Motherboard [28/04/2025]ASRock DeskMini A/X300 BIOS - "P2.10.SL02"(Curve Optimizer fixed & native S3) & "P2.10B"(ACS) & "P2.10" for X300 - AGESAv2 Pi "1.2.0.E"

[C9923]

Be warned this crap is unfixable bricked. The CH341A with 1.8 V adapter and the clip does not work. No IC detected. Winbond 25Q128FWSQ
is not supported. Only 25Q128FW. It can be erased sometimes. It can be written. But no verifying. After flashing the system is not able to boot.

I used windows softwares:

NeoProgrammer
AS Programmer

Linux:

Flashrom (no ic detected, its not able to read or flash)

 

[Maxkmk]

Be warned this crap is unfixable bricked. The CH341A with 1.8 V adapter and the clip does not work. No IC detected. Winbond 25Q128FWSQ
is not supported. Only 25Q128FW. It can be erased sometimes. It can be written. But no verifying. After flashing the system is not able to boot.

I used windows softwares:

NeoProgrammer
AS Programmer

Linux:

Flashrom (no ic detected, its not able to read or flash)

Thank you for the information. Is it possible that your Bios chip is broken.

 

[tomek]

Be warned this crap is unfixable bricked. The CH341A with 1.8 V adapter and the clip does not work. No IC detected. Winbond 25Q128FWSQ
is not supported. Only 25Q128FW. It can be erased sometimes. It can be written. But no verifying. After flashing the system is not able to boot.

I used windows softwares:

NeoProgrammer
AS Programmer

Linux:

Flashrom (no ic detected, its not able to read or flash)

I have also bricked a300 during crossflash and probably burned flash chip when trying to use flash clips with ch341a programmer. Same sympthons as yours.

The best method is to use soldering iron. Program blank flash with ch341a and find someone who can use soldering iron.
Also FWSQ is OK, i have restored my a300 bios with FWSG flash chip - they're all the same, just different p/n

FYI - there is a header near bios chip on motherboard for flashing bios without any clips or desoldering but asrock wont share any diagrams...
- but you'll need bunch of cables to use with that non standard (smaller than 2.54mm ones) header on motherboard.

 

[C9923]

The clips are not needed. The motherboard has a spi header. You need only 2.54mm (USB programmer) to 2.00mm (SPI/TPM) pitch plug cables.
I will try this first. Maybe the chip is still working.

I used the clip correctly aligned. But im not sure about the contact alignment. May be it slided a few times too much.

 

[C9923]

SPI header pinout A300 mainboard:

 

[C9923]

The on hardwareluxx mentioned plugs (2.00mm (SPI/TPM)) are too big for the A300 spi header. You need maybe 1 mm plugs.





These 2 mm connectors are suitable for the panel 1 header for start, reset, power- and drive led. A header which is multiple times bigger than this tiny spi header.

Without housing the bended pins (for grip) have minimal gaps:



Too little for kapton tape.

The space between the pins are ~1 mm. So this connector has to big spaces. You will need a cable which equals this, but with a tinier connector.

The connector is called:

1.27 mm pitch idc 10p

In addition you need an adapter like this but with 1.27 pitch pins:



This kind, with 8 pins.

Now you have only to rewire the 1.27 mm pitch idc connectors.

I have measured the CH341 programmers voltages, only one voltage is at 3.3 V:



The 1.8 V adapter should still do the voltage regulation for the data lines per chip and the digital resistor.

An explaination video. The data lines at 5 V should do no damage, but i would consider malfunction. It would be better to order the rev. 1.5 of the programmer, with voltage switch:

Spoiler: CH341A rev. 1.5

The X300 @ bios version 2.10 has no cold boot bug and is not resetting the bios. I bought the A300 4 months before the release of the X300 in 2020.

But be aware the bios version 1.90 is not able to boot further than the warning scrren with "new cpu installed, ftpm psp nv corrupted or ftpm /psp nv structure changed.

Only n key is working with some keyboards, connected with front panel USB-A. Before i connected the working keyboard, i cleared cmos 2 times (which results in different text, it removed the get into bios notice).

After getting into windows you have to start the "Restart to UEFI" tool in order to reboot after n button into the bios and update the bios version to 2.10.

The Asrock Auto Installer bios function is also useless, it will appear on windows anyway.

The 1.70E beta bios for the A300 has the same skin as the X300 bios.

Does the X300 bios on A300 contain ddr4 ram speeds above 3200 mhz?

Update:

Asrock repaired my A300. They reflashed the bios chip with the 3.70B. CH341a , this crap did never detect the chip. Glad it didnt fried it.

The killer for the A300 is the beta bios 3.71a.

I also flashed 3.60N from this bios version, before my A300 wont start again.

Several users reported after using 3.71a for flashing a bricked A300 too.

