KB4100347 Intel microcode updates for Windows 10 v1803 - January 8 Win Update

Access Denied said:

Windows update would not pull it down. Tried many times. Finally gave up and downloaded the manual install file for 64bit. Now for the first time my CPU says protected for both. Still says Microcode Update Available but I don't know where they get this information. I have looked for my i7 3820 for hours and never found any other update other than what was posted here. :)

AD, I think it just means that there is an update available if needed, even though you've done it. Awkward wording. I have the same thing and have been protected for months.

f14tomcat said:

AD, I think it just means that there is an update available if needed, even though you've done it. Awkward wording. I have the same thing and have been protected for months.

Yes, that makes sense but mine says SLOWER and after updating today, my system is slower and I can see it noticeably. Sad.

I am going to uninstall it and wait on Windows Update.

EDIT: It was like my system was being strangled to death until I removed it and rebooted. Now it is back like it should be. Will see if Windows Update offers this for my PC.

Access Denied said:

Yes, that makes sense but mine says SLOWER and after updating today, my system is slower and I can see it noticeably. Sad.

I am going to uninstall it and wait on Windows Update.

EDIT: It was like my system was being strangled to death until I removed it and rebooted. Now it is back like it should be. Will see if Windows Update offers this for my PC.

AD, if WU offers it, it won't make any difference to the performance problem you're experiencing with the manual update. Check your manufacturer's site for an actual BIOS update. It's the recommended update. The MS microcode update is a workaround, until an actual BIOS update is provided by the manufacturer.

ddelo said:

AD, if WU offers it, it won't make any difference to the slowdown problem you have with the manual update. Check your manufacturer's site for an actual BIOS update. It's the recommended update. The MS microcode update is a workaround, until an actual BIOS update is provided by the manufacturer.

My BIOS will not get updated from Asus. The last update is from 2014. I doubt they will release one. My CPU is not listed in the update notes for this particular update so I do not think I will get it from WU.

Sorry to hear that. I guess your only option is to live with the performance issue, if you want to address this vulnerability

Access Denied said:

My BIOS will not get updated from Asus. The last update is from 2014. I doubt they will release one. My CPU is not listed in the update notes for this particular update so I do not think I will get it from WU.

Unfortunately for you, they may not go back and fix 3rd gen stuff.

ddelo said:

Sorry to hear that. I guess your only option is to live with the performance issue, if you want to address this vulnerability

I will wait and see on WU.

f14tomcat said:

Unfortunately for you, they may not go back and fix 3rd gen stuff.

That is what I am thinking.

f14tomcat said:

Unfortunately for you, they may not go back and fix 3rd gen stuff.

I agree Dick. After all, these Spectre vulnerabilities is an elegant way (to be polite) to push sales. It's old....not supported....get a new one

Access Denied said:

EDIT: It was like my system was being strangled to death until I removed it and rebooted. Now it is back like it should be. Will see if Windows Update offers this for my PC.

Makes no difference how you get the microcode, a bios update or WU. The key factor is the processor architecture. It also very much depends on what you use the PC for, not all processes are affected equally. This blog from Microsoft has more details...

In general, our experience is that Variant 1 and Variant 3 mitigations have minimal performance impact, while Variant 2 remediation, including OS and microcode, has a performance impact.

Here is the summary of what we have found so far:

• With Windows 10 on newer silicon (2016-era PCs with Skylake, Kabylake or newer CPU), benchmarks show single-digit slowdowns, but we don’t expect most users to notice a change because these percentages are reflected in milliseconds.
• With Windows 10 on older silicon (2015-era PCs with Haswell or older CPU), some benchmarks show more significant slowdowns, and we expect that some users will notice a decrease in system performance.

https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/mic...ndows-systems/

Personally, InSpectre has said 'Slower' for my Intel Pentium B950, CPU ID 206A7 even before the microcode update. It's not noticeably slower in use though.