Adventure: Running 8/9th gen Coffee Lake CPUs on Z170 motherboard (ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger)

[itsakjt]

Tried that ..Still no dice ' Error 201: FPTW64 cannot be run on current platform'

View attachment 332635

I do have a CH314 Programmer but , I am unsure if this would make a backup that includes UUID and SN

You need to run the correct version of FPT (very likely version 11 for 100/200/300 series chipsets. You can check out WinRaid forums for a complete list of supported versions for your chipset and download the appropriate version from there.
Google for "Intel CSME winraid"

 

[90Ninety]

You need to run the correct version of FPT (very likely version 11 for 100/200/300 series chipsets. You can check out WinRaid forums for a complete list of supported versions for your chipset and download the appropriate version from there.
Google for "Intel CSME winraid"

I think what you are referring to is this, couldn't really see any direct information on FPT , I tried a few different links couldn't see any FPT versions there

You need to run the correct version of FPT (very likely version 11 for 100/200/300 series chipsets. You can check out WinRaid forums for a complete list of supported versions for your chipset and download the appropriate version from there.
Google for "Intel CSME winraid"

I managed to find a suitable working FPT Flash tool from the ME 11 Toolkit found on this thread here HWbot forum

Even after dumping with FPT , my UUID and SN numbers are blank in coffeetime.. What gives ?

I de-soldered the Both the Main and Backup BIOS IC's from the board and read them with the CH341A programmer

Both main and backup files read with the coffeetime reader but , again UUID and SN are blank

Perhaps these were removed before ?

I noticed these were also missing from BIOS mods from the QTJ2 and Mutant CPU BIOS files . I had a board historically that ran fine without the UUID and SN fields , since the BIOS file was provided by the AliExpress seller

 

[90Ninety]

OK so it seems for my board and other Gigabyte boards the UUID and SN are optional ..I found no reliable method of writing them to a BIOS file anyhow yet .Though I have a record of all of these .
So I flashed without , following the video within this guide on Youtube downloading a the latest bios , then using coffeetime to patch it . The flash worked via Intel FPT and I am able to run Coffeelake CPUS .. I tested this and works fine . No CPU hardware mod needed on this Gigabyte board

Though for some reason the SATA ports are no longer working , they appear in BIOS but ' Not installed' s shown . Not sure what I did wrong but , perhaps this is due to downgrading the ME (from 11.8 to 11.7) ?

 

[dumaster]

I want to test like this for a few days and I should try later 4.8... then 4.9... and finally I will try and if I can run all the cores at 5.0GHz with acceptable and safe Temperatures and Vcores I will be very happy !!!

( Original Post Feb 9, 2022 )

Hello my dear friend @itsakjt

Sorry for disappearing from the topic but day to day tasks have been keeping me busy, i committed myself if I managed to raise the clock that I would talk about here, i failed and ended up forgetting to do this update, I'm sorry, but and in fact a long time ago (about a year and a half) I got it right the parameters and I've been running my 9700K for all these 18 months at 5GHz ALL CORES without any crashes or BSODs !!!

I would like to thank you for all the help you gave me and I am still very happy with the results!!!

Now I wanted to ask you about something that has nothing to do with the coffee mod, I was wanting to install Windows 11 without cheating on the requirements because my entire system is compatible and the only thing missing is TPM2, I saw that there are some 14-pin TPM2 adapters on Aliexpress and the sellers say they are compatible with ASUS boards, even the bottom of my Maximus VIII Hero has exactly one connector with 14 pins and it says "TPM" below it.

My doubt and question is:

You have you had any experience with these adapters? If yes, did they work good? Would I need to modify something in the BIOS or just plug it in and TPM2 would already be active?

Thanks and a big hug.

@dumaster

 

[davidm71]

Wanted to advise that you should immediately revert back to the original bios if you expect your motherboard to last another year. I also ran the coffee lake mod on my Z270 Asus Apex motherboard with a 9700K cpu. It worked for like two years and then one day the board started to stutter and eventually it locked up when I tried going into bios my nvme drive would disappear and it stopped working correctly. So I took the 9700K out and put it into a Z390 mAtx system instead to verify the cpu wasn't burnt out or anything. Anyhow the Apex board is now sitting in my closet collecting dust. Best of luck.

