it?


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## Flaky (Dec 1, 2017)

newtekie1 said:


> It also isn't really important, because no one really wants to put an older processor in Z370, especially when Z370 doesn't really offer anything over Z270.


It supports 8th gen, and that's enough. Being able to upgrade from a cheap celeron/pentium to a 6core would be a real thing for many.



FR@NK said:


> The processor is also an ES so that might have something to do with it working since it might have different microcode.


CPU microcode gets injected depending on cpu's stepping. This particular ES has the same stepping as retail cpu.



R0H1T said:


> Would reveal the identity of the leaker, with a unique serial number, assuming Gigabyte themselves didn't want want to leak it & this is of course legit.


That's the serial number of memory modules, not the motherboard. 
I guess it's a general paranoia of censoring every possible serial number - same with HDD for example.

Funny thing is, GB & Asus motherboards already have sky/kaby microcode present in their UEFIs.


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## jaggerwild (Dec 1, 2017)

Why don't you post something you know, not what everyone else is posting?


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## fullinfusion (Dec 1, 2017)

Toothless said:


> If it were english I'd understand it better. Guess I gotta wait for the bootleg translation.


google http://tieba.baidu.com/p/5458244719 and translate


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## Vayra86 (Dec 1, 2017)

So congrats on a pointless exercise, because why on earth would you buy a new board to pair it with an old CPU?

Its the same sentiment as people pissing on Intel for their socket iterations, even though less than 3% of the market would ever consider doing anything with it.



R0H1T said:


> Why is that a surprise, someone from ASUS confirmed it officially that they could update Z270 to make CFL work on it, but Intel obviously banned it & so Z370 would be no different.
> Anyway why would you want the older KBL for Z370 in the first place?



Right, and actual reviews confirmed that Z370 has a different pin layout, which makes total sense if you want to feed more cores.


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## newtekie1 (Dec 1, 2017)

Flaky said:


> It supports 8th gen, and that's enough. Being able to upgrade from a cheap celeron/pentium to a 6core would be a real thing for many.



Sure that will be nice, and it will be possible with Coffee Lake once Intel releases the rest of the line-up.  But they were forced to push up the launch to compete with AMD, so the stock on the lower dual-core processors isn't enough to launch them yet.  Yeck, they are struggling to keep the high end processors in stock right now.

This is an odd time where you can't buy a cheap Z370 processor, but it will be a short time and not the norm.  So you either wait to do a build if you have to buy one of the cheap processors, or you scrape enough money together to buy the $130 Coffee Lake processor that is on the market.



Flaky said:


> That's the serial number of memory modules, not the motherboard.
> I guess it's a general paranoia of censoring every possible serial number - same with HDD for example.



But if the memory was provided to them by a motherboard manufacturer to do the testing, then that serial number could be used to ID the person leaking the screenshots.


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## R0H1T (Dec 1, 2017)

Vayra86 said:


> Right, and actual reviews confirmed that Z370 has a different pin layout, which makes total sense if you want to feed more cores.


And Asus confirmed they could make Z270 compatible with CFL, even with the higher/more stringent requirements to feed more cores.





> *bit-tech: Can you go into more technical detail about why the new CPUs are not backwards-compatible with Z270 motherboards?*
> _Andrew: *Actually, it depends on Intel’s decision*._
> *bit-tech: So it’s not a physical limitation? Intel said it was to do with power delivery.*
> _Andrew: *Not really. It [the power delivery] makes a little bit of difference, but not much*._
> ...


https://www.bit-tech.net/features/tech/motherboards/asus-interview-andrew-wu-rog-motherboard-pm/1/

So yes pissing on Intel is totally justified, doubly so if they make a Z390 to screw current CFL or KBL owners!


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## newtekie1 (Dec 1, 2017)

R0H1T said:


> And Asus confirmed they could make Z270 compatible with CFL, even with the higher/more stringent requirements to feed more cores.



Making it work and making it work reliably and safely are two different things.

If they made Coffee Lake work on Z170/270, and sockets started melting like back in the P55 days, it would be a worse PR disaster than if they just play is safe and limit the new processors to the new socket with the extra power pins.

