When AMD initially announced that their next-generation Ryzen processors would only support 500 series motherboards they faced significant backlash and were forced to include 400 series motherboard support. The reason AMD cited at the time was the limitations in some flash chips not containing enough space to store the information for all processors, several motherboard manufacturers encountered this issue with Ryzen 3000 bios updates where they needed to reduce graphical elements in their BIOS.

An overclock.net forum user by the name Brko has recently claimed that Zen 3 processors can run on a GIGABYTE X370 motherboard with a beta BIOS and AGESA update. This claim has been partially validated by chm128256m who got a Ryzen 9 5900X to run on his modded ASRock A320M motherboard. AMD is extremely unlikely to officially support this backwards compatibility with 300 series motherboards given their previous statements. It will be interesting to see if any OEMs provide backward compatibility updates and any issues that may arise.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, announced today the release of the latest BIOS for the motherboards with the AMD X570, B550, and A520 chipsets to ensure the most comprehensive performance, compatibility, and reliability improvements for users to have the most pleasant user experience on their PCs equipped with AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors.

AMD recently released the Ryzen 5000 series processors which are the most extensive upgrade since 2017. The Ryzen 5000 series includes four models of Ryzen 9 5950X, Ryzen 9 5900X, Ryzen 7 5800X, and Ryzen 5 5600X. With the enhancement by the brand new Zen3 core design, these four processors present monumental uplift on performance which attracts notable intension of users to expect further upgrade for their "AMD YES" systems.

MSI, the world leading gaming motherboard brand, releases optimized BIOS updates for AMD 500-series motherboards. Combo PI V2 1.1.0.0 BIOS has been released and it will be able to download in the coming days.

Highlights include: Optimized compatibility for AMD Ryzen 3000-Series and Ryzen 4000 G-Series Desktop Processors and future AM4 socket processors, solve some specific OC failure issues, updated SMU module, and optimized DDR4 memory overclocking. MSI will keep announcing BIOS news. Please find the latest information of the complete product list and more details about the Combo PI V2 1.1.0.0 and newer BIOS update on this blog.

BIOSTAR, a leading brand of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, today announces that their motherboards are ready to support future Ryzen with AGESA Combo V2 PI 1.0.8.1 BIOS update.

With a wide list of supporting models, BIOSTAR consumers can rest assured that their dreams of upgrading to the future Ryzen are fully achievable. With a few easy steps to update the BIOS version, users can enjoy the full benefits of the future Ryzen from their existing BIOSTAR 500 series AM4 motherboards. Gaming and content creation will get extended benefits like improving memory compatibility and memory overclocking capabilities after AGESA Combo V2 PI 1.0.8.1 BIOS updating.

MSI began rolling out UEFI firmware updates that pack AMD's latest AGESA Combo PI V2 1.0.8.1 microcode, for the company's Socket AM4 motherboards based on the AMD 500-series chipsets. The company released firmware updates for 9 of its B550 motherboards today. Some time mid-September, it plans to release updates for X570 chipset boards, and the rest of its B550 motherboards. By late-September, updates will be released for A520 chipset boards.

MSI says AGESA V2 1.0.8.1 improves memory compatibility and memory overclocking headroom, and supports UMA memory share control for Ryzen 4000G / PRO 4000G "Renoir" desktop processors. MSI added fixes specific to its products, such as Soft RAID issues on B550, and PCs refusing to resume from S3 state. Check the "support" section of your motherboard's product page on the MSI website for the new firmware updates.

ASUS today announced the new A520 chipset motherboards for its TUF Gaming, Prime and Pro series. The AMD A520 chipset is the successor to the A320 chipset, and features PCIe 3.0. Designed to cater to a wide range of needs, these motherboards feature a 32 MB BIOS flash ROM, and support future AMD Ryzen Zen 3 architecture CPUs and APUs.