Also regarding TPM I don't think its going to work because you need cpu support but its easy enough to mod windows via registry to bypass the tpm requirement. However I did purchase a TPM adapter from Amazon for my Z170 WS board that I think upgraded my TPM level but because the 6700K cpu thats in there is too old it still didn't pass the Win 11 health check tool.

Asus TPM-M R2.0 14-1 Pin TPM Module

 

[itsakjt]

Hello my dear friend @itsakjt

Sorry for disappearing from the topic but day to day tasks have been keeping me busy, i committed myself if I managed to raise the clock that I would talk about here, i failed and ended up forgetting to do this update, I'm sorry, but and in fact a long time ago (about a year and a half) I got it right the parameters and I've been running my 9700K for all these 18 months at 5GHz ALL CORES without any crashes or BSODs !!!

View attachment 333839

I would like to thank you for all the help you gave me and I am still very happy with the results!!!

Now I wanted to ask you about something that has nothing to do with the coffee mod, I was wanting to install Windows 11 without cheating on the requirements because my entire system is compatible and the only thing missing is TPM2, I saw that there are some 14-pin TPM2 adapters on Aliexpress and the sellers say they are compatible with ASUS boards, even the bottom of my Maximus VIII Hero has exactly one connector with 14 pins and it says "TPM" below it.

My doubt and question is:

You have you had any experience with these adapters? If yes, did they work good? Would I need to modify something in the BIOS or just plug it in and TPM2 would already be active?

Thanks and a big hug.

@dumaster

Hello there @dumaster , as you might know I am using the original ASUS TPM-M R2.0 card for my ASUS Maximus VIII Ranger and it works perfect. The adapters on AliExpress should work as well as they are not vendor specific and compatibility depends on the pinouts and the chip used (typically from Infineon or ST Microelectronics). Do check the ratings from other customers and I am sure you will find a compatible TPM card. All the best. And congrats on that 5 GHz OC.

Wanted to advise that you should immediately revert back to the original bios if you expect your motherboard to last another year. I also ran the coffee lake mod on my Z270 Asus Apex motherboard with a 9700K cpu. It worked for like two years and then one day the board started to stutter and eventually it locked up when I tried going into bios my nvme drive would disappear and it stopped working correctly. So I took the 9700K out and put it into a Z390 mAtx system instead to verify the cpu wasn't burnt out or anything. Anyhow the Apex board is now sitting in my closet collecting dust. Best of luck.

Also regarding TPM I don't think its going to work because you need cpu support but its easy enough to mod windows via registry to bypass the tpm requirement. However I did purchase a TPM adapter from Amazon for my Z170 WS board that I think upgraded my TPM level but because the 6700K cpu thats in there is too old it still didn't pass the Win 11 health check tool.

Asus TPM-M R2.0 14-1 Pin TPM Module

Hello @davidm71 , I am personally running the Maximus VIII Ranger with the mod since July 2021. It presently runs an i7 9700KF @5.0 GHz as stated on my system specs' 2nd system. I have installed the TPM card as well on the same year and it passes all the official tests for Windows 11 and runs the same without any issues.
That board has been modded and running 9th gen CPUs for almost 3 years now and have not had a single issue. The experience is the same for @dumaster and many others on this thread. So it is likely that your Z270 Apex board died of different reasons. The Maximus VIII Ranger I have is in total about 8 years old now, previously used with an i5 7600K.

Also, the symptoms you stated does not appear to be a motherboard failure but rather a NVMe drive failure as stutters like the one you described are often related to a failing SSD.

If you check across other forums, there are hundreds, if not thousands of people running their capable Z170 and Z270 based boards with Coffee Lake CPUs.

Here is one such example: https://forums.overclockers.ru/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=602278

 

[deezdrama]

Cant believe I just now stumbled onto this mod.

I remember doing the 771/775 socket xeon mod back in the day and this reminds me of that.

Anyway.... Ive been running my 7700k overclocked to 4.8ghz forever. I need to upgrade but being able to run a 9700k or 9900k would get me by a few more years.

