Question Pretty down over my ASRock B550M PRO4 not powering my graphics card for some reason :(

[andrepartthree]

Hi guys .. well this is a continuation of this thread but since it's a new problem I didn't know whether it's proper forum etiquette to just start a new thread (if not my apologies )

https://forums.tomshardware.com/thr...ad-as-people-say-it-is.3775366/#post-22798867

Was all excited to put this together, replaced the motherboard/CPU/ram with this


https://www.amazon.com/ASRock-B550M...are-us-4732103665129246000-20&geniuslink=true


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08166SLDF?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RW6Z692?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

or if those links don't work for some reason the motherboard ASRock B550M PRO4 motherboard, amd ryzen 5 series 5600x, and two sticks of 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB ...

I was really bummed out after all that to see that the red warning lights were coming on for both the CPU and the DRAM on the motherboard, which I'm guessing meant the motherboard didn't like the CPU and memory ... on top of that my video card (old one but still works at least on my old build,

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/2N...b-armor-mk2-video-card-rx-570-armor-mk2-8g-oc

the msi radeon rx 8 GB "armor mk2 " card )

wouldn't even power on , the fans on it wouldn't spin like they normally start doing as soon as I turn the computer on though at least the CPU fan turned on and would spin... since this setup (no integrated graphics on the motherboard) requires a video card of course there was no display on the monitor.

I got so bummed out I sadly (sorry for the sob story here ) that I replaced all my old components back into my desktop computer and sure enough they all work just fine so I know it's not a problem with the video card .. I guess I should be grateful my video card is still alive at least and my old PC components still work (I didn't wreck them in other words )

I'm not saying I'm a total expert by any means or I wouldn't be here looking for wiser heads than mine ... but I'm trying to figure out what I did wrong, I've put together three desktop PC's over the years, replaced the motherboard/ram/CPU on my daughter's PC , my son's PC, and my own PC all in the past with no problem (mind you that was a ryzen 3 processor with the daughter's PC and I ignored the horror stories about amd ryzen 5 processors not working with this particular motherboard) ...

I did ask a similar question in this thread

https://forums.tomshardware.com/thr...rt-ryzen-5-cpu-reviews.3775102/#post-22838628

and regarding the link I was given saying amd will loan me a new processor if I jump through their hoops

https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/pa-105

of course getting a picture of the amd 5 , 5600x processor and the motherboard socket to send them is no problem.. but I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the " Also required is a summary or copy of the communication with the motherboard manufacturer indicating why support from the Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) is not suitable." requirement they list.. which could totally defeat me, if I get some clueless customer service rep when contacting the motherboard manufacturer they'll just throw all sorts of random advice at me that probably won't work to get things going as opposed to admitting in writing " Yep, our motherboard sure doesn't support your ryzen 5 processor".... I went ahead and completed the warranty request form per their instructions anyways with "boot kit required" in the problem field like they instructed but I'm honestly wondering if they're really going to send me that loaner CPU

This motherboard was recommended to me .. no idea if the BIOS is truly usb flashable as they claim it is ... but do you guys think the asus motherboard I linked below would be a better motherboard? I am reluctantly returning the motherboard that just isn't working to amazon ... on top of everything else I managed to splatter some arctic MX4 thermal paste on the board when removing the CPU (though big thanks to Darkbreeze and the others for recommending this, at least I could easily get the cooler off without damaging it since the thermal paste came apart so easily ) .. used rubbing alcohol and q-tips to clean it off the board but I have a bad feeling a bit fell into the PCI x 16 video card slot gap too, not so easily cleaned out.. I feel like this whole thing has been a total disaster

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-TUF-B55...088W66DQ7/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

" ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-PLUS "


If you guys wouldn't recommend that board, are there other micro ATX form motherboards that you feel would definitely support an AMD ryzen 5 processor right out of the box? I'm beginning to think that's a big part of the problem here.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Yes, it is a better motherboard than the Pro4, but the Pro4 is 100% compatible with the processor you have so long as it has a new enough BIOS version installed. I have a feeling you may have received a board with an older BIOS that doesn't support that CPU model and need to update. No, you can't update without having a CPU installed that it DOES support as it does not have BIOS flashback or a similar technology that allows you to update the BIOS without a CPU installed.

