I have an MSI B550M PRO-VDH WIFI motherboard with a Ryzen 7 5700G installed. I'm currently swapping everything into a new case and will soon replace my RX 6600 with an RX 9070 XT. Before I install the 5800X3D, should I check my current BIOS version for compatibility, or should I update the BIOS first while the 5700G is still installed?
3 Answers
Check whether your exact MSI board has a Flash BIOS Button. If it does, you can flash the BIOS from a USB drive even without a supported CPU installed, so the order matters less. Without that feature, definitely flash the latest compatible BIOS before removing the 5700G.
The board needs BIOS version 7C95v2A or newer for the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. Check the actual motherboard BIOS version in the BIOS setup or in Windows under the BIOS/SMBIOS version field. The SMBIOS specification number, such as 2.8, is not the motherboard BIOS version. If your BIOS is older than 2A, update it before changing CPUs. Even if it already supports the chip, updating to a current stable version can still provide stability and security improvements.
The safest order is to update the BIOS now, while the 5700G is still installed and the system boots normally. If you install the 5800X3D first and the BIOS is too old, the computer may fail to POST. You would then need to reinstall the 5700G, flash the BIOS, and swap the processors again. Updating first avoids that hassle.
I found a BIOS entry showing version 2.C0 in DirectX Diagnostic Tool. Does that mean the board is ready for the CPU?