ASROCK X370/B350 ryzen 5000 series mod

[Final_Fighter]

WARNING DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THIS WILL WORK FOR YOU.


PLEASE CHECK UPDATE BELOW FOR COMPATIBILITY!!!!


I decided i would post this up along with what ive tested. I finally managed to get ahold of a ryzen 5 5600x and decided to use my previous bios cross flashing experience. BTW HERE is a thread i created way back on cross flashing the motherboard im using now, the method works here if you are not updated past a certain point. So what i did this time was flash a bios from an asrock B450M PRO4-F onto my AB350M PRO4. when cross flashing the bios you need to make sure that your bios is not updated past 5.50 for the AB350M PRO4. The X370 and other boards being cross flashed have a similar approach. just be sure and check what the latests bios is before this warning shows up and make sure you dont flash past it. Thats because Asrock removed the ability to cross flash with the AMI bios flash utility past a certain point.

you are not out of luck if you updated past this point but it gets more involved. what you will need in order to flash the B450 bioses onto your board is get ahold of a ch341a programmer and some breadboard jumper wires like these.

With all of that you then need to hook up the programmer using the pinout provided below to your motherboards bios header, also set the software up as shown below. be sure to earase the chip contents then flash the new image. Be sure and have the power off and remove your cpu or it wont flash.

So ive tested the bios cross flash on more than just my AB350M PRO4.
ive tried this on:

x370 taichi=use b450 pro4 bios for cross flash
x370 killer sli/ac=use b450 pro4 bios for cross flash
a320m pro4=use b450m pro4-f bios for cross flash.

DO not Flash the STEEL motherboard bioses, it will brick your boards listed above. you will have to flash back with a programmer.

You do loose some functionality when using a b450 bios on your taichi. load line calibration was never added to those bioses but everything else works fine. the software i used is provided below, be sure and take afuwin part 1 and 2 and move the contents to a single folder.


Here are so images of my current setup right now. one thing to keep in mind is the L3 cache bug is present with bios 2.40. i have not tested the latest bios for it just yet. everything else works great tho and as it should.

UPDATES:

1st update:
AGESA ComboAM4v2 1.2.0.0 does not work in my testing. do not update your bios to this one if you are on a320/b350/x370. ill report back later after the next release or if i find
the problem with the current AGESA.

 

[Aht0s]

Pretty cool write up! I didn't even realize it was a possibility!

 

[Final_Fighter]

Pretty cool write up! I didn't even realize it was a possibility!

i was pretty sure it would work sense i had previous knowledge about crossflashing. im working on overclocking right now. im only using my rams xmp right now.

 

[shieldc]

I have an asrock ab350m pro4 motherboard (bios 5.50) and was reading your old thread about crossflashing with afuwin. I was wondering is there any difference between the b450m pro4 and b450m pro4-f bios in terms of compatibility?

I am considering upgrading to Ryzen 5000 in the future and want to continue using my motherboard if possible.

 

[Final_Fighter]

I have an asrock ab350m pro4 motherboard (bios 5.50) and was reading your old thread about crossflashing with afuwin. I was wondering is there any difference between the b450m pro4 and b450m pro4-f bios in terms of compatibility?

I am considering upgrading to Ryzen 5000 in the future and want to continue using my motherboard if possible.

yes there is. the b450m pro4 uses a different fan controller than the a320m pro4 and ab350m pro4. your fans will run at 100% the entire time. just use the b450m pro4-f bios.

 

[Intel Core i5-1035G1]

Wow that's extraordinary!

 

[silentbogo]

Crossflashing experiments are cool and all, but there is one thing you should NOT do under any circumstances, and that's use this piece of garbage CH341A within a 10-mile radius of any 1.8V SPI flash.
And here's a couple of reasons why:
1) There are many equally shitty variations of this programmer. All have 3.3V VCC_SPI, but some also have 5V logic levels. Combine that with 1.8V flash and at best you get a corrupt firmware, and at worst - you'll need a new chip
2) It's so cheap that it even has absolutely nothing on data lines. Not even a ghetto solution of current-limiting resistors, which is still unreliable but at least it'll keep the SPI flash alive.
3) hooking up this abomination to SPI header may also cause issues, since flash isn't the only thing on 1.8VSB rail. Some boards may have N-ch FETs along the way that'll prevent further damage, but most lower-end boards don't. Basically you are risking killing PWM controller or even a CPU along with SPI flash.

