G434 Issues

Greg_D4791

This G434 is powered by and OEM Asrock Z390 4s/ac.  Asrock did not manufacturer it, it is OEM. But I am having some issues that I think a BIOS flash could resolve. Issues: Post DRAM led stays solid red after post but ONLY resuming from sleep, I have tried s-3 s-4 no avail. CPU Voltage seems to be undervolting in the Current BIOS.  As it is not an Asrock Manufactured board, They do not Support The Motherboard and do not support or Possess a BIOS flash.  (I recommend anyone with a Asrock z390 Phantom Gaming 4s/ac TO NOT update with the 4s BIOS) . The "AC" is a OEM variant according to some dialogues, it is REALLY NOT supported by Asrock.
I have False positive Front panel detection as a mic, I get frequent Boot loops requiring a hard restart. The Wifi adapter settings are showing disconnected even though I have a live connection. 
As Asrock did not Make this Motherboard Asrock does not support it. The "AC" variant is not on their website as supported. Microcenter does not support nor do they possess a BIOS flash for this Motherboard. There is a BIOS update out their 1.21a from an FTP server called iBUYPOWER. This was released in August 2020
Here is some details in the research I did.  I will provide the link and I will upload the BIOS file. Please read and help me to see if BIOS update is feasible. 
(1) ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 4s/ac - Issues (does it even exist???) : ASRock (reddit.com)

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up, I was able to locate BIOS updates for Z390 Phantom Gaming 4S/ac on iBUYPOWER's FTP site. Like ABS, they also use the board in some of their rigs.

Looks like the latest BIOS update for this board is 1.21A, released August 2020.

Just flashed it on my rig and it works fine. Not sure what all is fixed. I'm hoping it fixes my XMP problem where the system halts randomly. Time will tell.

Enjoy!

ftp://drivers.ibuypower.com/BIOS
Filename: Z39G4SA1.21A

I decided not to upload the File because it is on the FTP link.
I have tried to have this resolved "the issues" with the PC at the Microcenter Service center but unfortunately they were unable to resolve them on both occasions. Please any suggestions from the community would be great.

Greg_D4791

UPDATE: BIOS vs. 1.21a Corrrected every last one of these issues. BIOS is now reading my Memory and CPU correctly, Also I have no more false positive front panel detection!! PM me if you want the file.

BarryPG

Did anyone ever confirm that this is the most recent update for the Asrock Z390 4s/ac motherboard? I ask because I also recently noticed a solid red DRAM light appearing whenever I woke up my PC from Sleep Mode. It might have been there for years but I didn't know anything about PC LED lights (and possibly didn't even notice it) until I recently upgraded my memory on a 2019 PC that has this motherboard. I had a problem getting Windows to boot after I upgraded/swapped the RAM and took it back to MicroCenter to get it diagnosed. They were able to install the RAM without issue and then ran a successful PC Doctor test.

However, the red light problem surfaced so I took it back and they swapped the new memory (again) for Crucial Pro, reinstalled the sticks, and ran a PC Doctor test (2nd time) and it passed all hardware again.

I got home and I told them I was still having the red light issue and they suggested updating the BIOS since I never did. I'm currently running:

BIOS Version String P1.10A

BIOS Version 5.13 (Release Date 09/11/2019)

So, I went looking on AS Rock's site and only found BIOS updates for the Asrock Z390 4s motherboard, but none for the Z390 4s/ac motherboard variant referenced here. I did a Reddit search and learned this motherboard was only sold to "systems integrators" and that's why ASRock doesn't have any BIOS updates for it on their site. I didn't know these variants were different so I unsuccessfully tried to install the 1.4 version of BIOS on their site but Instant Flash didn't "see" any image file on a formatted US stick and Windows couldn't install the executable file. I assume it's because that version of the BIOS is only compatible with the Z390 4s and not the "4s/Ac" variant motherboard.

I am a newbie so I was wondering if there is any risk in downloading the 1.2a BIOS file from BuyPower and trying to install it using AS Rock's "Instant Flash" method? Will that work? Or is there a better way to install this updated BIOS?

PowerSpec_MikeW

@BarryPG

It's possible, BIOS updates do improve memory compatibility. Your issue is with booting or waking from sleep after being away from the system for a while? We call that a cold boot issue. Not abnormal for DRAM to light up when the system wakes from sleep or turns on. It will need to train the RAM, but it should go out after that process is complete.

There's a setting in the BIOS under DRAM Configuration called MRC Fast Boot. I'd disable this if it's enabled as a starting point. It'll make the memory full train each time instead of trying to load the last good value.

BarryPG

If I install the BIOS 1.21A from IBuyPower.com site, which lists this for the z390 4s/ac OEM variant, is there a risk of losing my Windows license which MicroCenter pre-installed on this motherboard which came with my B743 PC?

PowerSpec_MikeW

@BarryPG

The way you worded the post, I wasn't sure if it was a PowerSpec. We have a newer BIOS for you. Based on 1.30, we added support for CAM and Above 4G Decoding.

Z39G4SA1.31C.zip

BarryPG

Great! Thank you very much!. I contacted MicroCenter yesterday via the online chat to inquire whether there was any BIOS update for the B743 PowerSpec (beyond the original 1.10A version currently still on my machine) and the agent said he was going to send a message to the PowerSpec team to find out.

Now that you answered that question as "yes", and provided this attached zip file, I will install this version which you indicated was based on 1.30.

One more newbie question, if I may.

Was my Windows Pro license embedded/installed into the z390 4s/ac motherboard when I bought the PowerSpec? I ask because I just want to make sure that doing a BIOS update won't "forget" that I have the license and might not boot up into Windows when I update the BIOS. For reference, originally, the B743 came with Windows 10 Pro, but a few years later I was able to update it under that same license to Windows 11 Pro.

PowerSpec_MikeW

@BarryPG

Yes, the OS key is embedded in the firmware. It's protected, the BIOS update should not wipe it. In the event you do have any issues, message me here and I'll take care of it.

BarryPG

Thanks for all of your help and suggestions. I appreciate the assistance.

I am planning to use AS Rock's "EZ Mode" to try and install it. I read the instructions to install a BIOS using "Instant Flash". These instructions for this method, "EZ Mode", end with #9, which reads "In Exit menu, please select "Load Default Settings" and press [Enter] to continue. Select "Exit Saving Changes" and press [Enter] to exit the BIOS setup utility."

Using "EZ Mode", do you know where I can find this menu for the "Exit Menu" located on the Dashboard? I did a test using F2 to see what the dashboard looks like, and I don't see this option on their EZ Mode dashboard anywhere. I do see a few icons at the top, but I'm not sure if any will take me to the "Exit Menu". Do I need to switch to "Advanced Mode" at the end of the process to find/use the "Exit Menu"? I'd have included a link here to a screenshot on their site of the dashboard for your reference, but as a new community member, I'm not permitted to include links yet.

Sorry to bother you again. Hopefully, all will go smoothly.

PowerSpec_MikeW

@BarryPG

Floppy disk icon at the top or F3.