Question b450i Current BIOS Version?

[Zonker66]

b450i mobos support gen 3 CPUs if you first put in a gen 2 chip and update the BIOS. Sure, BIOS Flashback works but the damn ITX board doesn't have that. I need to know if the current mobos (January 2020) are shipped out with 7A40vA7 or better BIOS. Are they trying to force me to buy an X570 mobo? Making the switch to AMD an iffy thing...

 

[extreme_noob]

Which vendor are you buying it from? Some vendors will flash the bios for you. If you have a friend with a 1st or 2nd gen CPU, they can do it too. If absolutely necessary, AMD has a loaner CPU program where they loan you a 2 core CPU which works on the board and you update the bios, then send the CPU back.

It is bad that AMD hasn't released B550, but no, they are not trying to force you to buy X570.

 

[Zonker66]

Which vendor are you buying it from? Some vendors will flash the bios for you. If you have a friend with a 1st or 2nd gen CPU, they can do it too. If absolutely necessary, AMD has a loaner CPU program where they loan you a 2 core CPU which works on the board and you update the bios, then send the CPU back.

It is bad that AMD hasn't released B550, but no, they are not trying to force you to buy X570.

I like the MSI B450i Gaming PLUS AC. Seems ridiculous to borrow a gen 2 CPU and return it just to get the BIOS the board should already have.

 

[extreme_noob]

I like the MSI B450i Gaming PLUS AC. Seems ridiculous to borrow a gen 2 CPU and return it just to get the BIOS the board should already have.

Sure it's time consuming but AMD will ship one out for you for free, if you contact them. Better than anything intel ever did, or probably every will do. I understand that you may expect that BIOS be updated before shipping it out, but many online vendors and many physical stores will do it for you if you ask, and expecting the manufacturer to do it on every board is unrealistic considering how most manufacturers don't touch the BIOS on their boards after they are manufactured, and the concept of MSI MAX boards is really new.

Go to the AMD Warranty claims page, fill in your full contact and product details, and in the problem description field type in Boot kit Required.
https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/warranty-information/rma-form
They should handle all shipping

 

[Zonker66]

Sure it's time consuming but AMD will ship one out for you for free, if you contact them. Better than anything intel ever did, or probably every will do. I understand that you may expect that BIOS be updated before shipping it out, but many online vendors and many physical stores will do it for you if you ask, and expecting the manufacturer to do it on every board is unrealistic considering how most manufacturers don't touch the BIOS on their boards after they are manufactured, and the concept of MSI MAX boards is really new.

Go to the AMD Warranty claims page, fill in your full contact and product details, and in the problem description field type in Boot kit Required.
https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/warranty-information/rma-form
They should handle all shipping

Thank you for the reply, information, and judgement. I think I'll wait until the sellers sort out their issues before I do the build.

 

[extreme_noob]

Thank you for the reply, information, and judgement. I think I'll wait until the sellers sort out their issues before I do the build.

If you're willing to wait, B550 chipset is rumored to be coming out this quarter.

 

[Zonker66]

If you're willing to wait, B550 chipset is rumored to be coming out this quarter.

If you're willing to wait, B550 chipset is rumored to be coming out this quarter.

THAT'S what I was looking for! On the b450i boards?

 

[extreme_noob]

THAT'S what I was looking for! On the b450i boards?

No. It will be a completely new chipset, which new boards will have. It's like X570 but without expensive PCIe Gen 4 and the boards will generally have worse VRMs than X570, like B450 was to X470. There probably will be B550 ITX boards, but I don't know about pricing (Likely cheaper than X570 ITX boards, but slightly more expensive than B450 ITX boards).

 

[Zonker66]

No. It will be a completely new chipset, which new boards will have. It's like X570 but without expensive PCIe Gen 4 and the boards will generally have worse VRMs than X570, like B450 was to X470. There probably will be B550 ITX boards, but I don't know about pricing (Likely cheaper than X570 ITX boards, but slightly more expensive than B450 ITX boards).

Yah, looked it up... late 2020... ugh. Well, USB 4 about the same time.

 

[extreme_noob]

Yah, looked it up... late 2020... ugh. Well, USB 4 about the same time.

"While many users were likely expecting AMD to launch their lower-tier alternatives B550 and A520 chipset solutions for their Ryzen 2 CPUs shortly after their release to the market last year, users who want to pair a more inexpensive motherboard have had to wait in the rain until now. At the time, industry sources pointed towards fabrication of ASMedia's B550 and A520 chipsets for the AM4 platform to begin shipping to motherboard manufacturers in Q4 2019."
-TechPowerUp Article from January 6th 2020.
You probably got it mixed up, since people were expecting it by late 2019 back in november, and now the rumors are early 2020.

 

[Zonker66]

"While many users were likely expecting AMD to launch their lower-tier alternatives B550 and A520 chipset solutions for their Ryzen 2 CPUs shortly after their release to the market last year, users who want to pair a more inexpensive motherboard have had to wait in the rain until now. At the time, industry sources pointed towards fabrication of ASMedia's B550 and A520 chipsets for the AM4 platform to begin shipping to motherboard manufacturers in Q4 2019."
-TechPowerUp Article from January 6th 2020.
You probably got it mixed up, since people were expecting it by late 2019 back in november, and now the rumors are early 2020.

I'm still in over my head (which is pounding) but think I was looking at an article discussing the 600 series chipset. I'm a biut confused still on when I can get an MSI b450 ITX board that works without the need of installing a gen 2 CPU to update the BIOS.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-s...ed-to-launch-by-the-end-of-2020.450285.0.html

 

[extreme_noob]

I'm still in over my head (which is pounding) but think I was looking at an article discussing the 600 series chipset. I'm a biut confused still on when I can get an MSI b450 ITX board that works without the need of installing a gen 2 CPU to update the BIOS.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-s...ed-to-launch-by-the-end-of-2020.450285.0.html

Maybe MSI will release a MAX version of the board, but I wouldn't count on it.

 

[Zonker66]

Maybe MSI will release a MAX version of the board, but I wouldn't count on it.

Sure, the full size board has BIOS Flashback so the need for a gen 2 CPU isn't necessary. Just wanted the ITX build. Anyway, maybe a vendor will do it for me. Thank you for the input.