MSI’s Dual BIOS motherboards use two BIOS chips instead of one. If the main chip ever fails, the system automatically loads the BIOS from the backup chip instead.
If you’re deciding on components to purchase and Dual BIOS is a feature you want, there are multiple ways to verify if a board supports it. You could check themanualor you could look for aBIOS switch on the componentitself.
Besides the support part, I’ve seen some other queries regarding this feature – what it does, who it’s useful for, how to use it, and so on. I’ll attempt to answer all such questions with this article.
Do You Need Dual BIOS
MSI’s Dual BIOS motherboards havetwo BIOS ROMSwhere the second chip serves as a failsafe for situations like failed BIOS updates. When the system can’t boot with the main BIOS, it loads the backup BIOS instead.
Some form of failsafe is important for such scenarios, but it doesn’thaveto be Dual BIOS. In fact, most boards these days useUSB BIOS Flashbackinstead of Dual BIOS.
On MSI GPUs, Dual BIOS actually serves two purposes. One is to provide a backup BIOS to account for failed firmware upgrades. The other is to provide two GPU profiles of sorts.
One isoverclocked for high-performance needs(usually namedGaming Mode) and the other is typically an underclock to run the fans quietly (usually namedQuiet Mode).
Dual BIOS is a luxury feature and not particularly important on GPUs. But motherboards are a different story.BIOS-related problemsare very common. So, it’s important to pick a motherboard with Dual BIOS or some other form of failsafe.
Checking Dual BIOS Support
MSI doesn’t have any official list of motherboards or GPUs that support Dual BIOS. And unlike other vendors, they don’t seem to mention the Dual BIOS feature on their online specs page either. So, you’ll need to use one of the two methods shown below in most cases.
For motherboards, you may read the user manual that came with the board or you can do the same online. In theSpecificationssection, Dual BIOS will be listed in theBIOS Featuressubsection if it’s supported.
For GPUs, you may check the PCB for a switch that lets you toggle between Gaming and Quiet mode.
For motherboards, you may look for the multiple indicators on the board:
Switching Between Main and Backup BIOS