The B550m Aorus Elite is also a good choice that isn't too expensive.

 

[drea.drechsler]

Hi guys .. well this is a continuation of this thread but since it's a new problem I didn't know whether it's proper forum etiquette to just start a new thread (if not my apologies )

https://forums.tomshardware.com/thr...ad-as-people-say-it-is.3775366/#post-22798867

Was all excited to put this together, replaced the motherboard/CPU/ram with this


https://www.amazon.com/ASRock-B550M...are-us-4732103665129246000-20&geniuslink=true


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08166SLDF?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RW6Z692?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

or if those links don't work for some reason the motherboard ASRock B550M PRO4 motherboard, amd ryzen 5 series 5600x, and two sticks of 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB ...

I was really bummed out after all that to see that the red warning lights were coming on for both the CPU and the DRAM on the motherboard, which I'm guessing meant the motherboard didn't like the CPU and memory ... on top of that my video card (old one but still works at least on my old build,

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/2N...b-armor-mk2-video-card-rx-570-armor-mk2-8g-oc

the msi radeon rx 8 GB "armor mk2 " card )

wouldn't even power on , the fans on it wouldn't spin like they normally start doing as soon as I turn the computer on though at least the CPU fan turned on and would spin... since this setup (no integrated graphics on the motherboard) requires a video card of course there was no display on the monitor.

I got so bummed out I sadly (sorry for the sob story here ) that I replaced all my old components back into my desktop computer and sure enough they all work just fine so I know it's not a problem with the video card .. I guess I should be grateful my video card is still alive at least and my old PC components still work (I didn't wreck them in other words )

I'm not saying I'm a total expert by any means or I wouldn't be here looking for wiser heads than mine ... but I'm trying to figure out what I did wrong, I've put together three desktop PC's over the years, replaced the motherboard/ram/CPU on my daughter's PC , my son's PC, and my own PC all in the past with no problem (mind you that was a ryzen 3 processor with the daughter's PC and I ignored the horror stories about amd ryzen 5 processors not working with this particular motherboard) ...

I did ask a similar question in this thread

https://forums.tomshardware.com/thr...rt-ryzen-5-cpu-reviews.3775102/#post-22838628

and regarding the link I was given saying amd will loan me a new processor if I jump through their hoops

https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/pa-105

of course getting a picture of the amd 5 , 5600x processor and the motherboard socket to send them is no problem.. but I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the " Also required is a summary or copy of the communication with the motherboard manufacturer indicating why support from the Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) is not suitable." requirement they list.. which could totally defeat me, if I get some clueless customer service rep when contacting the motherboard manufacturer they'll just throw all sorts of random advice at me that probably won't work to get things going as opposed to admitting in writing " Yep, our motherboard sure doesn't support your ryzen 5 processor".... I went ahead and completed the warranty request form per their instructions anyways with "boot kit required" in the problem field like they instructed but I'm honestly wondering if they're really going to send me that loaner CPU

This motherboard was recommended to me .. no idea if the BIOS is truly usb flashable as they claim it is ... but do you guys think the asus motherboard I linked below would be a better motherboard? I am reluctantly returning the motherboard that just isn't working to amazon ... on top of everything else I managed to splatter some arctic MX4 thermal paste on the board when removing the CPU (though big thanks to Darkbreeze and the others for recommending this, at least I could easily get the cooler off without damaging it since the thermal paste came apart so easily ) .. used rubbing alcohol and q-tips to clean it off the board but I have a bad feeling a bit fell into the PCI x 16 video card slot gap too, not so easily cleaned out.. I feel like this whole thing has been a total disaster

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-TUF-B55...088W66DQ7/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

" ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-PLUS "


If you guys wouldn't recommend that board, are there other micro ATX form motherboards that you feel would definitely support an AMD ryzen 5 processor right out of the box? I'm beginning to think that's a big part of the problem here.

