Question Updating BIOS for Intel 300 9th generation series CPU

[Neillb]

I am buying a motherboard to go with an Intel 300 9th generation CPU. There seems confusion about which Intel 300 motherboards are compatible out of the box with 9th generation CPUs, and therefore don't need a BIOS upgrade.

I notice, on Amazon and New Egg, that some people say the 300 board they have bought works out of the box with 9th generation CPUs, but others give a warning.
Maybe I'd get lucky and get a compatible-BIOS motherboard. But ...

If I get trapped with a new motherboard incompatible with the 9th generation CPU (which I've already bought), is there a way to upgrade the BIOS without first installing an older 300 series, compatible processor? (Someone suggests this on Amazon as a work-around).

Another person suggested to me that , if trapped, I could download the upgraded 9th generation BIOS on another PC, then transfer it to the new PC build by disc etc. But could a new build with BIOS incompatible with the processor even be able to read a USB flash drive or DVD?

I know too little about hardware to know whether a motherboard, without a working/compatible CPU, could itself be put online for a BIOS upgrade, but I doubt it.

Local retailers and distributors are coy about giving any assurance or definite advice on this. That typically is a warning: buyer beware!

Ideas or advice would be welcomed.

Thank you folk!

 

[Newtonius]

You absolutely have to make sure before buying a motherboard if the motherboard supports the exact CPU model you plan to get. It should be listed in the specs page or the manual on the brands main page. What model cpu and motherboard were you planning to get exactly?

As for the bios, you don't have to flash (update) it but it's usually recommended for the best performance for your components.

 

[Neillb]

Thank you for the quick reply.

I've been looking at an Asus H370M Plus. I see at Asus that there are two models of this: the H 370M Plus and the H 370M Plus/CSM, with the latter rated ready for a 9th generation CPU. The retailers in New Zealand, where I live, advertise the H 370M plus as compatible with a 9th generation CPU but I have been unable to get from them whether they are selling the H370M Plus CSM or the H370M Plus.

I'm now looking at other brands, but there may be similar confusion with them. I wish I had done research on the motherboards before I bought the 9th generation CPU.