No one is forcing you to install the BIOS update.

I have been 'required' to install BIOS updates before. PS3 lost capability's at one point in an update and new games forced that update without mentioning it on the packaging.

"Note that Intel paired this with a bug fix for the freezing during Prime95 - if you want the bug fix, you have to let them lock down your clock. "

You are using an undocumented feature of the CPU, from Intel's point of view it's an unintended loophole.

Also you can try to separate the Prime95 bugfix from the clock lockdown. Good luck :-)

They could theoretically push the microcode out via Windows Update as well, which combined with Win10s enforced updates would make it difficult to avoid.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3064209

That's nasty - but isn't Microsoft to blame there?

upgrading the OS, which you are required for security reasons, will also upgrade the micro code. in fact, i don't remember the bios ever being relevant for that

to the geniuses downvoting... don't even know why i bother:

"While microcode can be updated through the BIOS, the Linux kernel is also able to apply these updates during boot."

-- https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/microcode

now, do you update your kernel more or less often than the BIOS?

It's best to develop a decent level of ignorance when it comes to social media dynamics :)