It does happen that people get 'old stock' boards with early BIOS revisions, unfortunately. If you can't get a refund for the Pro 4, or an exchange, you might be able to get a loaner CPU from AMD to do a BIOS update:

https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/pa-105

As far as the TUF B550m Gaming PLUS... I got one on a sale from a Canadian retailer. It's proven an extremely good board for my 5800X CPU and I know the BIOS flashback feature works on this board because I've used it...twice.

I do have a few complaints though, mostly with how Asus gimps some features unnecessarily. The two main issues are there is no VRM temperature sensor feed and no memory DIMM voltage sensor feed for monitoring utilities. I have to go old-school and check VRM temperature with an IR thermometer so I can say it remains extremely cool running my PBO'd 5800X even after several hours of constant video rendering. Memory voltage is probably unnecessary but since I overclock memory beyond it's XMP and run elevated voltage to keep it stable I'd like to know it's not going way higher than what I set it at.

 

[andrepartthree]

thank you so much and Drea that's great news that the usb flash works on the asus motherboard .. I just put in an order for the asus motherboard today from amazon and luckily it looks like amazon will accept my return of the asrock motherboard (they've been very good about accepting returns from me in the past but this is the first time I'm returning a motherboard that I've tried and failed to use we'll see what happens... I believe I've managed to get all the spilled thermal paste off it ) .. now I just have to hope it wasn't a problem with the cpu (no bent pins on it as far as I can see) or the RAM after all (which is harder to check with a visual inspection but we'll see when the asus board arrives ) ..

 

[Darkbreeze]

You could also, and would be wise to maybe try, call around to various repair shops and find one that DOES have a 3000 series Ryzen CPU that can update the BIOS for you. Most places charge a very reasonable fee just to do that. In fact, depending on where you bought it, places like Microcenter or Tech4less, or similar places, Worst Buy etc., that have their own tech departments, might do it for free if you bought any of the parts from them. But even independent repair shops usually don't charge too much to do that so it's an option as well. For future reference I guess, since it seems you already ordered another board.

You do have a new problem though, maybe, depending on the memory kit you ordered, and that is the fact that a memory kit that is compatible with one board might not be with another. And it very well might be though, or even if it isn't listed as compatible it could still work. Often it's simply a matter of rolling the dice. Memory problems on Ryzen platforms are much better than they used to be, but problems still occasionally pop up.

What is the exact model of the memory kit you bought and what is the exact model of the board you ended up going with this time?

 

[andrepartthree]

Oh man I do hope the ram works out but thanks for the heads up darkbreeze ... amazon lists the ram as being " Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2X16GB) DDR4 3200 (PC4-25600) C16 1.35V Desktop Memory - Black " , so two sticks each 16 GB ... model number ‎CMK32GX4M2E3200C16 ..

Now I wish I'd just bought the original asrock board from best buy I was thinking that myself maybe they would flash the bios for me ... you're right though (as always ) something to keep in mind for future motherboard purchases

The motherboard is "ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-PLUS AMD AM4 (3rd Gen Ryzen™) Micro ATX Gaming Motherboard (PCIe 4.0, 2.5Gb LAN, BIOS Flashback, HDMI 2.1, USB 3.2 Gen 2, Addressable Gen 2 RGB Header and Aura Sync) " ... model number ‎TUF GAMING B550M-PLUS .. not the wi-fi version just the "normal" version

 

[andrepartthree]

Man best buy is something else ... I looked it up and there are some bitter complaints from four years ago up until now where it states that they will charge $100 to $200 (!!) to upgrade BIOS .. sadly don't live near a microcenter store

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/mugiq7/how_much_does_best_buy_charge_to_update_bios_for/


sorry totally unrelated question I just thought of ... my efforts here I'm talking about on this thread are to try and upgrade my son's desktop build... in the future I will be upgrading my own PC desktop maybe a year from now maybe sooner no doubt with the same AMD Ryzen 5, 5600x CPU ..

