Hey everyone! I'm building my first PC and I'm using an Intel i5-14600K with an MSI PRO B760-P WiFi DDR4 motherboard. The box claims it supports 12th, 13th, and 14th gen CPUs. However, I'm a bit anxious about proceeding safely for my first boot. I've downloaded the latest BIOS onto a USB drive, but my motherboard doesn't have a BIOS flash button. I should mention I bought the motherboard second-hand and noticed the Amazon logo on it later on. My question is:Should I update the BIOS before installing the CPU, or is it okay to do it later? Also, since I'm a newbie, can I access the BIOS without having the CPU or RAM installed? I'm still waiting on my RAM to be delivered. Thanks for any guidance!
3 Answers
If your motherboard supports BIOS flashback, you won’t need the CPU to update it. If it doesn’t, I still think you’ll be fine to just wait until you’ve installed the CPU to do your update. Just take your time and don’t stress too much!
I built my PC with the exact same components recently. I updated the BIOS on my first boot without any issues. I did some reading before and found that going this route is perfectly fine. Just make sure to follow the instructions carefully.
You don’t have to worry about updating the BIOS before booting up. Just because you're using a 14th-gen Intel chip doesn't mean anything catastrophic will happen without the update. I suggest assembling your PC normally, booting it up, and then doing the BIOS update once Windows is installed. The software on your motherboard should make the update pretty straightforward.
That makes me feel a lot better! Thanks for sharing your experience!