[SOLVED] Will the ASRock B450 Steel Legend work with a r5 3600

Feb 18, 2020
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I am currently planning on building a pc, and have decided on getting the Ryzen 5 3600. I was just wondering will that CPU work with the ASRock B450 Steel Legend mobo, because PC Partpicker says there might be a compatibility issue.
 
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Sorry for so many questions but since you said if it has MAX in the name it should work would this motherboard work https://www.amazon.ca/MSI-Performance-Gaming-Crossfire-Motherboard/dp/B07XPZMKQ6/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=MSI+B450+Gaming+Plus+MAX+ATX+AM4+Motherboard&qid=1582137871&s=electronics&sr=1-2&th=1? Also the fan that comes with the CPU that should be good enough for overclocking and just daily use I dont want to put so much money in the build and have it die from something that could be avoided?

Yes. This would work perfectly. The stock cooler with the Ryzen are really decent. They allow for moderate OC'ing. Nothing crazy though :) But, actually with Ryzen 3xxx series, overclocking is not the best option. More often...
The short answer is YES :) It will work, eventually.

PCpartpicker shows that compatibility error because it thinks the mobo you have chosen 'may' not have the required bios update to run the R5 3600.

If you chose a mobo with MAX in the name, it comes already with the required bios. If you have a 1st/2nd Gen Ryzen CPU you could update the bios on the B450 Steel Legend. If not, it might be wiser to choose a MAX model to be sure the CPU works.

The MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX is highly regarded.
 
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King_V

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Maybe - but it's a risk. Risk mostly because my brain is a bit cobwebby.

https://www.asrock.com/MB/AMD/B450M Steel Legend/#BIOS

The BIOS as early as version 2.30, from early July 2019, has a note stating "Improve user experience for Matisse." This statement implies that Matisse (3000 series) support was added prior to 2.30.

Further down the list, version 2.10 says "Supports AMD next generation Ryzen processors." Given that version 2.10 came out in May 2019, a little before the 3000 series was released, I am assuming that this means support for the 3000 series.

My board, received in December, had the 2.50 BIOS, late July 2019 release. So, a 3000 would've worked out of the box, I believe.


Now, yours is the non-M version, I assume?

https://www.asrock.com/MB/AMD/B450 Steel Legend/#BIOS

The version numbers for the BIOSes are different, but the dates seem to run the same. The 2.30 version of the full ATX Steel Legend came in May 2019, and says "Supports AMD next generation Ryzen processors." Two BIOS versions later, 2.40, was early July 2019, and says "Improve user experience for Matisse."



Now, I'm making several assumptions and guesses here, so if you decide to take the leap, there's a distinct possibility my assumptions/deductions are wrong, and that you'll have to take it to a shop to get the BIOS updated. But I can't imagine that any of the boards in stock have an older BIOS than the Late July BIOS my board came with (2.50 on the B450M Steel Legend, 2.60 on the B450 Steel Legend).
 
Feb 18, 2020
5
0
10
The short answer is YES :) It will work, eventually.

PCpartpicker shows that compatibility error because it thinks the mobo you have chosen 'may' not have the required bios update to run the R5 3600.

If you chose a mobo with MAX in the name, it comes already with the required bios. If you have a 1st/2nd Gen Ryzen CPU you could update the bios on the B450 Steel Legend. If not, it might be wiser to choose a MAX model to be sure the CPU works.

The MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX is highly regarded.

Sorry for so many questions but since you said if it has MAX in the name it should work would this motherboard work https://www.amazon.ca/MSI-Performan...oard&qid=1582137871&s=electronics&sr=1-2&th=1? Also the fan that comes with the CPU that should be good enough for overclocking and just daily use I dont want to put so much money in the build and have it die from something that could be avoided?
 
Maybe - but it's a risk. Risk mostly because my brain is a bit cobwebby.

https://www.asrock.com/MB/AMD/B450M Steel Legend/#BIOS

The BIOS as early as version 2.30, from early July 2019, has a note stating "Improve user experience for Matisse." This statement implies that Matisse (3000 series) support was added prior to 2.30.

Further down the list, version 2.10 says "Supports AMD next generation Ryzen processors." Given that version 2.10 came out in May 2019, a little before the 3000 series was released, I am assuming that this means support for the 3000 series.

My board, received in December, had the 2.50 BIOS, late July 2019 release. So, a 3000 would've worked out of the box, I believe.


Now, yours is the non-M version, I assume?

https://www.asrock.com/MB/AMD/B450 Steel Legend/#BIOS

The version numbers for the BIOSes are different, but the dates seem to run the same. The 2.30 version of the full ATX Steel Legend came in May 2019, and says "Supports AMD next generation Ryzen processors." Two BIOS versions later, 2.40, was early July 2019, and says "Improve user experience for Matisse."



Now, I'm making several assumptions and guesses here, so if you decide to take the leap, there's a distinct possibility my assumptions/deductions are wrong, and that you'll have to take it to a shop to get the BIOS updated. But I can't imagine that any of the boards in stock have an older BIOS than the Late July BIOS my board came with (2.50 on the B450M Steel Legend, 2.60 on the B450 Steel Legend).

Love that post :) Comprehensive, with a note of caution and a disclaimer! Excellent ;)

All joking aside, you're bang on the money. Can't argue with anything there.
At OP, listen to @King_V , he's spot on here.
 
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Sorry for so many questions but since you said if it has MAX in the name it should work would this motherboard work https://www.amazon.ca/MSI-Performance-Gaming-Crossfire-Motherboard/dp/B07XPZMKQ6/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=MSI+B450+Gaming+Plus+MAX+ATX+AM4+Motherboard&qid=1582137871&s=electronics&sr=1-2&th=1? Also the fan that comes with the CPU that should be good enough for overclocking and just daily use I dont want to put so much money in the build and have it die from something that could be avoided?

Yes. This would work perfectly. The stock cooler with the Ryzen are really decent. They allow for moderate OC'ing. Nothing crazy though :) But, actually with Ryzen 3xxx series, overclocking is not the best option. More often than not, for gaming, just letting Ryzen 3xxx do it's thing with PBO and auto OC give better results than an all core OC.
 
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King_V

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Love that post :) Comprehensive, with a note of caution and a disclaimer! Excellent ;)

All joking aside, you're bang on the money. Can't argue with anything there.
At OP, listen to @King_V , he's spot on here.

Thanks! My caution/paranoia is mostly because I was a bit uncomfortable with the fact that sometimes they said "next generation" and other times they specifically said Matisse. And I'm FAIRLY sure, but not ABSOLUTELY sure that I upgraded from what was originally my board's late July BIOS (2.50, since I have the microATX version). I didn't need to do so for my CPU, but I thought it would help me with some memory timing issues that I was playing around with.
 
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