 

[SmallPCFTW]

How is a Per Core offset set for Curve Optimizer? In the bios, when curve optimizer is set to Per Core, I don’t see anywhere to input my values like I do when it is set to All Core.

 

[SmallPCFTW]

How is a Per Core offset set for Curve Optimizer? In the bios, when curve optimizer is set to Per Core, I don’t see anywhere to input my values like I do when it is set to All Core.

I am on Bios 2.10, BTW.

 

[HydrAxx747]

Hi all, i Added new Test-BIOS "P2.10.SL02" changelog: -Updated to new "AGESA ComboBIOSv2 PI 1.2.0.E" version, Native S3 support, and hopefully (I hope so because I haven't had the chance to test it) fixes the issues with the "Curve Optimizer" feature settings since the final BIOS version "P2.00".

See in first thread for download link

 

[Deleted member 46663]

Hi,
Excellent work collating all these BIOS

However for my x300 I'm not having as much fortune...

Ive tried a lot of the BIOS files shared on uploadnow.io but none of the settings are sticking past a cold reboot for me.
Other avenues tried - new CMOS battery, reseating and removing sticks of ram.

I'm sure there was a version that retained the settings at some point but now it seems that all versions are failing, is there some Reset state that needs to be cleared?
I'll try anything!

Thanks

5600g
2 x sata
1 x mvme (boot)
8 x 16gb 3000mhz (XMP)

 

[Arnie-75]

Hi all, i Added new Test-BIOS "P2.10.SL02" changelog: -Updated to new "AGESA ComboBIOSv2 PI 1.2.0.E" version, Native S3 support, and hopefully (I hope so because I haven't had the chance to test it) fixes the issues with the "Curve Optimizer" feature settings since the final BIOS version "P2.00".

See in first thread for download link

Hello there,
where did this come from? Did someone mod this on his own, or is it from AsRock?

 

[HydrAxx747]

Hello there,
where did this come from? Did someone mod this on his own, or is it from AsRock?

From ASRock Support

 

[Arnie-75]

Thanks!

 

[Aleo]

I have received a new customized BIOS for X300 with AGESA 1.2.0.E and Spread Spectrum disabled. This means that the base frequency is more near 100 MHz and is not fluctuating anymore. Spread Spectrum modulation is required only to pass FCC certifications and it fluctuates frequency periodically below the standard frequency. This is known to introduce instabilities in the system, including when not oveclocked and beside that it is very annoying when one wants to monitor exaclty the core clocks during some benchmarking or intensive processing. The median frequency is only a little below the standard, but is multiplied by the core multiplier, so the difference becomes as large as 10-20 MHz, loosing performance and rapidly fluctuating, introducing instabilities. All mainboard manufacturers have an option to disable this, but the X300 doesn't.

 

[HydrAxx747]

I have received a new customized BIOS for X300 with AGESA 1.2.0.E and Spread Spectrum disabled. This means that the base frequency is more near 100 MHz and is not fluctuating anymore. Spread Spectrum modulation is required only to pass FCC certifications and it fluctuates frequency periodically below the standard frequency. This is known to introduce instabilities in the system, including when not oveclocked and beside that it is very annoying when one wants to monitor exaclty the core clocks during some benchmarking or intensive processing. The median frequency is only a little below the standard, but is multiplied by the core multiplier, so the difference becomes as large as 10-20 MHz, loosing performance and rapidly fluctuating, introducing instabilities. All mainboard manufacturers have an option to disable this, but the X300 doesn't.

Thanks! I'll add it as soon as I have a moment.

 

[Maxkmk]

Are there any disadvantages in disabled spread spectrum?

 

[Arnie-75]

ChatGPT tells me that enabled spread spectrum make the frequency vary a little below AND above the desired value, which in summary should not reduce the frequency at all? So maybe it's better to enable it for better EMI since it has no real disadvantages?

 

[Arnie-75]

Just tried the latest S3 BETA. As soon as I change anything (just changed the fan speed) some voltages, e.g. VDDR-SOC and CLDO VDDP, raise to a higher value.

 

[Aleo]

ChatGPT is just stupid. I am a hardware computer engineer. But just check yourself the frequencies with CPUz. The frequency varies only below the maximum, and the median is well below. This is the first thing that I disable when entering new BIOS for more than 30 years now. there is no downside, SS is just to pass FCC regulations.

 

[Aleo]

And about the EMI interferences: SS comes from an age of analogic world, AM radios and antenna TVs. There is now far more interference from your pulse modulated 4G or 5G phone, wireless modem, bluetooth and any intelligent metters than from a computer mainboard inside a Faraday metal cage. Even the speakers can receive the phone pulse signal when near, cable TV and FM radios become noisy because of wireless communications ! Just pointless to modulate the main clock signal. But is not my job to convince any, just don't deactivate it.