Question Does ASUS PRIME B450M-A support Zen 2 out of the box?

[DilyanD]

Hi,

I'm looking for a cheap AM4 motherboard (preferably, Asus) but I wanna put a Ryzen 5 3600X in it. I've done quite some research if it's going to support it and I've seen some people say it will, and others say it won't...
I'm really scared of the possibility that I get these two and then find out the PC won't boot. I don't own nor can afford a 2nd CPU from the previous generation (Zen+) in order to update the BIOS so that it can then support the 3600X.

Can I update this motherboard's BIOS without a CPU? I researched that and found out that mobo doesn't support that feature, is that true?
If that's true, what do I do then? Buying a more expensive motherboard is also not an option.

 

[boju]

If the board recently came out of the factory then it probably would have an updated bios. Difficult to know though. Visiting a PC store might be an option to have them flash it. Or use the AMD cpu loan service but this might take awhile.

Other mobo alternatives could be Msi's Max series supporting Zen2 out of the box.

Generally only Msi have flash feature without a cpu.

 

[DilyanD]

Well I just realised it says "Ryzen 3000 ready" literally above the motherboard's image. I suppose that would mean it comes stock with a BIOS version high enough to run the 3000 series.

Visiting a PC store would probably need more funds from me and I doubt AMD sends CPUs to my country. I don't wanna wait long either. Thanks for your reply.

 

[CountMike]

Well I just realised it says "Ryzen 3000 ready" literally above the motherboard's image. I suppose that would mean it comes stock with a BIOS version high enough to run the 3000 series.

Visiting a PC store would probably need more funds from me and I doubt AMD sends CPUs to my country. I don't wanna wait long either. Thanks for your reply.

That notice is only for MBs that came out of factory in last few months and there's no telling how long a particular board sat on a shelf. It should say so on the box or on a sticker on the box. Your retailer should know that.
Ask them somehow.

 

[DilyanD]

I ordered an Asus TUF B450M-Pro Gaming as the Prime one turned out to be out of stock. I figured a way to get my hands on a Zen+ CPU in case the computer doesn't boot once I build it.

Thank you for the quick response, 'ppreciate it.

 

[boju]

You're welcome. Please do let us know the outcome.

 

[DilyanD]

Hi,

I received all the parts today & built the PC. Everything works fine, the MB was indeed Ryzen 3000 ready and even had not just the minimum bios version, but the latest one. I applied the DOCP profile and now have my RAM at 3600 mhz. Seems stable for now, will see how it goes when I start gaming.

Cheers!

 

[boju]

Sweet well done 👍