How To Update Your BIOS For Ryzen 5000 Series CPUs

We explain how to get your motherboard 5000 series ready with the latest BIOS update

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The release of AMD’s Ryzen 5000 series CPU lineup promised what AMD classed as “Intel beating” performance. We performed a benchmarking comparison between the Ryzen and Intel 10th Gen, which was massively encouraging for AMD fans.

AMD have also kept their word in terms of compatibility and chipsets, making the Zen 3 processor family fully compatible with 400/500 series AM4 motherboards.

That being said, you will need to perform a BIOS update in order for both 400/500 series motherboards to work with the a processor family. Luckily, the process isn’t that difficult.

In the following article, we’ll be walking you through how to update your BIOS for Ryzen 5000 series CPUs. We’ll be looking at the hardware you’ll need and what is and isn’t compatible.

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So, with lots of to get through, let’s waste no further time and dive straight into it!

What does a BIOS do?

A BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is a low-level software that acts as the interface between the operating system and the hardware components of a computer. It controls the system boot process, initializes the hardware components, and provides a user-friendly interface for configuring the system settings.

The BIOS is stored on a chip on the motherboard and is the first software to run when a computer is powered on. It performs tasks such as checking the system’s memory, identifying and testing connected hardware components, and setting up the boot process.

The BIOS also provides a setup utility for configuring the system’s hardware and software options, including the system clock, hard drive, and keyboard settings. The BIOS plays a critical role in the boot process and the proper functioning of a computer, and its firmware is often updated by the manufacturer to add new features or resolve compatibility issues.

Why should I keep my BIOS updated?

One of the big questions we get asked when referencing a motherboard’s BIOS is, why should I keep it updated? Whilst the answer isn’t that technical, below are the main reasons why.

CPU Compatibility

The first, and potentially most common reason to update your BIOS, is to ensure compatibility with newer hardware releases. Like this article, updating your BIOS can make an outdated motherboard become compatible with a newer CPU by simply updating the BIOS. Whilst this won’t work for every CPU/motherboard pairing, it will future proof some motherboards for a few years to come.

Fixes Bugs And Errors

Another common reason why many people update their BIOS is to fix reported bugs. All kinds of bugs can crop up with new hardware, reducing the efficiency in which they run. That said, motherboard manufacturers regularly provide consumers with BIOS updates that will resolve these issues.

Items needed for a Ryzen 5000 Series BIOS update

Before we get started, it’s probably worth quickly going over some of the fundamental items you’ll need for updating your BIOS.

The following items will be absolutely essential in order to perform a clean, stress-free BIOS update:

• Internet Connection: The first thing you’ll need is an internet connection. Whilst this probably seems obvious, it’s still worth pointing out for some beginners. Before starting the update, you’ll have to physically download the BIOS update from the motherboard manufacturer website.
• USB Flash Drive: Once you have completed downloading the BIOS, you’ll have to save it to a flash drive.
• 400/500 series compatible Motherboard: You’ll need to use a compatible 400/500 series motherboard to get the BIOS updated. If you try slotting a new 5000 series CPU into an old board, the system won’t post.

Why is a BIOS update important?

A BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) update is important on the AMD platform for several reasons:

• Bug fixes and security updates: A BIOS update can address known bugs and vulnerabilities in the system, ensuring that the platform is stable and secure.
• Improved system performance: A BIOS update can include optimizations and enhancements to the system’s performance, such as support for new memory or storage technologies, or improved power management.
• Support for new hardware: As new hardware is released, a BIOS update can add support for it. For example, a new BIOS update may include support for a new CPU microarchitecture or newer memory standards.
• Compatibility: A BIOS update can also improve compatibility between different components in the system, such as the CPU, memory, and storage.
• Overclocking: For enthusiasts, a BIOS update can also bring support for overclocking and other features to extract more performance from the system.

It is important to note that before proceeding with a BIOS update, it’s best to check the official website of the motherboard manufacturer for instructions and compatibility, as a failed BIOS update can cause serious issues on the system.

It’s also recommended to have a backup of your important data before proceeding with the update, in case something goes wrong.

How to update BIOS for Ryzen 5000 Series CPUs

So, now we’ve got a better understanding of what the BIOS is and how it affects your system, it’s time to go over the method of actually updating the BIOS.

Remember, always have a secondary, fully compatible CPU at hand in case an unexpected problem occurs during the update process.

With that, let’s jump into the process.

Step

1

Find and download the Latest BIOS Version

The first thing you need to do is find the latest version of your motherboard’s BIOS. This is a fairly simple process, requiring you to access the manufacturer website, finding your motherboard, and then searching for the BIOS section – usually found under SUPPORT.

Inside support, you should see a section that clearly displays the latest BIOS version for that particular motherboard. Download it.

 

Step

2

Unzip and copy the BIOS to a Flash Drive

Once you have downloaded the latest BIOS version, the next step is to unzip the file and copy it to your flash drive. To do this, simply find the file in your downloads/desktop folder, right-click and select unzip. When prompted, select the flash drive as the location for the unzipped files.

Step

3

Reboot your PC and enter the BIOS

Once you have copied the BIOS update file to your flash drive, simply restart your PC and enter the BIOS. Before you do so, don’t forget to insert the flash drive into the recommended slot. This is usually at the rear of the motherboard.

You can do this by pressing ‘DEL’ on startup. Alternatively, if this doesn’t work, press the ‘F2’ or look up the BIOS button in your motherboard manual.

Step

4

Launch the BIOS Firmware Update Tool / Flashing Tool

Find the BIOS firmware/flashing tool in the BIOS menu. For our particular board, we had to enter the advanced tools section by pressing F7. Inside advanced, you’ll find an option to launch a flash update. On ASUS boards, this section is called the ASUS EZ Flash 3 Utility.

Step

5

Select the Flash drive to launch update

Inside the flashing tool is, for all intents and purposes, the start of the BIOS update process (within the BIOS menu). In here, you must first select what drive the BIOS will update from – in this case, it’s the flash drive/ storage drive.

Once you’ve selected the correct drive, simply select the BIOS update file by double-clicking it. You will be asked whether or not you want to load this file – simply select yes to start the update.

Step

6

Finalize the BIOS update

Once complete, the BIOS will restart your system with the update loaded. Once restarted, your system may ask you to enter into the BIOS once again. If this is the case, simply re-enter the BIOS and load optimized defaults and restart.

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Final word

So, there you have it, our easy-to-follow guide on how to update your BIOS for Ryzen 5000 series CPUs. At the time of writing this, not many of the motherboard manufacturers will have released the latest 5000 series BIOS update. That being said, with the Zen 3 release date being just around the corner, those updates should become available in the coming days.

If you have any questions regarding BIOS updates or anything Ryzen 5000 series related, feel free to drop us a comment in the section below. Better still, why not head on over to our Community Hub where you can discuss everything Ryzen related with like-minded individuals.