And I know the next argument that will be made is "well at least they could have made the quad-core and lower Coffee Lake processors work on Z170/270".  But that creates confusion, they tried that with Socket 775, and it didn't work out well.  That isn't a mistake they want to make again.

And that is the thing, Intel has made the mistakes in the past already, and learned from them.  They aren't making these decisions to simply screw people into buying new motherboards.  They are making them based mistakes they've made in the past that they don't want to repeat.


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## cadaveca (Dec 1, 2017)

newtekie1 said:


> Making it work and making it work reliably and safely are two different things.



Doesn't prevent people from trying to say we're getting ripped off.  You know how this all plays out already.


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## R0H1T (Dec 2, 2017)

newtekie1 said:


> *Making it work and making it work reliably and safely are two different things.*
> 
> If they made Coffee Lake work on Z170/270, and sockets started melting like back in the P55 days, it would be a worse PR disaster than if they just play is safe and limit the new processors to the new socket with the extra power pins.
> 
> ...


They could make it work on the high(er) end boards like ROG Maximus, Apex et al. But they're saving it for the much better z390 & the upcoming i9 octa cores.

Not all boards had to be CFL compatible & not everyone had to buy a *z*370 even for locked CFL chips, but obviously this is all on the motherboard makers.


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## newtekie1 (Dec 2, 2017)

R0H1T said:


> They could make it work on the high(er) end boards like ROG Maximus, Apex et al. But they're saving it for the much better z390 & the upcoming i9 octa cores.
> 
> Not all boards had to be CFL compatible & not everyone had to buy a *z*370 even for locked CFL chips, but obviously this is all on the motherboard makers.



Explain your reasoning why it would magically work on higher end boards.


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## R0H1T (Dec 2, 2017)

newtekie1 said:


> Explain your reasoning why it would *magically work on higher end boards*.


No I'm saying it need not work on lesser boards. There's also no good reason for forcing the buyer, someone who picks an i5 8400, to get a *z*370 even for a locked processor.


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## newtekie1 (Dec 2, 2017)

R0H1T said:


> No I'm saying it need not work on lesser boards. There's also no good reason for forcing the buyer, someone who picks an i5 8400, to get a *z*370 even for a locked processor.



No, you said they could make it(meaning coffee lake on z170/270) work on higher end boards, like the ROG Maximus.  I'm asking how you believe that just because the z170/270 motherboard is a higher end board it would be possible to make coffee lake work reliably and safely.  Explain that to me.  Why does the z170/270 board being higher end make it able to safely run a 6-core coffee lake processor.


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## Outback Bronze (Dec 2, 2017)

A few people saying here what's the point. Yeah I get it but CL doesn't sell a 4C/8T in its line of processors yet so it might not be a bad option if you already have a KL.

Correct me if I'm wrong.


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## newtekie1 (Dec 2, 2017)

Outback Bronze said:


> A few people saying here what's the point. Yeah I get it but CL doesn't sell a 4C/8T in its line of processors yet so it might not be a bad option if you already have a KL.
> 
> Correct me if I'm wrong.



If you already have Kaby Lake, you already have a board that can use Kaby Lake, so just buy a 4C/8T Kaby Lake.

There really isn't a lot of point though if you are buying new anyway, when the i7-7700 is selling for basically the same price as the i5-8600K.  The 6C/6T configuration is better than a 4C/8T setup.


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## R0H1T (Dec 2, 2017)

newtekie1 said:


> No, you said they could make it(meaning coffee lake on z170/270) *work on higher end boards*, like the ROG Maximus.  I'm asking how you believe that just because the z170/270 motherboard is a higher end board it would be possible to make coffee lake work reliably and safely.  Explain that to me.  Why does the z170/270 board being higher end make it able to safely run a 6-core coffee lake processor.


Yes I said that but higher end doesn't mean just the *Z* boards, any board with better components that can reliably handle 6 cores. Something like ROG has premium quality components, more expansion slots, better (higher speed) RAM support et al.

