BIOS 3.09 to replace Incomplete BIOS 3.08

I noticed that Framework quietly uploaded a 3.08 BIOS at downloads.frame.work.

EDIT: removed direct link since it was confirmed “unofficial” still.

It was packed Feb 27th, 2022, and hasn’t been linked to in the forums, so I guess it’s not official yet?

I think that’s a fair guess! Perhaps it is still in beta.

Looking at 3.07…

  • Zip Dated: Dec 21, '21
  • Announced: Dec 20, '21

Quick turn around on 3.07. 2 months in on 3.08. Maybe someone forgot to announce 3.08 here? :laughing:

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Also not listed in the Support FAQ:

I think this is reasonable, Framework wouldn’t want to advertise a version that can potentially brick their device to everyone

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We’ve done some preliminary testing on it and do not see issues, but we haven’t released this as a beta as it doesn’t include the final patch we are waiting for from Insyde as noted by @Kieran_Levin in the thread @feesh referenced.

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@nrp thanks for confirming! I’ve removed the direct link to prevent unknowing folks from applying it.

I ran into the “full battery drain while unplugged” bug that required the bios reset (open, pull cmos + laptop battery, etc) in 3.07. Hopefully this is ironed out in 3.08.

Hopefully coreboot becomes an option at some point as well :smiley:. I :heart: my Framework, and really want to see Framework be successful for the long-haul!

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Does that mean we can apply it at our own risk… (I just downloaded it). (Hell, I’m not asking for permission really.)

Just replace the version number in the link…
https://downloads.frame.work/bios/Framework_Laptop_BIOS_3.07.exe

Looking at the extracts…everything were packaged on Feb 24th (?) and signed with a signature generated on Feb 27th(?).

image

Everything is beta…the laptop is a public beta…Framework is a beta…

Life itself is a beta… It’s not like you can dry run, re-run, tweak and re-run everything. :smile:

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I have been on 3.08 for about a month and haven’t had any issues. :man_shrugging:

It comes with an embedded controller firmware built from the latest commit on the EC repository, which has fixes for PS/2 emulation and battery drain in S5.

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Sure, I guess you can call it “alpha testing”.

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I have a question (I seem to be running into something):
Say I have a 90w USB PD adapter.
Battery level is 66%
Charge limit set to 72 in the BIOS
Unit is plugged in and charging.

How does the Framework laptop request and distribute the power allocation to/between 1. Run the system. 2. Charge the battery?

Reason why I’m asking: The system seems to put “Charging the battery” at priority 1. And that leaves limited power for running the system at peak performance (doesn’t reach peak performance…CPU load test).

I’ve been on 3.08 for about a week and the battery performance is better and the fans stopped maxing out during sleep. So far, no issues whatsoever.

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Is there an ETA of when the 3.08 bios will be released?

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I think if the estimate time of arrival for the patch from Insyde is still not clear, Framework can release the current BIOS 3.08 officially without the Insyde’s patch, and can release the BIOS 3.09 including the Insyde patch in near future. Because users above already reported BIOS 3.08 improves the battery performance and it also looks stable. If Framework releases it now, I think more users can start to verify the battery life. This is good for all the Framework Laptop users who currently have challenges for the battery life.

Another concern for the new BIOS 3.08 + Insyde patch is, if there is another critical issue coming from the Insyde patch itself, like 3.06, the benefit of the improved battery life in 3.08 is gone.

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I’d agree with this too. If the current version of 3.08 resolves the issue with high battery drain while in sleep mode, releasing it might help quite a few user’s issues in that regard. Then when Insyde releases their patch for CVE, then a 3.09 could be released.

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3.08 resolves drain during off/hibernate, not sleep.

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That’s right, what I actually meant. I’ve been seeing the high drain while off.

I took the risk and Alpha’d the 3.08 Bios, got a scare at first when I booted into Windows 11, the voltage stayed max and even the fan ran at full speed to try and cool the cores that stayed in the 90’s hitting 100 on occasion, Not sure why it didn’t throttle!

So I immediately shut it down… but when I booted into Windows 11 again (after the case cooled down), everything was back to normal and running fine, only maxed the voltage when hard workload was put on it but managed to throttle itself every time it got into 90s.

I use the laptop as my daily driver so I can really say if it’s using battery or not when off… always seems where I left it when I pull it out of my bag and turn it back so yeah.

Testing Fine so far on Windows 10 Pro (21H2) 19044.1682 and Windows 11 Pro (21H2) 22000.652.

Edit* I also have Windows 11 Pro (22H2 Beta) 22610.1 running in a VM and it works fine but that isn’t the same as running it on the hardware itself :stuck_out_tongue: