What is a BIOS Update?

[senspamaccc]

I keep getting: "Some Intel H370 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Coffee Lake Refresh CPUs. Upgrading the BIOS may require a different CPU that is supported by older BIOS revisions." on pc part picker. What does this mean?

 

[terry4536]

I keep getting: "Some Intel H370 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Coffee Lake Refresh CPUs. Upgrading the BIOS may require a different CPU that is supported by older BIOS revisions." on pc part picker. What does this mean?

That means that the current loaded on your motherboard may not be compatible with your CPU.

 

[terry4536]

Go to the specific website for your motherboard. Then go to the support menu. And then select the Download tab and then select BIOS download. Then follow the instructions.


What is your exact motherboard make and model?

 

[terry4536]

On that same site you can download the manual. It will have instructions on updating the BIOS. But in general you download the BIOS to the root directory of a FAT32 formatted USB drive or DVD disc.

Then you boot into the BIOS, and select the BIOS update menu. Then you insert the media containing the BIOS. Then using the browse function of the BIOS update menu to select the BIOS. Then you hit enter and wait for it to finish.

The new BIOS version should then be displayed in the BIOS main menu.

 

[senspamaccc]

This is the motherboard: Asus - Prime H370-A/CSM ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
and my CPU is Intel - Core i5-9600K 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor...Are they compatible?

 

[terry4536]

This is the motherboard: Asus - Prime H370-A/CSM ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
and my CPU is Intel - Core i5-9600K 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor...Are they compatible?

The I5-9600K is an unlocked processor. The H-370 is more suited to a locked processor. It doesn't really support overclocking. I would suggest a Z370 or a Z390 motherboard.

Any of the 370 motherboards will require a BIOS upgrade to be compatible with the Intel 9000 series processors. In this case the reason is that there is a list of supported processors in the BIOS. The updated BIOS includes the 9000 series motherboard instead of just the 8000 series(plus any updates specifically for the 9000 series).

 

[R_1]

Basic Input Output system. The BIOS for short is software that is installed onto the motherboard that enables the motherboard to be update and enables support of future products. The software on the motherboard is Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory, the act of erasing and programming the software is called flashing.

https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/PRIME-H370-A-CSM/HelpDesk_CPU/
I do not see any of the 9xxx series CPU's on the list, if the board supported them it would be listed here with the BIOS revision that enables their use

 

[terry4536]

Here are some Z390 motherboards to pick from. And these would not require a BIOS update. And they are all compatible with the I5-9600K.



MSI Z390-A PRO LGA 1151 (300 Series) Intel Z390 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 ATX Intel Motherboard

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813144219


or

ASUS ROG Strix Z390-H Gaming Motherboard LGA1151 (Intel 8th and 9th Gen) ATX DDR4 DP HDMI M.2 USB 3.1 Gen2 Gigabit LAN

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813119158

or

MSI MPG Z390 GAMING PRO CARBON AC LGA 1151 (300 Series) Intel Z390 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 ATX Intel Motherboard
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813144211