[SOLVED] Will the Ryzen 5 5600x work out of box with the B550 chipset?

[HarDHar]

I'm putting together a new build, switching over from Intel to AMD. After researching for a while it seems to me for my budget that the best option is to grab a 5600x when they come out, paired with a new B550 keyboard (I'm going with B550 because there seems to be a pretty general consensus that the 5000 series won't work with B450, let me know if this is wrong). However, seeing as I do not have an older Ryzen CPU which I'd be able to use to update the motherboard's BIOS, I am wondering if there's anyone who knows if the 5000 series is going to work out of box with the B550 (or any other) chipset. I haven't been able to find a clear answer after my own google searches. Or maybe I don't know as much as I think I do and this is actually a non-issue. Any help is appreciated!

 

[mdd1963]

It will not work 'out of the box' unless the mainboard has a 'VERY RECENT" BIOS update which added support for 5000-series CPUs. You'd either require an older compatible CPU to get the BIOS updated, or one of the increasingly common mainboards that allow BIOS flashes with no CPU installed...

 

[cryoburner]

You may need to update the BIOS, but I believe most (or at least many) B550 boards support CPU-less flashing, typically referred to as "BIOS Flashback". A number of X570 boards do as well. If such a feature is supported, you can load a BIOS file onto a USB thumb drive, plug it into a certain USB port, and press a button on the board to update the BIOS, even if no CPU is installed. You should check the product description of a board to verify that the feature is included.

As for B450, AMD did eventually decide to provide BIOS support for 5000-series processors on those boards, but only if the manufacturer of the board decides to support it, and there's no guarantee that support will be available at launch. Of course, Flashback is only common on MSI's B450 models, so that would limit your choices. You also miss out on PCIe 4.0 support, and we don't know for sure if 5000-series processors might have any other limitations on those boards at this point. For a new system, you're probably better off going with B550 to be safe.

 

[HarDHar]

OK, good to know. The last time I built a system was about 7 years ago and back then BIOS flashing was a bit iffy/risky. I’m glad to know its advanced a bit in that time! Looks like I’ll just have to make sure to grab the updated BIOS and flash it before I install the CPU. Thanks guys!

 

[drea.drechsler]

OK, good to know. The last time I built a system was about 7 years ago and back then BIOS flashing was a bit iffy/risky. I’m glad to know its advanced a bit in that time! Looks like I’ll just have to make sure to grab the updated BIOS and flash it before I install the CPU. Thanks guys!

While the methods use are more reliable now updating can still be risky as an interruption in the middle of it can leave the board bricked. So make sure your power connections are reliable and don't do it if thunderstorms are in the area. Being on an UPS is best if you're paranoid and have access to one. You'll need a CPU that works with the board to update the BIOS to support a new CPU series unless the board has a 'BIOS flashback' feature.

While B450 boards will, in general, get a BIOS for Ryzen 5000 some boards may not as it's still up to the mfr to release it.

The AGESA for B450 chipsets (the basic code that comes from AMD) won't be available until sometime in January 2021. I wouldn't expect before early to mid- February before my board has a BIOS available as MSI was notoriously slow with updates during the Ryzen 3000 launch.