I'm planning to upgrade my processor to a Ryzen 7 5800X3D and currently use an MSI B450-A PRO MAX motherboard. I updated the BIOS a few years ago, but I'm unsure whether the installed version supports the 5800X3D. I'd prefer not to install the new CPU, discover that the BIOS is incompatible, and then have to swap the old CPU back in just to update the firmware.
Windows System Information shows: "American Megatrends International, LLC. M.J0, 30.06.2023." The BIOS itself reports "E7B86AMS.MJ0" with the same build date. The motherboard is listed as B450-A PRO MAX (MS-7B86), but I can't find a BIOS version named exactly "MJ0" on the manufacturer's support page. Does "MJ0" correspond to the motherboard's 7B86vM[J] BIOS naming, and is this version sufficient for the 5800X3D?
2 Answers
That BIOS is older than the version generally recommended for Ryzen 5000 and the 5800X3D, so update the motherboard before replacing the CPU. Download the newest stable, non-beta BIOS specifically for the B450-A PRO MAX, verify the model and file name, and flash it while the current processor is still installed. Afterward, the CPU swap should be straightforward and you should not need to reinstall the old chip.
Yes, the M.J0 shown in System Information and E7B86AMS.MJ0 in the firmware screen identify the BIOS currently installed. The version displayed after the American Megatrends company name is the useful part of the System Information entry; the date is the build date. You can match it to the motherboard’s firmware naming convention on the support page, even though the website may format the version differently.
That’s what I was hoping to avoid—having to install the new CPU first and then put the old one back just for a BIOS update. I’ll update the firmware while the current CPU is still in the system.