Question Compatable motherboards for ryzen 4100

[Clem218]

Will the Gigabyte A520M S2H motherboard work out of the box with the ryzen 3 4100 cpu and if not could a motherboard be recommended at the similar price that will work out of the box no need for updates needed.

 

[tennis2]

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/A520M-S2H-rev-1x/support#support-cpu

The Ryzen 3 4100 is supported since BIOS version F14 which was released on 1/13/2022. I don't believe the A520M S2H has BIOS flashback (update BIOS without CPU installed). Therefore, as long as the board you receive was manufactured since 1/13/22 and has the F14 BIOS installed from the factory, you'd be fine. If not, you might need to locate a stand-in CPU that's supported by an older BIOS version to do the BIOS flash. Or you might get lucky (like my brother with his AsRock B550M Steel Legend) and the board will boot enough with the Ryzen 4100 to do a BIOS update. My brother's board wouldn't boot far enough to install windows or anything, but he was able to update the BIOS with his [unsupported] 5600X installed, then he was good to go.

 

[jeremyj_83]

According to their CPU Support page that motherboard will work for the Ryzen 3 4100 but only with the F14 or later BIOS. https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/A520M-S2H-rev-1x/support#support-cpu

The problem is we do not know what the shipping BIOS will be for any given motherboard. Since this BIOS version became available in January 2022, I doubt it will be the shipping BIOS for a lot of motherboards. Even when looking at B550 boards in that price range you will probably need a BIOS update as well.

To be sure you can use that CPU you will need to get a motherboard that allows the BIOS to be flashed without a CPU installed. The other option would be to get a Ryzen 3 3100 or Ryzen 3 3300X. The 3100 will have near identical performance to the 4100 as they are both Zen 2 and similar clocks. The 3300X will be faster than either of them. However, the 3000 series will work out of the box for any X570, B550, or A520 motherboard.

 

[jeremyj_83]

One other thing to note. If you haven't bought the CPU yet and live in the USA look at the Ryzen 5 5500. It comes in a few dollars cheaper than the Ryzen 3 4100 but is 6c/12t on Zen 3 instead of 4c/8t on Zen 2. That CPU will be a fair amount faster and motherboard BIOS requirement is the same F14 as the 4100.

 

[tennis2]

One other thing to note. If you haven't bought the CPU yet and live in the USA look at the Ryzen 5 5500. It comes in a few dollars cheaper than the Ryzen 3 4100 but is 6c/12t on Zen 3 instead of 4c/8t on Zen 2. That CPU will be a fair amount faster and motherboard BIOS requirement is the same F14 as the 4100.

The Ryzen 4100 was an OEM chip I believe? Probably the OP is getting this for free/cheap. While I agree the Ryzen 5500 is a superior choice, I'm guessing other CPUs are off the table.

 

[Clem218]

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/A520M-S2H-rev-1x/support#support-cpu

The Ryzen 3 4100 is supported since BIOS version F14 which was released on 1/13/2022. I don't believe the A520M S2H has BIOS flashback (update BIOS without CPU installed). Therefore, as long as the board you receive was manufactured since 1/13/22 and has the F14 BIOS installed from the factory, you'd be fine. If not, you might need to locate a stand-in CPU that's supported by an older BIOS version to do the BIOS flash. Or you might get lucky (like my brother with his AsRock B550M Steel Legend) and the board will boot enough with the Ryzen 4100 to do a BIOS update. My brother's board wouldn't boot far enough to install windows or anything, but he was able to update the BIOS with his [unsupported] 5600X installed, then he was good to go.

I'm planning to build this pc In September possibly October I'm just deciding what I want to do,the pricing is very competitive as its priced similar to the new pentium,for some reason the previous generation of ryzens are priced similar to new i5, I am trying to keep to a budget but I would like to get newest cpu and other parts to make the pc stay fast as possible and avoid obsolescence as long as possible.

 

[Clem218]

Will the Gigabyte A520M S2H motherboard work out of the box with the ryzen 3 4100 cpu and if not could a motherboard be recommended at the similar price that will work out of the box no need for updates needed.

If anyone could recommend a matx mobo in the budget of around £85 that will work out of the box that would be great

 

[jeremyj_83]

If anyone could recommend a matx mobo in the budget of around £85 that will work out of the box that would be great

By September you have a better change of getting a board that will ship with a new enough BIOS to support the 4100. However, you could still get unlucky and get a board that was made in 2021 that won't have that support out of box. The best motherboard in the 85 Quid range is the MSI B550M PRO-VDH. Tomshardware did a review of 4 cheap B550 motherboards and it was the best of the bunch. https://www.tomshardware.com/features/cheap-AMD-b550-motherboards-tested/2

Overall if you are waiting until September to buy a new CPU/Motherboard keep Intel 12th Gen in mind and the Ryzen 5 5500. Both are newer and faster than the 4100.

 

[Clem218]

If I can't find a mobo out of the box compatable I will go and just get a12th gen i3 and mobo or a pentium if I can't stretch my budget

 

[Eximo]

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compar...i3-10100-vs-AMD-Ryzen-3-4100/4687vs3717vs4832


Any motherboard with BIOS flashback will let you update the BIOS to the required version without a CPU. They do tend to be a little more expensive though.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 4100 3.8 GHz Quad-Core Processor (£84.98 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus Prime B450M-A II Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£69.98 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £154.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-15 16:26 BST+0100

Nothing wrong with a i3-12100

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor (£99.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-E DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (£98.47 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £198.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-15 16:21 BST+0100

Or even the i3-10100

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-10100F 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor (£70.98 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI B560M PRO-E Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard (£72.13 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £143.11
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-15 16:20 BST+0100

 

[tennis2]

I'm planning to build this pc In September possibly October

Just come back here in Sept/Oct and ask for a build list with a stated total budget. A lot can/will chance until then.

 

[Clem218]

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/A520M-S2H-rev-1x/support#support-cpu

The Ryzen 3 4100 is supported since BIOS version F14 which was released on 1/13/2022. I don't believe the A520M S2H has BIOS flashback (update BIOS without CPU installed). Therefore, as long as the board you receive was manufactured since 1/13/22 and has the F14 BIOS installed from the factory, you'd be fine. If not, you might need to locate a stand-in CPU that's supported by an older BIOS version to do the BIOS flash. Or you might get lucky (like my brother with his AsRock B550M Steel Legend) and the board will boot enough with the Ryzen 4100 to do a BIOS update. My brother's board wouldn't boot far enough to install windows or anything, but he was able to update the BIOS with his [unsupported] 5600X installed, then he was good to go.

Do you belive the Gigabyte A520M would be good choice then as it has BIOS flash without cpu option and there is BIOS versions that supported the 4100.