Notice: Page may contain affiliate links for which we may earn a small commission through services like Amazon Affiliates or Skimlinks.
I lean towards the theory that the ME component isn't being recognized or the CPU itself is faulty, given that I’ve already tested two different motherboards. ASUS originally uploaded the initial BIOS version 0403 to their website but later took it down. Do you happen to have it? That version's ME firmware might resolve the issue.
oh you did not mentioned you made a BIOS update recently.
it is worthfull information the board worked before with other BIOS isn't it ?
Dropbox
Note that ME firmware will NOT downgrade with a BIOS rollback.
ME firmware cannot be automatically updated when using the USB BIOS FlashBack feature.
i guess you run 0507 BIOS with old ME ?
readme
Code:
Version 0507
18.19 MB
2026/04/27
SHA-256 ：A77EE77BBC86D866DDE022E66B9286826E559418726F0F35E26E692AE72010C6
"1. Improved device compatibility and system performance
2. Updated ME firmware to 19.10.0.1413
3. Updated Intel reference code base.
• This BIOS update automatically upgrades ME firmware to version 19.10.0.1413. To proceed, please update the BIOS via ASUS EZFlash Utility with the downloaded zip file.
ME firmware cannot be automatically updated when using the USB BIOS FlashBack feature. Note that ME firmware will NOT downgrade with a BIOS rollback.
• Before running the USB BIOS Flashback tool, please rename the BIOS file (A5709.CAP), using BIOSRenamer."""
Actually, no—the BIOS version was already 0507 when I bought it. A friend of mine has version 0403 and doesn't have the issue I'm experiencing.oh you did not mentioned you made a BIOS update recently.
it is worthfull information the board worked before with other BIOS isn't it ?
Dropbox
www.dropbox.com
Note that ME firmware will NOT downgrade with a BIOS rollback.
ME firmware cannot be automatically updated when using the USB BIOS FlashBack feature.
i guess you run 0507 BIOS with old ME ?
readme
Code:Version 0507 18.19 MB 2026/04/27 SHA-256 ：A77EE77BBC86D866DDE022E66B9286826E559418726F0F35E26E692AE72010C6 "1. Improved device compatibility and system performance 2. Updated ME firmware to 19.10.0.1413 3. Updated Intel reference code base. • This BIOS update automatically upgrades ME firmware to version 19.10.0.1413. To proceed, please update the BIOS via ASUS EZFlash Utility with the downloaded zip file. ME firmware cannot be automatically updated when using the USB BIOS FlashBack feature. Note that ME firmware will NOT downgrade with a BIOS rollback. • Before running the USB BIOS Flashback tool, please rename the BIOS file (A5709.CAP), using BIOSRenamer."""
Thanks. I’m pretty certain the issue lies with the CPU itself. I tested the W890 ES Q4UH with a different southbridge, but the power button still didn't respond; I also tried downgrading the ME firmware on the W890E, but the result was the same. So, I can reasonably conclude that my CPU is faulty.oh you did not mentioned you made a BIOS update recently.
it is worthfull information the board worked before with other BIOS isn't it ?
Dropbox
Note that ME firmware will NOT downgrade with a BIOS rollback.
ME firmware cannot be automatically updated when using the USB BIOS FlashBack feature.
i guess you run 0507 BIOS with old ME ?
readme
Code:Version 0507 18.19 MB 2026/04/27 SHA-256 ：A77EE77BBC86D866DDE022E66B9286826E559418726F0F35E26E692AE72010C6 "1. Improved device compatibility and system performance 2. Updated ME firmware to 19.10.0.1413 3. Updated Intel reference code base. • This BIOS update automatically upgrades ME firmware to version 19.10.0.1413. To proceed, please update the BIOS via ASUS EZFlash Utility with the downloaded zip file. ME firmware cannot be automatically updated when using the USB BIOS FlashBack feature. Note that ME firmware will NOT downgrade with a BIOS rollback. • Before running the USB BIOS Flashback tool, please rename the BIOS file (A5709.CAP), using BIOSRenamer."""
Thanks for your help; the issue is completely resolved. It turned out to be caused by not plugging in the PCIe 8-pin connector located next to the 24-pin connector . I’m sharing the test results here: if you want to use an ES2 CPU, the W890 SAGE (with the Q4UH southbridge) supports it, and the W890E SAGE SE (with an unlocked PCH) supports it fully as well. I’ve updated to the latest ME and BIOS, and there are no restrictions.
Yes, ME can be easily upgraded and downgraded using SPI flashing.
Since the 800-series motherboards currently light up a red indicator when a CPU is installed, I naturally assumed this was normal—haha. That’s right, but the W890 SAGE paired with the Q4UH actually offers perfect support for the ES2.
Sure, but compared to current memory prices, finding a cheap motherboard is definitely a "motherboard" win—haha.
I have updated to the latest ME and BIOS version 0603. Aside from that, the BIOS behaves just like the previous version—there are no new bugs.
You not only get more memory channels (that you are not obliged to use), but also more PCIe lanes available to you. So if you are building something that requires 4-5 GPUs, a NIC, few NVMe drives or planning to expand to that in a future - you would be better off with W890E SAGE SE.