Would this be doable with either the 9700k or 9900k on my Asrock z170 extreme4?

Thanks!

 

[itsakjt]

Cant believe I just now stumbled onto this mod.

I remember doing the 771/775 socket xeon mod back in the day and this reminds me of that.

Anyway.... Ive been running my 7700k overclocked to 4.8ghz forever. I need to upgrade but being able to run a 9700k or 9900k would get me by a few more years.

Would this be doable with either the 9700k or 9900k on my Asrock z170 extreme4?

Thanks!

Yes it will be perfectly doable.

 

[deezdrama]

Yes it will be perfectly doable.

Awesome. Ive read into the mod a little on multiple different forums but seems like some of the info may of been dated and also read one of the newer coffee time releases may get several files flagged as trojan viruses, is it safe? I know files that crack or patch code often get falsely labeled as a virus but figured id make sure.

So is there an up to date definitive guide I should follow, and do I need a CH341A programmer?

 

[itsakjt]

Awesome. Ive read into the mod a little on multiple different forums but seems like some of the info may of been dated and also read one of the newer coffee time releases may get several files flagged as trojan viruses, is it safe? I know files that crack or patch code often get falsely labeled as a virus but figured id make sure.

So is there an up to date definitive guide I should follow, and do I need a CH341A programmer?

The latest CoffeeTime 0.99 release is absolutely safe to use and won't get flagged.
For a definitive guide, you can follow my YouTube video on the 1st page of this thread.
A CH341A programmer will make the entire process much hasslefree adding to that, the board you have, have user removable BIOS chips which is an icing on the cake.
Steps to follow:

1. Update the BIOS to the latest version using your present config if not done already.

2. Take a dump of the BIOS using the CH341A. Make sure to keep a backup.

3. Open the file with CoffeeTime and apply the mod. You can choose to keep 906E9 and 506E3 microcode to make sure your system still boots up with 7th gen and 6th gen CPUs respectively. Make sure to change ME version to 11.7.0.1229 which is included in CoffeeTime.

4. Erase the BIOS chip completely using CH341A and program it with the modded BIOS file.

5. Repeat the same with the backup BIOS chip.

6. Put both chips on the board making sure to check the orientation and start up the system with existing config. It should continue to work as it was.

7. Get the 9700K or 9900K and isolate/connect the pins as on diagram. Put the CPU on the socket and you should be good to go.

The 2nd PC on my system specs is close to 3 years with the mod and still works perfect to this day.

 

[BobbyBoyGaming]

Awesome. Ive read into the mod a little on multiple different forums but seems like some of the info may of been dated and also read one of the newer coffee time releases may get several files flagged as trojan viruses, is it safe? I know files that crack or patch code often get falsely labeled as a virus but figured id make sure.

So is there an up to date definitive guide I should follow, and do I need a CH341A programmer?

The 9900K pin mod is NOT a "walk in the park". Just a heads up. You will need to spend money on a USB microscope and a scalpel kit. Just be warned.
I believe that the ASRock motherboards have the "easiest" version of this pin-mod. I suggest you look at the difference between the pinmods across each motherboard brand, one of them looks very difficult and I would not recommend even trying it since it might just drive you absolutely mad.

In addition, the 9900K is unreasonably priced in the used market in my opinion. I'd say the 9700K is more reasonably priced. I think the advantage of getting a genuine CPU is that you will be able to achieve decent RAM clock speeds, but the pin-mod is a disadvantage because the copper tape people use for it is very flimsy.
It may be possible to use a conductive pen instead of copper tape, it might be worth trying that out too. The pin-isolation part of the mod will still be quite difficult depending on the motherboard brand.

As for the mutant CPUs,
It might be worth looking into the I9-9980HK mutant CPU, because it is not an Engineering sample Xeon CPU. I don't know if this means the memory controller might be better at reaching higher speeds than the other mutant Xeon-based mutant CPUs, like for example the QTJ1. The advantage of the mutant CPUs is that they don't require a pin-mod.

Just a few things to think about, of course you gotta do your own research and it will all be a risk.

