Hey everyone, my old PC's CPU just died on me. I was using an ASUS PRIME B350-PLUS AM4 ATX Motherboard with an AMD Ryzen 5 1600. I'm not super tech-savvy, and I don't play any heavy games, but I thought it might be a good time to upgrade to something newer, like the AMD Ryzen 5 5600, which seems affordable and a solid upgrade. However, I came across a compatibility alert that says I might need to update the BIOS first. The problem is, my old CPU isn't working, so I can't turn the PC on. I also don't have another computer to work with. Any suggestions on how to update the BIOS without the old CPU? Or can anyone recommend alternative CPUs that won't require a full system upgrade? Thanks in advance!
1 Answer
It looks like your motherboard doesn't have a BIOS flashback feature, which means you're going to need a compatible CPU to boot it up and do the update. If you know anyone with an older AM4 CPU, like the Ryzen 1000 series, that could work. You could borrow one to update the BIOS, or consider taking it to a local tech shop. Sometimes those places will do the update for you, especially if you buy the Ryzen 5600 from them—they may even give you a discount as part of the deal!
Thanks for the tips! I'm leaning towards either borrowing a CPU or checking out the tech shop option. Honestly, I'm also considering getting a new motherboard eventually, but I’m not ready for a full upgrade yet.