ASUS A520 motherboards can be paired with an AMD APU to create a budget-friendly gaming rig or workstation, making them ideal for DIY PC users and small to medium-sized businesses. ASUS is also pleased to announce that its R&D team broke the existing world memory frequency record, setting DDR4- 6666 on ROG Strix B550-I Gaming, using the AMD Ryzen 4700GE processor and Crucial Ballistix MAX memory.

AMD's recent announcement of its Ryzen 4000G and Ryzen PRO 4000G series desktop processors lacked a key detail - pricing, possibly because it's irrelevant to end users as the processors are sold only in the OEM channel. momomo_us secured a slide (possibly by AMD's channel marketing), which puts out SEP (suggestive) pricing per chip in n-unit tray quantities. Apparently, the Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G, and its energy-efficient -GE variant, are priced at USD $309. The Ryzen 5 PRO 4650G/GE comes with a $209 price, and the Ryzen 3 PRO 4350G/GE at $149.

Prices of the other parts in this slide appear to be stuck at their respective launch-time SEP pricing, since all of the price-cuts AMD implemented appear to be unofficial, and specific to retailers and regions. AMD also updated its familiar-looking processor-to-chipset compatibility slide with the inclusion of the new 4000G series. Apparently the new processors only work with AMD 500-series chipsets, such as the B550, X570, and the commercial-segment exclusive PRO565 chipset. This is strange since "Renoir" is now confirmed to lack PCIe gen 4.0, and only spares gen 3.0 x8 for PEG, which means 400-series chipsets are excluded due to ROM size limitations to squeeze in AGESA microcode supporting several generations of processors and microarchitectures. Interestingly, AMD assured customers of Ryzen 4000-series compatibility with 400-series chipsets. Perhaps they were only referring to the "Zen 3" based "Vermeer" processors, as the slide shows.

ASUS today announced that the new BIOS with AMD AGESA 1.0.0.2 update for X570 and B550 series motherboards are now available for download. While the existing BIOS support Ryzen 3000XT processors, the new BIOS optimize the performance of the latest AMD Ryzen 3000XT series processors (Ryzen 9 3900XT, Ryzen 7 3800XT, and Ryzen 5 3600XT). The UEFI BIOS updates are available from the respective motherboard support pages, and can be accessed via the ASUS Support website.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, announced today the latest BIOS update just recently for AMD platform motherboards. It not only supports 3rd Gen. AMD Ryzen XT desktop processors, but also provides effective solutions for some of the hidden SMM Callout related security issues on the AMD APU.

GIGABYTE has been working closely with AMD to provide the best performance, enhanced user experience, and the recovery of security issues. After the previous release of new BIOS for Ryzen XT processors, GIGABYTE is also aware of the possibility of SMM Callout related security issues on AMD APU processors released from 2016 to 2019. The issue enables attackers to execute any coding and control the whole system through the system manage mode of AMD AGESA microcode.

The AMD B550 chipset isn't supposed to run 1st- and 2nd-generation AMD Ryzen processors, or even Ryzen 5 3400G and 3200G APUs based on the older "Zen+" microarchitecture. AMD specifically made a packaging badge that reflects this. The B550 chipset only supports 3rd gen Ryzen "Matisse," and is ready for upcoming "Renoir" and "Zen 3" based "Vermeer" processors, when they do come out.

Given this, imagine our surprise when someone with access to a B550 motherboard was able to run older processors on it. PC enthusiast 188 "momomo_us" posted screenshots of an ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus motherboard running "Zen+" based Ryzen 5 3400G APU based on the "Picasso" silicon, and Ryzen 5 2600X processor based on the "Pinnacle Ridge" silicon, complete with CPU-Z validations. The board is shown running BIOS version 0608 (dated 15/06/2020). There's nothing in the official change-log to indicate Zen+ support, nor in its CPU support list, and the CPU-Z screenshots don't reveal AGESA version in the BIOS version string. An impressive feat nonetheless. We still can't recommend taking the risk of buying B550 motherboards with older processors. Find the CPU-Z validation for the 3400G+B550 and 2600X+B550.

