Asus adds 'Intel Baseline Profile' to new BIOS files to combat stability issues but the TDP is still higher than Intel's actual baselines

pcgamer.com:

With some Intel i9 users reporting issues with games crashing, Asus has responded by releasing new BIOS files for a raft of its Intel-based motherboards. The main update sports an 'Intel Baseline Profile' which is claimed to apply stock power limits to the CPU. However, the feature isn't quite doing what it says it is, though users should see better stability if they use it.

So far only Asus has directly responded (via Videocardz) to the growing report of game instability with high-end 13th and 14th Gen Intel CPUs, but other motherboard vendors are sure to follow suit. By default, Asus automatically engages its Multicore Enhancement (MCE) system which sets the long-term and short-term power limits to way over the stock Intel values.

Delving into the BIOS of the Asus TUF Gaming Z790-BTF motherboard shows that MCE sets the PL1 and PL2 power limits to 4095 W, with a core current limit of 512 A for a Core i5 13600K. Those values are supposed to be 125 W, 181 W, and 194 A respectively, so it's not hard to see why this could result in problems. Up until now, the only way around this was to enter the BIOS, disabling MCE, and manually forcing the motherboard back into the land of common sense.

Asus has now added an 'Intel Baseline Profile' (IBP) that will sort of do this for you—after updating the BIOS to the latest release, head back into the BIOS and switch to Advanced Mode. There, go to the AI Tweaker section and you should see the option to enable the profile.

However, it seems that Asus just can't resist a bit of extra juice, because the latest BIOS for that Z790-BTF motherboard sets the PL1 and PL2 to 181 W when you enable IBP. The PL1, also known as the TDP, should be 125 W for an i5 13600K.

Asus MCE defaults to being enabled

Which results in very high power and current limits

Intel Baseline Profile is supposed to set them all to stock values

Activating the profile changes various settings

PL2 value is now at the Intel value, but the PL1/TDP is still too high

Lo