The ASUS rep said that they could handle power delivery with the same socket, so no reason why Intel couldn't  limit CFL for high end/premium boards. Also why do I have to buy a *z*370 if I need just an 8400, explain that?


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## newtekie1 (Dec 2, 2017)

R0H1T said:


> Yes I said that but higher end doesn't mean z boards, any board with better components that can reliably handle 6 cores. Something like ROG has premium quality components, more expansion slots, better (higher speed) RAM support et al.
> 
> The ASUS rep said that they could handle power delivery with the same socket, so no reason why Intel couldn't  limit CFL for high end/premium boards. Also why do I have to buy a *z*370 if I need just an 8400, explain that?



Higher quality power components doesn't solve the problem of too much current flowing through too few socket pins.  Nothing solves that other than more pins, which is what they did with Z370.  There are risks involved when you don't have enough power pins in the socket, and Intel has been burned(no pun intended) by it in the past.  Intel didn't decided to add 32 extra power pins to the socket just for the fuck of it.

And the ASUS rep didn't say they could do it reliably or safely, they just said Coffee Lake could work on Z170/270 boards.  Hell, he didn't even specify that the 6-core processors would be possible, he simply said Coffee Lake.

Plus, ASUS isn't exactly the authority to believe when it comes to safe and reliable power delivery.  I mean, these are the people that think it's perfectly Ok to run an i7 on a 3-phase VRM...


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## R0H1T (Dec 2, 2017)

newtekie1 said:


> *Higher quality power components doesn't solve the problem of too much current flowing through too few socket pins*.  Nothing solves that other than more pins, which is what they did with Z370.  There are risks involved when you don't have enough power pins in the socket, and Intel has been burned(no pun intended) by it in the past.
> 
> And the ASUS rep didn't say they could do it reliably or safely, they just said Coffee Lake could work on Z170/270 boards.  Hell, he didn't even specify that the 6-core processors would be possible, he simply said Coffee Lake.
> 
> *Plus, ASUS isn't exactly the authority to believe when it comes to safe and reliable power delivery.  I mean, these are the people that think it's perfectly Ok to run an i7 on a 3-phase VRM*...


We don't know how much of a difference the extra pins made, no one does, reliably without testing a six core CFL on z270. We also don't know whether the extra pins were added just for CFL or the upcoming i9, in which case it would make more sense though there's every chance they'll redo a z370 & lock current owners from upgrading to an octa core.

And we are to believe Intel, who's history is littered with so many anti consumer/competition incidents that it'd need a separate page to list them all?

A low power quad core (S or T) version should work fine on a 3 phase VRM.


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## newtekie1 (Dec 2, 2017)

R0H1T said:


> We don't know how much of a difference the extra pins made, no one does, reliably without testing a six core CFL on z270. We also don't know whether the extra pins were added just for CFL or the upcoming i9, in which case it would make more sense though there's every chance they'll redo a z370 & lock current owners from upgrading to an octa core.



Intel knows.  And we already know Z390 is on the way.  And you're just grasping at straws at this point to hope Intel is the big bad company you believe they are.  You're coming up with conspiracy theories before products are even close to being released now...



R0H1T said:


> And we are to believe Intel, who's history is littered with so many anti consumer/competition incidents that it'd need a separate page to list them all?



Having seen the melted sockets of the past, I'd believe Intel.  I'd definitely believe them more than ASUS.  Maybe you didn't realize that a few posts up a person that does motherboard reviews professionaly agreeing that the old socket likely couldn't do it safely and reliably.  But, hey, what would he know.



R0H1T said:


> A low power quad core (S or T) version should work fine on a 3 phase VRM.



And yet they think the K versions will work just fine...


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## R0H1T (Dec 2, 2017)

newtekie1 said:


> Intel knows.  And we already know Z390 is on the way.  And you're just grasping at straws at this point to hope Intel is the big bad company you believe they are.  *You're coming up with conspiracy theories before products are even close to being released now*...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yet you haven't explained why an existing KBL won't work with Z370 or why does an i5 8400 sell with just Z370 to pair it with, only conspiracy theories you think? My theory ~ they've shut out existing KBL owners from upgrading to a hex core, & possibly octa core in the future, deliberately!