However in my case it gets even more complicated ... I have six sata drives (not the m.2. "stick" type) connected to the motherboard I would desperately like to keep (yes I know it's overkill ) ... are there motherboards out there that both have the six sata ports that I'm looking for (again six "normal", not m.2 sata ports not too worried about not being able to use m2 ports ) and that would also hopefully play nice with the amd ryzen 5600x right out of the box? I was looking at this one but no idea if it would "get along" with an amd ryzen 5 cpu..

https://www.newegg.com/msi-b450-gaming-plus-max/p/N82E16813144264?item=N82E16813144264&nm_mc=knc-googleadwords&cm_mmc=knc-googleadwords-_-motherboards - amd--msi--13144264&source=region

MSI B450 GAMING PLUS MAX AM4 AMD B450 SATA 6Gb/s ATX AMD Motherboard

according to the website below it supports usb bios flash .. which would be another question, anybody successfully use usb bios flash on this particular motherboard?

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B450-GAMING-PLUS-MAX

on the other hand there are some bitter, BITTER reviews on amazon about the bios not being able to be upgraded properly with "modern processors" like the amd ryzen 5 , 5600x I would assume one person said he hired a technician who could not do the bios upgrade ! ... so much as I'd like to get a $99 board that does the job if I have to I'll spend more money for a motherboard that is likely to play nice with the amd ryzen 5600x for my future pc build and has the 6 sata slots ... ideally with the usb flash bios function just to be on the safe side..




o

 

[Darkbreeze]

I wouldn't put too much stock, or any, into what you read in reviews or feedback on Amazon or Newegg. Especially not if you don't see like 14 others saying exactly the same thing, and by people who clearly KNOW what they are talking about, because most of what you get on those sites is from idiots who normally rate high if the package just ARRIVES and don't know crap about much that's technical at all to be honest. You get the occasional one off that does, but it's not often.

ALL boards can be flashed unless something is wrong with them. They might not all have a version of Bios Flashback where it can be flashed without a CPU but they can all be flashed via either the built in BIOS utility or in some cases (I don't recommend doing it this way, pretty much ever, unless you have to) via desktop utility.

The problem almost always is somebody trying to flash a board that doesn't have BIOS flashback or an equivalent process that doesn't require a CPU or memory to be installed, trying to flash when they don't have a CPU that is already compatible.

 

[andrepartthree]

Thanks again so much Darkbreeze ... say what's your opinion on this motherboard? (the " ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus (Wi-Fi) ATX Motherboard with PCIe 4.0, Dual M.2, 12+2 with Dr. MOS Power Stage, HDMI, DP, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2 and Aura Sync RGB Lighting " model number TUF GAMING X570-PLUS (Wi-Fi) )

https://www.newegg.com/asus-tuf-gaming-x570-plus/p/N82E16813119197

sadly it doesn't have the usb flash bios option .. which is a real head scratcher the less expensive asus board I bought has it but this board at two hundred dollars with eight sata ports plus two m.2. slots doesn't? I know I'm a newbie compared to everyone else here but I thought that was a bit strange ...

still, I'm wondering if it's a "get what you pay for" situation here... or to put it another way given it's twice the price of the MSI board I was looking at earlier on, maybe it will just plain work better and/or be more likely to recognize the amd 5 ryzen 5600x without me having to jump through hoops

(like the amd loaner kit situation for example .. though thankfully looking at the newegg reviews on this MB alone there's an asus rep that reaches out every time someone bitterly complains even this board doesn't support ryzen 5 processors out of the box so at least getting the documentation and he gives his email address to reach him ... it turns out the amd loaner program does in fact require they told me so correspondence from the motherboard manufacturer saying " Hey us motherboard manufacturer dudes can't help you with this" ) ...