AMD on Wednesday disclosed a new security vulnerability affecting certain client- and APU processors launched between 2016 and 2019. Called the SMM Callout Privilege Escalation Vulnerability, discovered by Danny Odler, and chronicled under CVE-2020-12890, the vulnerability involves an attacker with elevated system privileges to manipulate the AGESA microcode encapsulated in the platform's UEFI firmware to execute arbitrary code undetected by the operating system. AMD plans to release AGESA updates that mitigate the vulnerability (at no apparent performance impact), to motherboard vendors and OEMs by the end of June 2020. Some of the latest platforms are already immune to the vulnerability.A statement by AMD follows.

MSI, the world leading gaming motherboard brand, releases optimized BIOS updates for the new Ryzen 9 3900XT, Ryzen 7 3800XT and Ryzen 5 3600XT Processors. Combo PI V1 1.0.0.6 BIOS and Combo PI V2 1.0.0.2 BIOS are released and able to download successively in coming days. More detail information about the Combo PI V2 1.0.0.2, Combo PI V1 1.0.0.6 or newer BIOS update, please check this blog.

Since AMD releases their new Ryzen 9 3900XT, Ryzen 7 3800XT and Ryzen 5 3600XT Processors today, MSI also made great efforts to offer optimized BIOS updates for 300-, 400-, and 500-series motherboards. The latest AMD Combo PI V1 version 1.0.0.6 BIOS for 300- and 400-series motherboards will be ready for users to download and update in the end of June. Regarding 500-series motherboards, Combo PI V2 version 1.0.0.2 BIOS will be released in the beginning of July. The updated BIOS updates are mainly optimized for the new Ryzen CPUs. Besides, there are several key points for the BIOS improvements.

BIOSTAR, a leading brand of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, today announces product support for the latest AMD RYZEN 3000 XT series processors.

AMD's latest refresh of their RYZEN 3000XT series desktop processors has taken the market in storm providing higher clock speeds designed on the highly stable Zen 2 architecture. Built on AMD's B550 and A520 chipsets, AMD has expanded the 3rd Gen Ryzen processor range with a wider selection for consumers with the addition of the new XT range which consists of 3 new processors, the Ryzen 9 3900XT, AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT and AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT processors.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, today announce the latest BIOS update of AMD platform motherboards. To ensure users can embrace the performance boost, high compatibility, and high stability of 3rd Gen. AMD Ryzen XT Series desktop processors.

In order to furnish the best performance and user experience, AMD has been working closely with GIGABYTE and other motherboard vendors to provide BIOS code updates regularly for optimizing system performance or solving the issues verified by motherboard vendors. Adapted to the latest 3rd gen. are AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT,Ryzen 7 3800XT, Ryzen 5 3600XT processors. AMD provides AGESA ComboV2 1.0.0.2 BIOS for X570 and B550 chipset motherboards, and AGESA ComboV1 1.0.0.6 BIOS for X470, B450,X370, B350, and A320 chipsets products.

ASUS released a beta BIOS updates for its top AMD 400-series chipset motherboard that includes the AGESA ComboAM4 1.0.0.6 microcode. A HardwareLuxx.de community member tracking AGESA updates posted screenshot of a Crosshair VII Hero (X470) motherboard with a AGESA ComboAM4 1.0.0.6 version (not to be confused with AGESA PinnaclePI 1.0.0.6). The beta BIOS version for the motherboard bears version number 3101. The BIOS file was originally released to web by Shamino on the OCN forums, earlier today.

While not much is known about ComboAM4 1.0.0.6, the Beta BIOS 3101 for Crosshair VII Hero enables per-CCX overclocking, meaning that you can set different manual OC multiplier values per CCX on your processor. We're not sure if both "Pinnacle Ridge" and "Matisse" support it, or just the latter. We also don't know at this point if per-CCX overclocking is an ASUS innovation or a feature of ComboAM4 1.0.0.6. Find the BIOS ROM file here.

