> The contents of cpuinfo is the same as the messages in dmesg. What does that > imply?
Your BIOS or EFI might already install the same version or a later version than what the microcode package provides. Although the second case is highly unlikely. The update might also just not get applied properly. You should check whether the actual microcode version is the version which you expect. How are you trying to apply the microcode? The best way to update your processor's microcode is via early microcode loading. You can either use an initrd or build the microcode into your kernel image. I prefer the latter.