Also I'm guessing to be on the absolute safe side with the asus board I bought mentioned above that does support usb bios flash I should

leave the CPU/RAM/video card out completely from the MB at first

install the MB into the PC case

hook up power supply cables to the motherboard as well as the power button on header (to allow the "on" power switch on the PC case to function)

turn on the PC with the motherboard inside

run the usb bios flash and hope it works ,

remove the MB and then install CPU/RAM video card and stick it right back in the PC case again?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Honestly, I'd go with a B550 board over an X570 board, for several reasons.

For one, B550 is a newer chipset family and it supports some features that are not supported on X570.

Two, you are less likely to encounter a board that doesn't support certain AM4 processors than with X570 since B550 was released after many of those CPUs were already on the market, and they came with support for some CPU models that were "upcoming" while the X570 boards had already been out for a while.

Three, the B550 boards don't require the use of an additional, and in my opinion irritating, chipset fan like the X570 boards have.

Four, they are less expensive in general, for the most part. Especially in the mid tiered options.

We can make it pretty simple. Tell me what your maximum budget is for a board and I will tell you what the two closest boards to that price that I would recommend would be.

 

[andrepartthree]

thanks again Darkbreeze .. well I was getting ready to spend $200 on the asus motherboard so .... a motherboard with at least six sata slots directly on the motherboard (not the m.2 type slots the old fashioned rectangular ssd drive slot connectors or non ssd "normal" sata drives) that hopefully out of the box can handle a AMD Ryzen 5, 5600x processor... if the motherboard happened to be able to support m.2 drives (say one, maybe even two) on top of that great if not I can live with that ...

 

[Darkbreeze]

At around 200 bucks, these are the four boards I'd likely say to take a look at. Two of them are pretty much the same with one of them being the Taichi Razor edition which isn't terribly different from the regular Taichi.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/jKLwrH,V6GnTW,3qDkcf,MfZ9TW/

 

[andrepartthree]

Darkbreeze thank you so much .. I was tempted towards the MSI model at first given it was manufactured after the 5600x came out (I think) so presumably it would be the best bet to support it right out of the box, but I need six "old fashioned" usb slots in the back (not the newer C type for example) since I have five usb devices plugged into the back of my PC rig and the two usb slots in front get frequent use too .. the gigabyte has 4 on board sata slots which would be enough for most people but since I'm crazy cheap and refuse to give up any of the six hard drives I currently have plugged in and am using .. it's looking like the ASrock models...

The ASRock B550 Taichi options look great and I am so grateful that you brought them to my attention (and warned me away from the asus x570 board) thank you so much ... and it's great that there's a "razer" version as well, so even if I have problems finding one Taichi model from some place with a great return policy (amazon stands out here but newegg, best buy and walmart have been good to me in the past too for returns) I can just go for the other one (the Razer light up options are nice but not a dealbreaker for me if I don't get it ) ...

...loving not only the eight sata ports on the board but also if I'm understanding correctly the fact you can plug up to two m.2 drives in and still not lose sata ports (even if I'm wrong and lose say two sata ports to an m.2 drive that's totally okay ) for future upgradability but also the usb flash bios option so, hopefully if it all goes according to plan , I just flash the bios usb style before even putting the CPU/RAM/video card in there, take the MB back out of the PC case, pop those 3 components back in and hopefully the motherboard says " Oh that's right I know about you now Mr. CPU " and everything works out

I've made careful notes about all the wisdom you gave me and these two motherboards in the text document I've been using to organize my thoughts for my future PC build for my PC (not the son desktop build I'm currently working on) in the future.. thanks again so very very much Darkbreeze !