I've already explained this, let me repeat ~ was z370 a necessity? Possibly, but then how do you explain KBL being shut out of working on Z370, maybe Dave can answer that as well?


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## newtekie1 (Dec 2, 2017)

R0H1T said:


> Yet you haven't explained why an existing KBL won't work with Z370



We've gone over this.  There is no point in Kaby Lake working with Z370.  No one is just upgrading their motherboard, so it doesn't really matter.  Furthermore, that isn't what we are discussing.  We are discussing Coffee Lake working on Z170/270.  That was your original statement, that is what I responded to, that is what we are discussing.  Because no one gives a rats ass about Kaby Lake working on Z370.



R0H1T said:


> or why does an i5 8400 sell with just Z370 to pair it with



Well that is because Coffee Lake is a rushed launch.  The other chipsets, and lower end processors, aren't ready yet.  Q1 of 2018 sees the release of H310, B360, Q360, Q370, and H370.  Q1 or 2018 was originally supposed to be the launch for the entire Coffee Lake line, but Intel pushed the enthusiast portion up to Q4 2017 to compete with AMD's higher core count Ryzen AM4 processors during the holiday season.



R0H1T said:


> My theory ~ they've shut out existing KBL owners from upgrading to a hex core, & possibly octa core in the future, deliberately!



And your theory is wrong.



R0H1T said:


> I've already explained this, let me repeat ~ was z370 a necessity?



Z370 was nothing more than a moniker to separate compatibility.  It is there to tell you that the motherboard you are buying is compatible with Coffee Lake.  They didn't change the number of pins, so without renaming the socket, the next option is to rename the chipset.  And even if they did rename the socket to something like 1151-V2, they would have incremented to chipset number as well just to stick with tradition.

The change in pin function on the socket was necessary.



R0H1T said:


> Possibly, but then how do you explain KBL being shut out of working on Z370, maybe Dave can answer that as well?



There is no reason for Z370 to support Kaby Lake.  Do you really know a lot of people rushing out to upgrade their motherboard and keep their old processor? In your fantasy world is that something that is in high demand?  And why would they even bother, Z270 has pretty much the identical feature set to Z370.


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## Outback Bronze (Dec 2, 2017)

newtekie1 said:


> If you already have Kaby Lake, you already have a board that can use Kaby Lake, so just buy a 4C/8T Kaby Lake.
> 
> There really isn't a lot of point though if you are buying new anyway, when the i7-7700 is selling for basically the same price as the i5-8600K.  The 6C/6T configuration is better than a 4C/8T setup.



Its just the simple fact that you can buy the board now, slap your processor in and wait for a steal on a 6C/12T. 

Me, I'm not sure I would do that but some people might like the option. Doesn't hurt...


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## Spencer067 (Apr 9, 2019)

Well I was looking to upgrade the motherboard to support argb. And I do not have the money to upgrade both cpu and motherboard. I wanted to upgrade my board and then when I have the money. To upgrade GPU and monitor. The board I got was so I could get the computer running


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## Deleted member 24505 (Apr 9, 2019)

Having a scroll through some pages of that thread, it is interesting. The guy is very clever, and is testing a lot of 370 boards. He may have been modding the bios's and using spi to flash them back. The translation is not great though. It does seem highly possible to get a 6/7th gen running on a 370 board. I think he was using MM tool to edit the bios's. I have a link to MM tool if anyone wants it


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## Flaky (Apr 9, 2019)

It is the IME that blocks using 6/7 gen cpus on z370 (and other 300 series 22nm PCHs). On some motherboards all that is needed is swapping for older version (i.e. 11.6).
Unfortunately 14nm chipsets use newer ME12, and such trick does not work here.


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## phill (Apr 9, 2019)

P4-630 said:


> I'd much rather see 8th gen CPU's running on Z170.....
> And that M$ still offering windows updates to pre windows 10 OS's....
> 
> One can only dream...
> ...



That's already a thing   My OCF Z170M works with all CPUs, up to and including the 9900k   I just don't have a CPU for it


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