Check the BIOS on the PCB or PCB and update via the flash BIOS button, Need assistance!
Check the BIOS on the PCB or PCB and update via the flash BIOS button, Need assistance!
Hello! I just bought two B550 boards—one for myself and one for a family member. The MSI Tomahawk and Gigabyte Gaming X V2 models are both included. You can find more details on the MSI page here: https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B550...K/Overview Gaming X V2 and here: https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B55...0-11-12#kf.
However, I’m not sure what BIOS version is installed on either board. Both have the "AMD Ryzen 5000 Desktop Ready" label in the box, but that doesn’t guarantee compatibility with Ryzen 5700X or Ryzen 5600G. There’s a lot of confusion out there—some people report booting issues until they upgraded the BIOS, while others claim the boards are already "Ryzen Desktop Ready."
I’m worried about installing the CPU and discovering that the system won’t boot because of the wrong BIOS version. That would mean I’d have to remove the chip, waste more thermal paste, clean it with isopropyl, and even try using the flash BIOS button later.
Do you think there’s any way to check the BIOS version by looking at the board itself or the serial number? Also, what do you think about using the Flash BIOS button (MSI) or the Q-Flash button (Gigabyte)? Some suggest using a USB drive between 2GB and 8GB for better results, using FAT16 instead of FAT32, and that old power supplies might not work. Others warn that flashing repeatedly could damage the board or cause issues.
I’m also confused about whether the motherboard can boot without the CPU installed—some say it’s possible, while others think it could cause problems. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
It's better to attempt building the system and power it up. If it fails to start, you can update the BIOS using the Q-Flash at that stage—no need to remove the CPU for this. It's more likely you'll damage the board by altering the Q-Flash settings rather than trying incompatible hardware.
The same applies if you try to overwrite a file like in Windows. Nothing will change; settings will reset but a new motherboard should be set to default anyway.
If it doesn't work, you won't see any display without a CPU. The issue with older USB drives isn't a big deal for the B550 based on my experience. I haven't heard much about older PSUs failing with those features, though it might relate to insufficient power on the 5VSB rail. If the PSU was made recently, you shouldn't worry. If you already bought one, check the product page or share a link.
We own the Corsair CX650, CX550 and Cooler Master MWE 600w models. Would you suggest setting up everything except SSDs, then booting and checking for any messages on the screen? If nothing appears, try using the flash BIOS button with the most recent stable BIOS version. I was unsure about this approach; some advise waiting to install the CPU before flashing the BIOS, while others say it's fine if the CPU is already installed.
Alright so no problem by using flash bios button / q-flash plus button having cpu or even ram installed while doing it. Thx!! i was a little worried due all the post in reddit talking about not doing it with any component installed and then people saying that it'll be fine with cpu, ram etc just like you said. I like mike's guides but in this video he says that Q-flash won't work with CPU installed ... That's why me and probably many others are so confused, not because of mike's video alone but many others repeating the same idea from different sources. But that's a 2 years old video, now here's a 2 months old video where he says "ideally" or "up to you" or "just in case" Next video is for the board we talking about the Gaming X V2 The BIOS which adds compatibility with Ryzen 5000G series was released in July 2021 i would be very surprised if bios is not updated as it was bought last month, in 2023 !!!! Might just give it a try and see if post, if it doesn't i flash it and cross fingers, thx for the help!
It doesn't matter if you connect it or not. The CPU isn't active while Q-Flash.
Here’s a clearer version of your message:
I’m glad I got help because the computer successfully restarted and displayed a BIOS screen showing the F14 BIOS version. Since the minimum required for the 5000G series is F13, updating the BIOS doesn’t seem necessary unless newer versions offer better performance. Initially, I was worried because when I first turned it on, nothing appeared on the screen and the RGB in the RAM modules stopped working after about 12 seconds. After waiting around seven minutes, I thought maybe the BIOS wasn’t compatible, so I tried using the Q-Flash button and a USB stick. When I pressed the power button for five seconds, the system shut down but didn’t stop spinning—CPU and PSU fans were still active. I restarted it again, and the RGB in RAM showed a rainbow pattern. Eventually, the BIOS screen appeared with information about FTMP bitlocker. Overall, it was a relief to see the computer work properly after all that trouble.