At bare minimum you should use a proper 1.8V adapter board like this:

It has a 1.8V linear regulator along with proper 16ch level shifter.
At best - get a better programmer that actually does support 1.8V chips.
I know, $50 for TL866II is a bit high for a hobby project, but it's still cheaper than replacing a motherboard or CPU.

Just a couple of days ago I've got an x370 Pro4 from a friend of mine. Died after unsuccessful flash by some idiots at the service center, all thanks to "my favorite" CH341a. Trying to bring it back to life, but there's still a long way to go.

 

[xlollomanx]

Sorry for re-open this discussion, but I've crossflashed my b350m pro4 with b450m pro4-F bios. Actually I've seen another board called B450M Pro4 R2.0. So @

Final_Fighter​

have u ever tried to crossflash bios from this board? I'm asking this because that board comes with a more updated bios and since I don't have a programmer I'm afraid to test it.

 

[Final_Fighter]

I have tried but the latest bios won't work. I need to update the first post but in a nutshell, every bios past initail ryzen 5000 series support causes the b350 and x370 to fail boot. Use the bios version Ive showed to work in my first post.

 

[xlollomanx]

I have tried but the latest bios won't work. I need to update the first post but in a nutshell, every bios past initail ryzen 5000 series support causes the b350 and x370 to fail boot. Use the bios version Ive showed to work in my first post.

Actually I've used flashrom to flash my bios. Everything go smooth. I've jumped from 6.30(AGESA Combo-AM4 1.0.0.4 Patch B) of my b350m pro4 to bios 2.80(AGESA ComboAM4v2 1.2.0.2) of b450m pro4-f. Latest pro 4-f bios support ryzen 5000.

 

[Final_Fighter]

Interesting. Do you have a 5000 series proc in it?

 

[xlollomanx]

Interesting. Do you have a 5000 series proc in it?

Nope. I'm currently using ryzen 2600 in it. I've updated my Bios since some things not works properly in original bios, now they seems fixed. I can send you a screenshot this evening if u want.

 

[Final_Fighter]

I could get the boards to boot with a 1700 and 2600 I had after the update but it would not boot using any of my 5000 series. Let me know if you have any better luck. I did not try any 3000 series with the latest bios so I don't have any ideas how that one would do.

 

[xlollomanx]

I could get the boards to boot with a 1700 and 2600 I had after the update but it would not boot using any of my 5000 series. Let me know if you have any better luck. I did not try any 3000 series with the latest bios so I don't have any ideas how that one would do.

Well I'll reply if I manage to buy a ryzen 5000 at a good price. I own only a ryzen 1600 and 2600 atm.

EDIT: Added screenshot of my asrock ab350m pro4 running latest bios from Asrock b450m pro4-f (till today)

 

[Ols-Hol]

Crossflashing experiments are cool and all, but there is one thing you should NOT do under any circumstances, and that's use this piece of garbage CH341A within a 10-mile radius of any 1.8V SPI flash.
And here's a couple of reasons why:
1) There are many equally shitty variations of this programmer. All have 3.3V VCC_SPI, but some also have 5V logic levels. Combine that with 1.8V flash and at best you get a corrupt firmware, and at worst - you'll need a new chip
2) It's so cheap that it even has absolutely nothing on data lines. Not even a ghetto solution of current-limiting resistors, which is still unreliable but at least it'll keep the SPI flash alive.
3) hooking up this abomination to SPI header may also cause issues, since flash isn't the only thing on 1.8VSB rail. Some boards may have N-ch FETs along the way that'll prevent further damage, but most lower-end boards don't. Basically you are risking killing PWM controller or even a CPU along with SPI flash.