Apparently, AMD will be taking a slightly confusing step with its new AGESA codes - at least for the B550 platform. A report via Hardwareluxx has AMD rebooting AGESA (the most basic firmware for your motherboard and chipset support that's a requirement for correct CPU and feature support) versions back to version 1.0.0.0, but with a catch. The new AGESA version that's supposed to allow for support for AMD's Zen 3 CPUs will be coded as ComboAM4 v2 1.0.0.0 - instead of the next version in the current AGESA nomenclature, 1.0.0.6. It is still unclear if this change only refers to AMD's B550 or if it will also move on to X570's next AGESA releases.

It's expected that new motherboards based on AMD's B550 chipset will start landing in June. For now, there's confirmation on at least two motherboards running with this V2 of AGESA: MSI's MAG B550 Tomahawk (ComboAM4 v2 1.0.0.0), and the Gigabyte B550 Aorus Master (ComboAM4v2 1.0.0.1). So if you're looking to use AMD's B550 motherboard (or even X570) with AMD's upcoming Zen 3 CPUs, make sure to read your motherboard manufacturers' release notes for each AGESA version, so that you install the correct one and avoid yourself a potential load of pain with a non-functioning AGESA for your shiny new Zen 3 CPU.

AMD backpedaled on dropping support for its future "Zen 3" processors on AMD 400-series chipset motherboards. The company will work with its motherboard partners in integrating "Zen 3" processor support on certain beta versions of motherboard BIOSes. AMD also detailed how it plans to go about it. The said BIOS will be a one-way ticket to using "Zen 3" processors while losing support for all older microarchitectures.

The way it works is the motherboard manufacturer will integrate the Zen 3-only AGESA with a firmware that can squeeze into a 16 MB ROM. They may also choose to conserve ROM space in areas such as the UEFI setup program, which may not correspond with the motherboard's original feature-set. This is essentially similar to how MSI integrated "Zen 2" support on some of its older motherboards with 16 MB ROMs, by slimming down its UEFI setup program.

Yuri "1usmus" Bubliy over the weekend released the latest version of DRAM Calculator for Ryzen, the definitive tool for overclocking and optimizing memory on your AMD Ryzen-powered PC. The tool lets you calculate the best possible memory-related settings specific to your machine. Version 1.7.1 introduces several new changes. For starters, it now has updated presets for three of the most popular DDR4 DRAM die types obtained from hundreds of hours of re-testing various brands of memory modules on the latest version of AMD AGESA. These affect everything from procODT to VDDG settings, and the introduction of CL15t, which stabilizes problems encounted in finding timings with CL14t.

The R-XMP button (which attempts to translate your DIMM's XMP to AMD-compatible settings), and "Calculate EXTREME" buttons have been removed, and in their place, the "Calculate FAST" button has been optimized for the best possible stable settings; and "Calculate SAFE" for reasonably fast yet safe settings. DRAM Calculator for Ryzen now has DIMM PCB revision awareness. Several popular memory vendors have multiplie revisions of PCBs for the same DIMMs (and same DRAM chips, which can affect tuning headroom). This provides an additional layer of accuracy in calculating timings. In addition, there are several UI changes, such as a "compare timings" button with added functionality. Preliminary support is also added for future "Zen 3" based processors. Grab the tool from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: DRAM Calculator for Ryzen v1.7.2 by 1usmusThe change-log follows.

Update 09:07 UTC: The DRAM Calculator for Ryzen has just been updated to v1.7.2. Detailed below.