Consider that a brand-spankin' new 5800X3D is already less expensive than a used 9900K on Amazon if you live in the USA. And is significantly faster than the 9900K and does not require fast RAM to achieve high performance because of the V-Cache.
Good luck!

 

[90Ninety]

Hi

Can any confirm if the Coffeetime (8th/9th Gen Bios hack) works on OEM motherboards

For example the ALienware X51 R3 has a Z170 board … I was thinking of trying

I have a CH314 and can resolder BIOS chip if needed

 

[itsakjt]

Hi

Can any confirm if the Coffeetime (8th/9th Gen Bios hack) works on OEM motherboards

For example the ALienware X51 R3 has a Z170 board … I was thinking of trying

I have a CH314 and can resolder BIOS chip if needed

It is likely going to work. Just might need more research to figure out the pin connect/isolatation on the socket.

 

[crazyfrog]

Can someone help me?
I'm trying to fit a 8600k to a Asus z170 pro gaming and not having much luck. I've patched the bios using coffeetime 0.99 and tried to do the SKTOCC mod by finding pin 102 and bridging to ground. The layout of my board is different to other examples I have seen buy I've traced 102 and checked points with a multimeter and I'm confident that pin is shorted to ground.
Board still works with 6600k so I've not killed the board yet.

I've not isolated pins on my 8600k do I need to do that? I noted the OP didnt need to do with his similar 9600kf so havent done this either.

BTW the reason the board looks slimy is it is. No clean flux, at least until I'm happy its working.

 

[BobbyBoyGaming]

Can someone help me?
I'm trying to fit a 8600k to a Asus z170 pro gaming and not having much luck. I've patched the bios using coffeetime 0.99 and tried to do the SKTOCC mod by finding pin 102 and bridging to ground. The layout of my board is different to other examples I have seen buy I've traced 102 and checked points with a multimeter and I'm confident that pin is shorted to ground.
Board still works with 6600k so I've not killed the board yet.

I've not isolated pins on my 8600k do I need to do that? I noted the OP didnt need to do with his similar 9600kf so havent done this either.

BTW the reason the board looks slimy is it is. No clean flux, at least until I'm happy its working.

do the bios flashing again but make sure you turn to the second page of coffeetime and turn on "set 2133 as default ram speed". Then make sure that you are inserting the ram into the Grey slots not the black ones. Then try only with one DIMM. Give the motherboard about 3 minutes to boot because it will have a very hard time finding the correct JEDEC timings.
Also make sure you are not using "Crucial Memory" or any memory that uses Micron ICs. Use Samsung or SK Hynix. Do not do the booting attempts with 4 dimms, do 1 or 2 max.

You might need to test your RAM on anothe system with CPU Z or Taiphoon or HW info to see what type of IC it has. Make sure to give the motherboard like 3 to 5 minutes to boot up each time, because sometimes it looks like nothing is happening but it is just struggling to find the proper RAM timings because the memory controller on this modded CPU is mostly garbage.

 

[crazyfrog]

do the bios flashing again but make sure you turn to the second page of coffeetime and turn on "set 2133 as default ram speed". Then make sure that you are inserting the ram into the Grey slots not the black ones. Then try only with one DIMM. Give the motherboard about 3 minutes to boot because it will have a very hard time finding the correct JEDEC timings.
Also make sure you are not using "Crucial Memory" or any memory that uses Micron ICs. Use Samsung or SK Hynix. Do not do the booting attempts with 4 dimms, do 1 or 2 max.

You might need to test your RAM on anothe system with CPU Z or Taiphoon or HW info to see what type of IC it has. Make sure to give the motherboard like 3 to 5 minutes to boot up each time, because sometimes it looks like nothing is happening but it is just struggling to find the proper RAM timings because the memory controller on this modded CPU is mostly garbage.

It’s not that there’s no post, there’s NO FAN SPIN. Things aren’t turning on.

 

[BobbyBoyGaming]

You have to tighten the screws quite tight. It is very scary because you might think you are going to break the socket, but the screws that came with your modded cpu have lock washers on them, so you might think it is tight enough but you have not flattened the lock washers. you have to flatten though lock washers. so it might feel like you are overtightening but you are not. be careful but dont be too scared.