At bare minimum you should use a proper 1.8V adapter board like this:
View attachment 194470
It has a 1.8V linear regulator along with proper 16ch level shifter.
At best - get a better programmer that actually does support 1.8V chips.
I know, $50 for TL866II is a bit high for a hobby project, but it's still cheaper than replacing a motherboard or CPU.

Just a couple of days ago I've got an x370 Pro4 from a friend of mine. Died after unsuccessful flash by some idiots at the service center, all thanks to "my favorite" CH341a. Trying to bring it back to life, but there's still a long way to go.

Do you know if there any known-good ones that don't have the 5V logic levels issue? (It seems all do have 3.3 V output so yeah, that 1.8V adapter is needed). Or things to look out to identify the shit ones with 5V logical levels? (sorry for bothering you) Asking uh, for a friend.

 

[silentbogo]

TL866II Plus I mentioned earlier is my daily driver, and since an updated T56 came out it became much-much cheaper.
Bought mine for nearly $100 when it came out, now you can get one for $40 or so.

Also, as I said before, you can still do it on CH341, but you have to use this 1.8V adapter:

1.63US $ 12% OFF|1.8v Adapter For Iphone Or Motherboard 1.8v Spi Flash Sop8 Dip8 W25 Mx25 Use On Programmers Tl866cs Tl866a Ezp2010 Ezp2013 Ch341 - Integrated Circuits - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

With that it does not matter which TTL is on a programmer, since it's all going to be converted on a transceiver IC

 

[eidairaman1]

@Final_Fighter im glad you are putting in the work. this is info for all boards

ASRock > X370 Taichi

ATX; ASRock Super Alloy; Supports AMD AM4 Socket Ryzen Series CPUs (Summit Ridge & Raven Ridge); Supports DDR4 3200+(OC); 2 PCIe 3.0 x16, 1 PCIe 2.0 x16, 2 PCIe 2.0 x1; NVIDIA Quad SLI™, AMD Quad CrossFireX™; 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec), Supports Purity Sound™ 4 & DTS Connect...

www.asrock.com

ASRock > X370 Killer SLI

ASRock Super Alloy; Supports AMD Socket AM4 A-Series APUs (Bristol Ridge) and Ryzen Series CPUs (Summit Ridge & Raven Ridge); Supports DDR4 2933+ (OC) (Ryzen CPU) / 2400 (A-series APU); 2 PCIe 3.0 x16, 4 PCIe 2.0 x1, 1 M.2 (Key E); NVIDIA Quad SLI™, AMD Quad CrossFireX™; Graphics Output: HDMI...

www.asrock.com

ASRock > A320M Pro4

Micro ATX; ASRock Super Alloy; Supports AMD Socket AM4 A-Series APUs (Bristol Ridge) and Ryzen Series CPUs (Summit Ridge & Raven Ridge); Supports DDR4 3200+ (OC) (Ryzen CPU) / 2400 (A-series APU); 1 PCIe 3.0 x16, 1 PCIe 2.0 x16, 1 PCIe 2.0 x1; Graphics Output: HDMI, DVI-D, D-Sub; Supports Triple...

www.asrock.com

ASRock > A320M Pro4 R2.0

Supports AMD Socket AM4 A-Series APUs and Ryzen CPUs; Supports DDR4 3200+ (OC) (Ryzen CPU) / 2400 (A-series APU); 1 PCIe 3.0 x16, 1 PCIe 2.0 x16, 1 PCIe 2.0 x1; AMD Quad CrossFireX™; Graphics Output: HDMI, DVI-D, D-Sub; 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC892 Audio Codec), ELNA Audio Caps; 4 SATA3, 1...

www.asrock.com

ASRock > AB350M Pro4

Micro ATX; ASRock Super Alloy; Supports AMD Socket AM4 A-Series APUs (Bristol Ridge) and Ryzen Series CPUs (Summit Ridge & Raven Ridge); Supports DDR4 3200+ (OC) (Ryzen CPU) / 2400 (A-series APU); 1 PCIe 3.0 x16, 1 PCIe 2.0 x16, 1 PCIe 2.0 x1; AMD Quad CrossFireX™; Graphics Output: HDMI, DVI-D...