 

[andrepartthree]

Also finding myself rather nervous now about the ram I purchased since it's model number does not appear on asus's official checklist of supported ram on their website if you check off the "corsair" and "16 GB stick" options ... so I'll have to plug it in, cross my fingers see what happens and if not go back and check asus's website again which is a huge pain only because they keep listing these model numbers for ram that's no longer available for sale or being sold used at a ridiculously high marked up price .. technically pcpartpicker says the ram I bought is compatible but .. we'll see .. this is still good knowledge to have, if the PC won't boot then I have to return the ram and just keep looking until I find something on the asus website that's actually for sale as far as ram

TUF GAMING B550M-PLUS｜Motherboards｜ASUS USA

ASUS TUF Gaming motherboards distill essential elements of the latest Intel® platform and combine them with game-ready features and proven durability. Engineered with military-grade components, an upgraded power solution and a comprehensive set of cooling options, each ASUS TUF Gaming...

www.asus.com

 

[Darkbreeze]

The motherboard QVL (Qualified vendor list) compatibility lists are always very limited. They do not test all models, only a sampling of models, whereas memory manufacturers tend to test the full slate of part numbers they sell against all the consumer boards because they are in the business to sell memory, unlike board manufacturers. So not being on the QVL list literally means nothing. Being on it just makes it simpler but if it's not, it's not necessarily meaningful.

Even not being on the memory manufacturer's list of validated models doesn't necessarily mean it won't work, it just means they either didn't test that kit (Usually because it's a model that was released AFTER they did the testing on that board), or they found problems with compatibility. But not being on ANY given list doesn't necessarily mean a kit can't work. It just means you might have problems, and you might not.

PCPP doesn't know anything about "compatibility" when it comes to what memory has been validated on any given board. Their "compatibility" just means that it's the right "type" of memory (DDR4, DDR5, etc.) and is a supported "speed" for that board. It has no idea of whether any given kit actually works with a given board or not.

 

[andrepartthree]

As always this is a wealth of very useful information that is good to know - thanks Darkbreeze ! And also thank you for making me feel more reassured about my corsair vengeance 16 GB LPX sticks I really hope they work ... board arrives in theory next week if amazon is not lying to me as it's been known to do sometimes .. I will post back here with my success or failure story depending on how things go

 

[Darkbreeze]

Amazon lies all the time. LOL. Not just to you either.

 

[andrepartthree]

Guys I'm happy to report that the asus motherboard/CPU / RAM combination I mentioned above worked .. the asus motherboard arrived with "ready for ryzen 5 processors" stamped on it.. I gave it a skeptical look and flashed the bios anyways .. although afterwards my frantic internet research seems to indicate that asus likes to scare the crap out of ignorant newbies like me or maybe this is just how the newer motherboards are anyways... it turns out you need to go into BIOS, disable fast boot, enable CSM and THEN all your bootable hard drive devices show up ...

...since the board only had four "normal" sata slots and since I was going to spring for a 1 TB drive to upgrade my son's rig anyways (he's hoping to be a computer science major and my understanding is they may need lots of storage space to run virtual machines and stuff like that) I opted for what pc mag called the best "budget m.2 drive" (the review folks at tom's hardware were less impressed than PC mag but said it would serve well as a secondary storage device ), the "crucial p3" m.2 drive .. and despite me having four sata type things plugged into all four slots the m.2 drive still works (with the cheaper motherboards my understanding is that plugging in a m.2. drive disables some of the sata ports) and there's room for a second m.2 drive if I need it too .. my understanding is the m.2 drive is faster than a "rectangle shaped" ssd drive so.. blessing in disguise I was forced to change motherboards maybe?

Also if this helps anyone, if windows 10 gives you the "hey you can't use this product key anymore you changed your hardware", if you just re-enter the same product key you had before Windows says "oh okay" and reactivates Windows over the internet.. thought I would mention that in case anyone gets scared by that into unnecessarily buying a new Win 10 product key ..

The only annoyance I have now is that when you purchase a ryzen 5 processor you're supposed to get a free uncharted game , dutifully jumped through all the hoops they give you only to get a " coupon limit reached" code .. emailed amd rewards support asking if they can help but heck I wasn't expecting the free game anyways when I bought the CPU , it , the motherboard and ram work that's the important thing .. again thank you guys so much

 

[Darkbreeze]

🧐 👍