I didn't mention clearing CMOS at all after flashing, nor did I mention that doing so at anytime solved or had anything to do with the 1.7V issue.

Not sure what Sin meant, maybe he was sleeping, but loading optimized then clearing the CMOS would be a moot point (I mean no need to set something right before you clear it out?) Sin, when you see this I'm just giving ya a hard time buddy

Nope to all of your questions, that's not at all how I suggest a BIOS to be updated. We have talked about clearing CMOS before, and yes that can help when you are having issues, or could be suggested as a safe practice to get into, but I only use it when issues arise and didn't suggest it having anything to do with flashing BIOSes. Loading optimized sets a few settings to optimal setting, and clears out any old visible or invisible settings that may still be applied from fail safe after the flash (Fail safe is loaded no matter what you choose before the flash).

Here is how I suggest users to update their BIOSes.
http://forums.tweaktown.com/gigabyte...ash-guide.html

If this procedure is used, and you do not load/use any older saved to media BIOS profiles, you will not see the bug. Profiles can only be loaded from a saved source after flashing using the above method because once you flash and disable keep DMI data they will be erased same as clearing the CMOS.