www.asrock.com

ASRock > B450 Steel Legend

Supports AMD AM4 Socket Ryzen™ 2000, 3000, 4000 G-Series, 5000 and 5000 G-Series Desktop Processors; Supports DDR4 3533+ (OC); 2 PCIe 3.0 x16, 4 PCIe 2.0 x1; AMD Quad CrossFireX™; Graphics Output: DisplayPort, HDMI; 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC892/897 Audio Codec); 6 SATA3, 1 Ultra M.2 (PCIe...

www.asrock.com

ASRock B450M Steel Legend

Supports AMD AM4 Socket Ryzen™ 2000, 3000, 4000 G-Series, 5000 and 5000 G-Series Desktop Processors; Supports DDR4 3533+ (OC); 1 PCIe 3.0 x16, 1 PCIe 2.0 x16, 1 PCIe 2.0 x1; AMD Quad CrossFireX™; Graphics Output: DisplayPort, HDMI; 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC892/897 Audio Codec); 4 SATA3, 1...

www.asrock.com

ASRock > X470 Master SLI

Supports AMD AM4 Socket Ryzen™ 2000, 3000, 4000 G-Series, 5000 and 5000 G-Series Desktop Processors; Supports DDR4 3466+ (OC); 2 PCIe 3.0 x16, 4 PCIe 2.0 x1; NVIDIA Quad SLI™, AMD Quad CrossFireX™; Graphics Output: HDMI; 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC892 Audio Codec), Nichicon Fine Gold Series...

www.asrock.com

I wonder if this site may help.

Bios Mods -The Best BIOS Update and Modification Source

www.bios-mods.com

 

[R-T-B]

All have 3.3V VCC_SPI, but some also have 5V logic levels.

That's true. The one he linked (the black variant) is one of them. I advise grabbing a green board variant.

The programmer itself isn't that shitty, it has wonderful, broad chip/software support and works well. The parts that are made with it though are so-so, as you have noted. I use mine with an adapter like you linked if the situation calls for it.

Fortunately almost no ATX Desktop boards use 1.8v chips, they are almost exclusively higher voltages so I doubt they will have an issue here.

TL866II

Oh god, that thing? No the chip support is abysmal. I migrated from it for a reason.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a better product, but I need it to support a broad range of chips and half the time that one doesn't even support common mobo chips. What would a real better example be for that scenario, money be damned? (since I use mine a lot more than I should).

Just a couple of days ago I've got an x370 Pro4 from a friend of mine. Died after unsuccessful flash by some idiots at the service center, all thanks to "my favorite" CH341a. Trying to bring it back to life, but there's still a long way to go.

tbh, this is human idiocy more than the programmers fault. But the CHA341a does have a way of enabling it, lack of documentation and all...

 

[silentbogo]

Fortunately almost no ATX Desktop boards use 1.8v chips

Nearly everything made since 2017? About 99% of modern laptops and netbooks?
I don't think I've ever seen 25QxxBV or anything of the sort on AM4 motherboards at all, including the lowest of the low-end.

Oh god, that thing? No the chip support is abysmal. I migrated from it for a reason.

Not sure where your bad experience came from, but there wasn't a single chip in my workshop that it cannot flash.
Heck, I even flashed obscure chinese SPI flash with no known vendor ID, and cloned a "cloned" tornado firmware for my friend's Range Rover (old parallel NAND w/ high-voltage programming mode).
It ain't even afraid of fake winbond with mismatched SPI and QSPI IDs etc. etc. etc.
Yes, having a simple interface and QoL things like autodetect is nice, but only in a perfect world. In reality it creates more problems, especially when dealing with broken stuff and questionable parts(which is my daily bread, basically).

 

[R-T-B]

Nearly everything made since 2017? About 99% of modern laptops and netbooks?