If this is not a good answer then I cannot help you, I suggest you tag Itsakjt instead

 

[crazyfrog]

I’ve done mutant CPUs but I’m not using one here I’m using a 8600k.

 

[BobbyBoyGaming]

Recheck your Intel ME version, when you hover the mouse over the ME versions it will show a text box explaining which version works with which cpu/mobo combo. But I suspect you have a different problem.
I think you have to redo the pin bridging + isolation part. I dont remember those details but you need to do some isolation and some bridging. and it is specific to your mobo brand and CPU stepping. just have to triple check the instructions maybe.
I think that if you do the pin modding correctly, the motherboard is supposed to be able to power on even without detecting a CPU, and so if you plug in a CPU fan the fan should spin even if the CPU isnt plugged in. (If I remember correctly). I dont really have any specific ideas on what to do next.

I suspect you grounded the pin correctly for but that you did not isolate some of the pins you are supposed to isolate? IDK

 

[crazyfrog]

Recheck your Intel ME version, when you hover the mouse over the ME versions it will show a text box explaining which version works with which cpu/mobo combo. But I suspect you have a different problem.
I think you have to redo the pin bridging + isolation part. I dont remember those details but you need to do some isolation and some bridging. and it is specific to your mobo brand and CPU stepping. just have to triple check the instructions maybe.
I think that if you do the pin modding correctly, the motherboard is supposed to be able to power on even without detecting a CPU, and so if you plug in a CPU fan the fan should spin even if the CPU isnt plugged in. (If I remember correctly). I dont really have any specific ideas on what to do next.

I suspect you grounded the pin correctly for but that you did not isolate some of the pins you are supposed to isolate? IDK

You can see my ME version above I added a screenshot from within coffee time. I'm confident the bios is ok.
My thinking is the SKTOCC mod on the motherboard doesnt work as the mobo wont power without a skylake cpu installed.

I've linked the patched Z170 bios perhaps someone can use it in the future.

Google Drive: Sign-in

Access Google Drive with a Google account (for personal use) or Google Workspace account (for business use).

drive.google.com

 

[BobbyBoyGaming]

Yes, your mod is not working. If your pinmod worked correctly then themotherboard would power on with an empty socket, and you would know by seeing the fans spin with an empty socket.

 

[crazyfrog]

Hopefully itsakjt sees this and knows a little more about the mod to get this working.

 

[BobbyBoyGaming]

I suggest you post some higher quality photos so that when he sees it he doesnt have to ask you for a better photo

 

[itsakjt]

Hopefully itsakjt sees this and knows a little more about the mod to get this working.

Hello there. BIOS modification look fine.
Issue seems to be with SKT_OCC mod, both with respect to symptoms and photo of the board near the super IO.
The SKT_OCC mod seems to have been done by shorting the pull up resistor which would not work. Pin 102 of NCT 6793D needs to be grounded and the way it can be verified is - Remove CPU from board, take multimeter and switch to continuity mode, connect one probe to ground and another probe to pin 102 and it should give a beep. I am providing a photo which shows the correct SKT_OCC mod.

Hope this helps.

 

[BobbyBoyGaming]

Hello Itsakjt,

Would you try plugging in a mutant CPU into this socket or would it be too risky? It seems like the previous owner damaged some pins but since the Mutant CPUs come with so many pins blocked out I am trying to find out if it might still be okay. Everything else in the motherboard appears to be like new.
There is a missing pin that is not needed, a missing pin that may be required but I am not sure.
One pin is heavily bent but I could straighten it. Then there are multiple pins that look like they overheated, but may still work.

I marked each area A and B for easier location
Click link for a very high quality photo of the QTJ1: QTJ1 High Quality Image

Whole Socket

Area A damage:


My assessment: Neither of these pins are needed, but the bent pin must be straightened or cut to prevent short with the neighboring pin.

Area B damage:


My assessment: Unfortunately this missing pin is needed, and the area looks damaged, but two nearby pins would not be needed?
Any thoughts? xD