The BIOS checklist
This is the page the diagnostics scan keeps sending you to. The single biggest free FPS gain on most rigs is not a registry tweak — it is one toggle in BIOS that runs your RAM at the speed you paid for. A short list of others is worth doing while you are in there. None of it takes long; all of it is done by hand.
Getting in
Restart the PC and tap the setup key repeatedly the instant the manufacturer logo appears — before Windows starts loading. On most desktop boards it is DEL; some use F2. If you blink and miss it, you land in Windows; just reboot and try again. Many boards open in a simplified “EZ” mode — press F7 (typical) to reach Advanced, where the settings below live.
Menu names differ by vendor — ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, and ASRock each name things slightly differently — so the steps below give the common labels. When in doubt, the board’s search box or manual finds the exact wording.
power on / restart
└─ logo screen
└─ tap DEL (or F2) ← repeatedly
└─ BIOS / UEFI setup
└─ F7 → Advanced modeNo optimizer should touch your BIOS
FrameForge will not change a single firmware setting, and you should distrust any tool that claims to. A wrong BIOS value can stop a machine from posting; RAM training is timing- sensitive and board-specific. So the app detects the situation — it sees your RAM running below rated speed — and sends you here to make the change yourself. Worst case of a bad RAM profile is a failed boot that clears with a CMOS reset, not a brick. Read step five before you start.
The checklist, in order
Do them top to bottom. The first one is the only must. The rest are quick, low-risk, and worth ticking off while you are already in here.
- 01
Enable DOCP / EXPO / XMP — set RAM to its rated speed
This is the one that matters. Out of the box your RAM runs at a slow JEDEC default (often
2133or2400 MT/s) regardless of what the kit is rated for. The profile that fixes it is called DOCP on ASUS, EXPO or XMP elsewhere — same idea.Find the AI Tweaker / OC / Extreme Tweaker menu, set the memory profile from Auto to the rated profile (e.g.
DOCP Profile 1), and confirm the frequency reads your kit’s rated speed —3200,3600 MT/s, whatever is on the sticker. This is the change that turns the diagnostics RAM-below-rated line green and is, on most rigs, the largest free FPS gain available. Software genuinely cannot do it for you. - 02
Resizable BAR / Smart Access Memory + Above 4G Decoding
Turn on Above 4G Decoding first (it is the prerequisite), then Re-Size BAR Support — AMD calls the pair Smart Access Memory. It lets the CPU address the whole GPU framebuffer at once.
Honest note: on an RX 580 the benefit is small to none — it pays off mostly on newer cards. It is harmless to enable, so flip it on, but do not expect the diagnostics numbers to move because of it.
- 03
Disable CSM (run pure UEFI)
The Compatibility Support Module emulates legacy BIOS for very old hardware. On a modern Windows 10/11 install you want it off, so the system runs pure UEFI — cleaner boot, and a requirement for some features above.
Only relevant caveat: if your Windows was installed in legacy/MBR mode, turning CSM off can stop it booting. If the machine was set up in the last several years it is almost certainly already UEFI/GPT and this is safe. If unsure, leave it and move on.
- 04
Update the BIOS to the latest AGESA
On Ryzen, the firmware microcode version — AGESA — matters. Newer AGESA releases fix memory compatibility, random stutter, and the fTPM issue below. Grab the latest stable BIOS for your exact board model from the maker’s support page and flash it with their built-in tool (EZ Flash, M-Flash, Q-Flash).
Do this on a stable power supply, do not interrupt it, and re-enable DOCP/EXPO afterward — a BIOS update resets settings to default. This is the one BIOS task with real “do not power off” stakes; treat it with respect and it is routine.
- 05
fTPM stutter fix
A known Ryzen issue: the firmware TPM periodically reaches to the SPI chip and causes brief, repeating stutter — short hitches every few minutes, worst on systems with fTPM enabled for Windows 11.
The proper fix is the AGESA update in step four, which resolves it on most boards. If updating is not an option, you can set the TPM source to a discrete module if your board has a header, or turn fTPM off — but note Windows 11 wants a TPM, so prefer the BIOS update over disabling it.
- 06
Set fan curves so nothing thermal-throttles
In the Q-Fan / Fan Control / Smart Fan section, give the CPU fan a curve that ramps up before the chip gets hot rather than after. A CPU that hits its thermal limit throttles its clocks, which quietly costs you frames — the opposite of the point.
You do not need it loud, just not lazy. A curve that reaches full speed by the mid-
80s °Cwith a gentle ramp before that keeps a Ryzen 5 4500 out of throttle territory. This matters more once you read the CPU PBO guide, where cooling sets the ceiling.
At a glance
The same list as a reference card, with the common menu name and how much it actually moves the needle on the reference rig.
| Setting | Typical menu | Payoff (RX 580 / 4500 rig) |
|---|---|---|
| DOCP / EXPO / XMP | AI Tweaker / OC | Large — usually the biggest free FPS gain |
| Resizable BAR / SAM | PCI Subsystem / OC | Marginal on RX 580; harmless to enable |
| Above 4G Decoding | PCI Subsystem | Prerequisite for ReBAR; no direct gain |
| Disable CSM | Boot | Cleaner UEFI boot; enables ReBAR |
| BIOS / AGESA update | EZ Flash / M-Flash | Fixes Ryzen stutter, RAM compat, fTPM |
| fTPM → discrete / off | Security / Trusted Computing | Kills fTPM stutter (or update AGESA) |
| Fan curve | Q-Fan / Hardware Monitor | Prevents throttle-induced frame loss |
If a setting stops it booting
Almost always RAM training: you enabled a profile the kit cannot quite hold. The board will usually retry a few times then fall back on its own. If it does not, clear CMOS — the Clear CMOS jumper or button, or pull the coin battery for a minute — and you are back to defaults with nothing lost. Then re-enable DOCP/EXPO and, if it still will not hold the rated speed, drop one step (e.g. 3200 instead of 3600) or load the profile but nudge the timings looser.