I'm building a system with an N7 B850 motherboard, a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, a 1TB Samsung 990 SSD, and an RTX 5070. The SSD isn't appearing in the BIOS. Could flashing or updating the motherboard BIOS make it detect the drive? I've also tried two separate SSDs, and neither was detected. Both drives were tested in two other computers as well, but they didn't work there either.
1 Answer
A BIOS update can sometimes fix M.2 compatibility or PCIe-detection problems, but it probably isn’t the first thing to assume here. Since two different SSDs also failed in two other computers, the drives may be faulty, or they may not be installed, powered, or tested in a compatible slot. Reseat the drive, check the motherboard manual for the correct M.2 slot, and confirm whether the SSDs are detected in the other systems’ BIOS—not just in the operating system. If neither drive is detected anywhere, test with a known-good SSD before concluding that the motherboard needs a BIOS flash.
Because both drives failed in multiple computers, I’d verify the testing setup first. Make sure the M.2 drives are fully inserted and secured, and try another slot or a compatible adapter if available. A BIOS update is worth checking against the board’s support notes, but it usually won’t revive drives that are not detected by any system.