# Do all current B550 mobos require a BIO Flash when I Insert the new Zen 3 CPUs?



## andiey (Oct 10, 2020)

As the title says.

Can't wait for for the new CPUs on 7 Nov

By the way, is the B550 a better alternative to the X570 apart from more form factors to choose from?


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## Chomiq (Oct 10, 2020)

andiey said:


> As the title says.
> 
> Can't wait for for the new CPUs on 7 Nov
> 
> By the way, is the B550 a better alternative to the X570 apart from more form factors to choose from?


It's cheaper alternative, not better.

And yeah, unless bought new from latest batch mobo will require a bios flash.


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## sneekypeet (Oct 10, 2020)

Chomiq said:


> It's cheaper alternative, not better.



That would depend on the two boards being compared, no?
Same model on both chipsets, I would agree.


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## londiste (Oct 10, 2020)

Current mobos will require a BIOS flash. Some boards seem to already have beta bioses with Zen3 support but either way there should be production BIOS at launch.

The main technical difference between B550 and X570 is that B550 only has PCI-e 4.0 for GPU and primary M.2 slot but CPU-chipset connection and remaining lanes are PCI-e 3.0 while X570 uses PCI-e 4.0 throughout. On limitations front, B550 does not officially support Ryzen 2000 series while X570 does.


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## INSTG8R (Oct 10, 2020)

I’m not sure  any manufacturer has pushed  Zen 3 compatible BIOS’s yet.


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## thesmokingman (Oct 10, 2020)

You can boot on AGESA 1.0.8.0. However its been suggested that yall wait for AGESA 1.1.0.0 for best results which won't be out till Nov 5.


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## Bones (Oct 10, 2020)

Simple answer is if in doubt, before dropping the new chip in, flash it when the updated BIOS file is available and get that potential obstable out of the way.


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## puma99dk| (Oct 10, 2020)

All B550 should get a bios update for Zen 3 like everyone else say.

The B550 chipset should be a cheaper alternative to the X570 but when I look at MSI's MAG B550 Tomahawk vs. MAG X570 Tomahawk there is a price difference about  £41 and I don't really the advanced picking the B550 here when I am looking for a newer board then my MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon WiFi.

MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk is about £154
MSI MAG X570 Tomahawk WiFi is about £191 but not in stock but where it's in stock it's about £210 so I would happily wait for it.


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## EarthDog (Oct 10, 2020)

As was said, you'll have to flash to the latest bios when the time comes.



Chomiq said:


> It's cheaper alternative, not better.
> 
> And yeah, unless bought new from latest batch mobo will require a bios flash.


 B550 starts off a bit cheaper ($80 compared to $95) and tops out MUCH lower ($300 compared to $700) than x570. B550's mean is 175-225 while x570 is 225-300 (give or take).

Ironically, if you look at x570 taichi and b550 taichi, the x570 is cheaper (on sale now at newegg, normally they are priced the same, $300). x570 has been out a lot longer so there's that. Not sure how many are like that, however. Likely few if any others.


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## Calmmo (Oct 10, 2020)

INSTG8R said:


> I’m not sure  any manufacturer has pushed  Zen 3 compatible BIOS’s yet.


Gigabyte have the update that allows you to boot into - i assume just bios - 1.0.8.0 official non beta releases, MSI have 1.1.0.0 beta, not sure about the rest tho likely everyone will have a final 1.1.0.0 in time for the launch.


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## puma99dk| (Oct 11, 2020)

Looks like bios are out according to videocardz.com:









						AMD Ryzen 5000 (Zen3) support rolling out to AMD 500-series motherboards - VideoCardz.com
					

Motherboard makers offering new BIOSes for AMD 500 series motherboards AMD promised to deliver broad support for its next-generation Zen3 processors to 500-series motherboards. The company has so far not confirmed if there are any plans to launch 600-series motherboards, but there is a strong...




					videocardz.com


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## SeventhReign (Oct 18, 2020)

INSTG8R said:


> I’m not sure  any manufacturer has pushed  Zen 3 compatible BIOS’s yet.


Zen3 Compatible bioses have been available since May.  Basically ALL current mainstream motherboards have compatible BIOSes out.


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## INSTG8R (Oct 18, 2020)

As long as you have the most current AGESA 1.0.8.0 update it will boot and allow you to flash to the official Zen 3 BIOS AGESA 1.1.0.0


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