So keeping things simple, the next non-beta bios version is 7E12v1J released on 2025-07-08. The 3 versions after that are all betas through last October. Thinking I’m just going to try 7E12v1J. Worth the risk?
PSA: If you use a Microsoft Account, with Windows Hello (PIN) then before updating BIOS, first go in to Windows > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in Options > and disable “Only allow Windows Hello sign-in” … then sign out and back in once before changing BIOS.
This will make sure that if the TPM key in BIOS (used by the Hello PIN) is wiped out and a new one created, you don’t have to jump through hoops signing back in later, and if need be can use your password instead of PIN (and you can easily re-enable Hello PIN later).
In your shoes, I think I would use that latest stable 1J version, but I only have experience with my MSI Carbon board.
Welcome to the red club - I also switched from Intel to AMD and have no regrets. As for the power plan, I have High Performance set and my 9850X3D cores still go idle without issues. Someone mentioned in a YouTube video recently shared on the forum that Balanced is recommended for X3D CPUs - well, that’s not entirely true. It certainly wasn’t recommended for the CPU I had until recently, the 9800X3D, nor for my current 9850X3D. Balanced was mainly for Ryzen 9 X3D series because of a core parking bug, but motherboard manufacturers have since fixed that, so it’s fine now.
Anyway, just pick whatever works best for you at the moment - that’s what really matters.
Honestly, it really depends on you. I personally like to stay up to date - it has its pros and cons. The downside is that I once ran into a BIOS version that not only significantly reduced gaming performance, but also gave me trouble when trying to roll back to a stable older version. For that reason, if everything on your system is working fine and you’re not planning a CPU or RAM upgrade, I’d suggest leaving it as is and waiting for the next stable release, which should come out in 2026.
I’ll have to run some more test flights to see how either power plan feels.
Checked my Bios version, ashamed that it’s older than I thought. E7E59AMSI.2A40 from March 12th, 2025. Wouldn’t hurt to update I think haha.
That’s a valuable tip. BIOS updates can reset or disable the TPM, so it’s worth keeping in mind. Of course, even if someone forgets, there are workarounds … hopefully no one will need them.
My understanding was that the balanced power plan was meant for the dual-die CCDs, (9950x3d, 7950x3d) and if the power plan wasn’t set to balanced the non-X3D cores wouldn’t get parked for gaming as they should. I read that a while back and as you staeted, I’m sure that has been resolved by now.
Yes, I wrote exactly the same thing - I just didn’t mention that it refers to CPUs with two CCD. But since you brought it up, I won’t be editing it anymore. Please correct the quote, because right now it looks like I’m saying that the balanced power plan is recommended for all X3D 
LOL just so I’m clear, as a 9800X3D user choice of Windows power plan is NOT critical (since it is not a dual-die CPU). In which case I have Balanced set (nicely air cooled PC). Make sense? Thx!
Setting aside system or motherboard bugs that can affect CPUs and the whole platform, Windows power plan does matter. If someone is playing demanding games, the recommended choice is High or Ultra Performance power plan. The same goes, for example, with an NVIDIA GPU and a game-specific profile - GPU should always run at maximum performance when a game “ABC” is selected.
In general, for PCs used for gaming, there really shouldn’t be any talk of saving power—but of course, everyone sets things according to their own preferences.
EDIT
This is purely my personal opinion, based on years of experience and playing demanding games.
I’ll run the Performance power plan for a while and see if there is any impact on temps. Thanks
I removed the quote.
I should be more careful when quoting statements to not make it sound like something the author didn’t intend.
Sorry about that.
If CPU temperatures are high, it’s usually better to adjust BIOS settings rather than the Windows power plan. Choosing the wrong power plan can affect game performance.
Of course, a large PC case with good airflow and good CPU cooling is essential.
EDIT
No problem. I should have mentioned right away that I was talking about a CPU with two CCDs - well, I didn’t, but the important thing is that you brought it up 
Best way to monitor 9800X3D CPU temp without adversely affecting MSFS? An MSI tool? Something else?
I use the default Balanced with no issue, and I like that the CPU can let cores idle, just my personal preference, and I had no need to try the higher Performance or “Ultra Performance” plan available. My understanding is the Performance plans keep the clocks up even when not needing to, so there will be a some more sustained heat / power draw. As long as cooling is ample, I don’t see an issue with it.
Almost every monitoring software will show CPU Temp. I use HWInfo (set to “snapshot polling” specific to AMD CPUs, to reduce impact of monitoring), but NVIDIA Overlay will also show it, and I assume AMD Adrenaline if you use that. I think most software simply polls the cpu for temp data every X seconds, minimal impact, depending on what other sensors the software is polling at the same time. HWInfo does poll almost everything, so the best practice is to “Hide” the sensors you don’t look at, to reduce impact.
Also good practice to not run multiple monitoring software at the same time to avoid collisions (if that’s the right word)
There really isn’t such a thing as the “best” monitoring tool that has zero impact on performance. Any software running in the background and polling sensors will have some effect on the system. Some tools are lighter, some are heavier, but none are completely invisible in terms of overhead.
If you’re running a 9800X3D, you honestly shouldn’t be stressing about CPU temperatures. It’s a very efficient CPU and generally runs cool compared to a lot of high-end CPUs. I’ve used it myself, and temperature was never something I had to worry about. So there’s no need to panic - just enjoy the game.
As for software, I personally use HWInfo64. It’s detailed and reliable, but again, it’s still background monitoring software.
If anyone really needs to worry about temps, it’s people running chips like the i9 13900K or i9 14900K - those can get hot under load. With your CPU, just play and stop overthinking it.
Having a relatively slow DDR4 ram kit, and 24GB vram (3090), would I benefit from running rebar?
My general unerstanding is that ReBar allows the CPU to request / access the GPU frame buffer all at once, vs in chunks, so it can be more efficient. I think it might increase VRAM use, so as long as VRAM is not bottlenecked, it can have benefits. You’d have to set up a basic test with it off, then on, to compare results, I think.
I find this thread very good and all systems are different and it is important to remember that tips are not the same as a topic where settings are said to be the best, and as a baseline for many newer systems, this will get you a long way. I have spent a long time optimising my system that has a 7800X3D (-25 PBO All cores stable for over a year) paired with an old, but pure gold 2080Ti that got new life when getting some possibility of doubling up on the FPS. My 2080Ti does not support ReBar so that is disabled in my BIOS and my iGPU as well. SVM and SMT is off.
I have read that Balanced is better for the dual die 7950X but have not noticed any differences.