In their briefing leading up to today's Ryzen 3 3100 and 3300X review embargo, AMD disclosed that its upcoming "Zen 3" 4th generation Ryzen desktop processors will only support AMD 500-series (or later) chipsets. The next-gen processors will not work with older 400-series or 300-series chipsets. This comes as a blow to those who bought premium X470 motherboards hoping for latest CPU compatibility running into 2020. At this time only B550 is available, but we expect more news on enthusiast chipsets as the Zen 3 launch date comes closer. AMD B550 is a fascinating new mid-range chipset by AMD. Launching today as a successor to the popular B450 chipset, B550 is a low-power silicon with roughly the same 5-7 W TDP as the older 400-series chipset. Although AMD won't confirm it, it's likely that the chipset is sourced from ASMedia. It brings a lot to the table that could draw buyers away from B450, but it also takes some away.

The AMD B550 currently only supports 3rd generation Ryzen "Matisse" processors. Ryzen 3000 "Picasso" APU are not supported. What's more, older Ryzen 2000 "Pinnacle Ridge," "Raven Ridge," and first gen Ryzen 1000 "Summit Ridge" aren't supported, either. The Athlon 200 and 3000 "Zen" based chips miss out, too. AMD argues that it ran into ROM size limitations when trying to cram AGESA microcode for all the older processors. We find that hard to believe because B450 motherboards with the latest ComboAM4 AGESA support 2nd gen and 3rd gen processors, including APUs and Athlon SKUs based on the two. On the bright side, AMD assured us (within its marketing slides for the B550), that the chipset will support upcoming processors based on the "Zen 3" microarchitecture. The company also came up with a new motherboard packaging label that clarifies that the processors won't work with the 3400G and 3200G.

AMD formally announced its AGESA ComboAM4 1.0.0.5 microcode. The new microcode is intended to be encapsulated into motherboard UEFI firmware updates and distributed by motherboard- and OEM desktop manufacturers, at their discretion. AGESA 1.0.0.5 improves POST (time) with select Micron Technology DDR4-3200 memory chips. An intermittent virtual memory error with certain Realtek onboard Ethernet PHY chips has been fixed. The microcode also improves PCI-Express bus stability and interoperability, in general. A PCIe lane configuration issue with Ryzen 3 Pro 2100GE has been fixed. Besides these, all other performance- and stability-improvements part of older 1.0.0.4 a/ab/abb/abba microcodes are incorporated into 1.0.0.5. Keep an eye on the BIOS updates section of your socket AM4 motherboard's product page on its company website.

AMD today announced four new desktop processors across three very diverse markets. To begin with, the company crowned its socket AM4 mainstream desktop platform with the mighty new Ryzen 9 3950X processor. Next up, it released its new baseline entry-level APU, the Athlon 3000G. Lastly, it detailed the 3rd generation Ryzen Threadripper HEDT processor family with two initial models, the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X and the flagship Ryzen Threadripper 3970X. The company also formally released its AGESA Combo PI 1.0.0.4B microcode, and with it, introduced a killer new feature for all "Zen 2" based Ryzen processors, called ECO Mode.

The Ryzen 9 3950X is a 16-core/32-thread processor in the AM4 package, compatible with all socket AM4 motherboards, provided they have the latest BIOS update with AGESA Combo PI 1.0.0.4B microcode. The processor comes with clock-speeds of 3.50 GHz base, with 4.70 GHz maximum boost frequency, and the same 105 W TDP as the 12-core Ryzen 9 3900X. With 512 KB of dedicated L2 cache per core, and 64 MB of shared L3 cache, the chip has a mammoth 72 MB of "total cache."

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, is proud to announce it's full support for the newly launched AMD Ryzen 9 3950X processor. The 3950X, a 16-core, 32-thread desktop CPU running at a 4.7GHz boosted clock, has been highly anticipated and BIOSTAR has been well prepared for it. Supported by BIOSTAR X570, X470, B450, X370, B350, and A320 chipset with AM4 socket motherboards, the monster CPU from AMD brings the latest in PC tech with support for dual-channel DDR4 memory at 3200+MHz and PCIe 4.0, a perfect match for the feature-loaded GEN4 RACING X570 and X470 motherboards from BIOSTAR.

