So, can you boot the X570 motherboard without installing a CPU? That is what we will be discussing about in this post. When you own a DIY PC device that makes use of a motherboard produced by ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and others, then there is a good chance that you can flash the BIOS without CPU.
Note: The following will work only when your motherboard model supports it.
You will need to update your BIOS when you are producing a new PC device or machine for yourself. When you are a PC developer, then you might understand this point. You take several components and then assemble them together to bring out a new PC device.
If you notice that the CPU is not compatible with the motherboard, then you will require to update the BIOS. That is because, when the motherboard is not compatible with the CPU unit, then your PC device is good as invalid (it won’t work properly).
When you have purchased a new AMD Ryzen 5000 series model and want to pair it up with the X570 or B550 motherboard. It can also happen if you plan on using the AMD Ryzen 5000 APUs like the Ryzen 5 5600G.
The motherboard will definitely need a BIOS update to work on the APUs. You may ask if the motherboard is brand new. Sadly, that is not the case because most of them were produced during the Covid period itself but could not get shipped to the various destinations.
So, that means, they are quite old (one or two years at least). Besides, some of them were not available in the regular market itself. You may find some APU models that are also used, but as good as new.
This is why the motherboard model should have the latest BIOS update done on itself to ensure it works just fine. When you plan on using a 2021 model CPU or APU, then it should have the latest BIOS featured on it, otherwise, it is worthless.
In this post, we will read about how to update your BIOS. Please note, it can be a challenging process for some of you, especially if you are new to PC hardware. We completely understand that aspect of things and have tried to make this post as simple as possible for you.
How to boot your motherboard model without a CPU?
The best way to begin your quest to update the BIOS would be to check whether the motherboard provides a USB BIOS flashback. Now, you can update your motherboard BIOS without the CPU as it requires a few minutes time.
However, you require to have the EPS power connector. You will also need to make use of the formatted FAT32 USB drive that has 8GB RAM. This is to get the right kind of results for yourself.
- First, you need to visit the manufacturer’s website (motherboard). Then you have to download the latest BIOS version. This was obviously going to be the first step.
- Now, you need to extract the BIOS file into the right format of the USB stick.
- You have to rename it as given on the website. It usually is in the form of the .bin or the .cap BIOS file.
- You can insert the flash drive into the EZ flash utility that is present inside the BIOS.
- Then you have to connect the button and press the BIOS button.
When you have pressed the BIOS flashback button, you can notice the LED blinking. This means, that the BIOS is completely updated. It works fine with the motherboard models that come with the USB BIOS flashback feature.
You know that the motherboard is updated when the light stops blinking. You can remove the flash drive. You can also switch off the power from the PC machine.
What to do and not to do when updating the BIOS on your PC system?
We can assure you that updating the BIOS on your PC device is not a very simple thing to achieve. This is when, you need to know what to do, and not to do when updating the BIOS without the CPU.
What to do?
- Make sure to check the BIOS and the version installed on your PC device.
- You need to format the USB flash drive to FAT32.
- Connect on the motherboard using the right surface.
- Update the BIOS when you need to support new hardware.
- Connect the PC system to a proper power supply.
What not to do?
- Do not stop until the LED light stops blinking.
- Do not update unless you have a proper reason for doing that.
- Do not update using a bad power source.
Why update your motherboard BIOS?
We are concerned that you know why to update the BIOS. Please do realize that doing this will not provide you with new features or capabilities for the PC device. Hence, you want to make sure that you properly handle everything carefully.
Reasons for updating your BIOS.
- When you want to fix bugs.
- When the motherboard does not support other components inside your new PC device.
- When the new hardware does not support each other.
- You want to rectify the UEFI environment that is quite corrupted.
- When you want to enhance the durability of your new PC system.
The steps that we have given above should work elegantly for motherboard brands like Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and ASRock. Please also beware that the makers provide you with different names for the USB BIOS Flashback port.
For example, Asus calls it USB BIOS Flashback, MSI calls it Flash BIOS button, and Gigabyte calls it Q-Flash Plus. You also have it in ASRock motherboards, where they have called it the BIOS Flashback Button.
How to check the current BIOS version?
So, how can you check the current BIOS version on your PC system components? You do not want to use the wrong BIOS because it can make your motherboard unit completely wasted even before you have used it.
To check your BIOS version on Windows 8 or 10:
- Use shortcut keys Windows + R.
- Open the run box.
- Type “msinfo32” into the Run box.
- Press enter key.
- You can see the BIOS version of the PC.
- It is shown under the “BIOS Version/Date.
You can find the motherboard version of your PC device by restarting your system. You can do that by pressing F10, F2, and F12 or the Delete buttons. You have to keep pressing them until you notice the BIOS menu.
Using the menu, you have to navigate to the BIOS version, depending on your PC configuration. As the motherboard is not connected to a CPU, you can also note the hardware on the model. They would have provided the version, model, and manufacturer.
Conclusion
We have ended our discussion on whether can you boot the X570 motherboard without a CPU. We hope that you found this post helpful and will benefit from it. Please note, unless you have a proper reason for updating your BIOS, then please don’t do it.
You are better off not doing it if you are not familiar with the PC hardware and components. You will only end up doing more damage than good. Moreover, you might want to take the help of a hardware engineer or a professional who knows the stuff.
Most of the time, these updates can go horribly wrong. You are most likely going to ruin the power components, your GPU, or your CPU too. Overall, you can update the BIOS when you want to, and remember to be patient as it is a long, but straightforward process.
FAQs
It is not going to be possible to do it on all motherboards. You can do it on certain motherboards, that we have discussed in the above post. That is because the BIOS flashback is a feature seen on particular models that allow you to update, without the CPU, GPU, or memory in it.
Yes, you have to flash BIOS for the X570 unit. You will require to update the BIOS to become compatible with the motherboard for that to happen as well. When you do not have the BIOS, then the PC device will fail to boot on the AMD Ryzen 500 series processor models.
When the BIOS does not support your CPU installed, your PC device will simply not work efficiently. You will have to install another compatible CPU on your PC device. Otherwise, you can’t work with the PC machine.
The X570 needs a BIOS update for the AMD Ryzen 5600X to work properly. As you may know, the 1.2 BIOS was released in 2020. It was made compatible with the 5600X unit. It should work just fine with your PC device, and you have to update the BIOS on all the Ryzen 500 series.
The X570 requires a BIOS update for working on the 5900X model effortlessly. All the major brand models like MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock, and Asus have released the BIOS update that can support the Ryzen 5000 series.
James Smith has always been intrigued by electronic products since his childhood. After his post graduation in electronics from a popular university, he decided to pursue a career in the electronics sector. But his calling for writing about these marvellous pieces of work got the better of him. That is how UBG was started. With a writing career spanning more than 12 years, James has worked on several hundred product reviews. During his free time, he like to spend time with his pet dog and relax in the swimming pool.