I said ATX desktop boards. And I have yet to see a post 2017 board use anything but 3.3v either, but maybe I am picking the wrong boards.

Not sure where your bad experience came from, but there wasn't a single chip in my workshop that it cannot flash.

I've run across several. I can list them later, but they were mostly weird macronix chips on EVGA boards IIRC.

questionable parts

I generally work with new hardware donated to me for the purpose, so that's a different job role too. I hear you.

 

[silentbogo]

ATX desktop boards

So, my X470 Aorus ultra or X570 ASUS, along with a stack of AsRock A320/B350/X370 boards and various Gaming/Fatal1ty variations of the same Z270/Z370 design don't qualify as ATX desktop board?

I've run across several. I can list them later, but they were mostly weird macronix chips on EVGA boards IIRC.

Please do, cause Macronix is a big surprise for me....

 

[R-T-B]

So, my X470 Aorus ultra or X570 ASUS, along with a stack of AsRock A320/B350/X370 boards and various Gaming/Fatal1ty variations of the same Z270/Z370 design don't qualify as ATX desktop board?

No, they don't qualify as ones I've seen. I did mostly work (generally ASRock and Gigabyte) intel boards and only just now went Ryzen. Maybe Ryzen likes 1.8v chips? If so, then you are completely correct it is dangerous.

Please do, cause Macronix is a big surprise for me....

Was for me too. But I saw it twice. Unfortunately not sure I have those specific boards anymore and at least on one of them, I tried to replace the chip with something more common, so it would not matter. But I'm sure I didn't just pull that name out of the ether. I just know the Macronix incident is what pushed me to the CH341a but it was far from the first. On those chips they all factually had "MXIC" printed on them.

I will look for the other z270 board though. I think it's still in the server and the Macronix is actually IIRC,. in a nice little popout dip8 thingy. Maybe we'll be lucky next maintenance window.

 

[silentbogo]

No, they don't qualify as ones I've seen.

Well, there's a big difference between "ATX desktop boards" and "only the ones I've seen".
Pretty sure even on Intel side there's mostly 1.8V flash all around. Even AsRock Z170 boards were designed with dual supply for SPI in mind (low-budget variants simply had unpopulated LDO pads and a jumper to 3VSB).
I moved onto 1.8V-capable programmer even earlier. Back in 2015-2017 I used to buy large batches of broken AsRock BayTrail/CherryTrail embedded boards, and most non-industrial models already had 1.8V NOR flash. First, I wanted to get a 1.8V adapter for my old flashcatUSB, but then scored a Pro version with some trinkets directly from developers in exchange for a little favor.

Was for me too. But I saw it twice. Unfortunately not sure I have those specific boards anymore and at least on one of them, I tried to replace the chip with something more common, so it would not matter.

That's where another cool Minipro feature comes in - pin detection.
99% of time SOIC won't flash or may give errors due to bad contact with a clip or socket. It was a nightmare on flashcat, but on TL866-series all you need to do is look at the pictogram after you hit "start". Same with fake/wrong ids (but you can still flash any chip w/ disabled ID check).

Unfortunately not sure I have those specific boards anymore and at least on one of them

Do you at least remember the board model?

 

[R-T-B]

Well, there's a big difference between "ATX

I am admitting my comment was flawed.

Do you at least remember the board model?

That I do. EVGA ftw2 z270. Also the other one was a gigabyte ultra durable z170, unsure the exact revision or variant.

I'll probably have the chip next patch tuesday, when I plan to upgrade the server.

Pretty sure even on Intel side there's mostly 1.8V flash all around.

You may be completely correct. My experience is a bit dated, and the most modern board I have hardware flashed was z270... lol.

 

[Ols-Hol]

That's true. The one he linked (the black variant) is one of them. I advise grabbing a green board variant.

Thanks for that pointer.

Damn, I tried to check the chinese junk marketplaces, and of course, all the flashers they offer have black PCB. (There are green ones but without the cable/clamps for flashing chips that are soldered on board.) FML