By updating the supported motherboards with the latest AGESA 1.0.0.4 Patch B BIOS, the users can unlock support for the new AMD CPU and its benefits, as well as improved system boot time as tested by our engineers. By updating the supported motherboards with the latest AGESA 1.0.0.4 Patch B BIOS, users can unlock support for the new AMD CPU and its benefits, as well as improved system boot time as tested by our engineers.

AMD CEO Dr Lisa Su in response to a question, spoke about 3rd generation Ryzen processor boost issue. Dr. Su was responding to a question by Mitch Steves of RBC Capital on whether she had comments on "the software side" of 3rd gen Ryzen, and articles in the press still popping up about them despite AMD's fix. This was interpreted by the AMD CEO as a question specific to the Precision Boost controversy surrounding 3rd gen Ryzen chips, in which processors would seldom/never hit the advertised maximum boost frequency. AMD tried to address this by issuing updates to its processor microcode under AGESA Combo 1.0.0.3 ABBA, distributed through motherboard BIOS updates. The new microcode is supposed to increase the maximum turbo clock-speeds for "the vast majority" of users.

In her response, Dr. Su began by stating that the company is pleased with the sales of these processors. She then mentioned that AMD is working with its motherboard partners and ODM partners to "improve the optimization of the maximum boost frequency." She notes that the issue has been "largely addressed over the last couple of weeks" (referring to 1.0.0.3 ABBA). She goes on to state that AMD sees its response to the boost issues as more of an "optimization," rather than a "major update," possibly trying to allay investor fears that AMD is firefighting a costly problem with its products. "We're going to continue to improve the platform," she adds, possibly referencing the upcoming AGESA 1.0.0.4 Patch B microcode that's beginning to ship out by motherboard vendors. The earnings call can be accessed here. The specific question can be found at 47:00.

MSI, the world leading gaming motherboard manufacturer, takes initiative to release BIOS updates for AMD motherboards. This latest AMD Combo PI version 1.0.0.4 Patch B (SMU v46.54) has a massive improvement at all points concerning debugs and optimization for the previous version. Specifically, optimized system boot up procedure allows users to shorten boot time and speed up the boot process. Compared to previous 1.0.0.3 version, the boot speed entering into BIOS is faster by 20%.

At the moment, the BIOS for X570 motherboards will be ready for users to download and update in the end of October. The updated BIOS version supports Ryzen 5 2400G and Ryzen 3 2200G running in X570 platform. On the other hand, it also supports RAID function including SATA- and NVMe-based drives for X570 motherboards. We are still working hard on other existing lineup of 300- and 400-series motherboard and will be released soon in November.

There is no correlation between CPU frequency boosting behavior and system stability. Intel today launched its "10th generation" Core X HEDT processors, with core-counts ranging between 10 to 18, priced between $590 and $978. Based on the 14 nm "Cascade Lake-X" silicon, these chips have the same exact IPC as "Skylake" circa 2015, but offer nearly double the number of cores to the Dollar compared to the 9th generation Core X series; and add a couple of useful instruction sets such as DLBoost, which accelerates DNN training/building; a few more AVX-512 instructions, and an updated Turbo Boost Max 3.0 algorithm. The chips offer clock-speed bumps over the previous generation.

Intel's main trade-call for these processors? Taking another stab at AMD for falling short on boost frequency in the hands of consumers. "The chip that hits frequency benchmarks as promised, our new #CoreX -series processor, provides a stable, high-performance platform for visual creators everywhere," reads the Intel tweet, as if to suggest that reaching the "promised" clock speed results in stability. AMD was confronted with alarming statistics of consumers whose 3rd generation Ryzen processors wouldn't reach their advertised boost frequencies. The company released an updated AGESA microcode that fixed this.