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Just switched my home desktop to a Ryzen 2600X / Gigabyte AX370M-DS3H motherboard: Only hiccup was having to source a pre-ryzen AM4 cpu to update to BIOS to get

by pja 8y ago

Just switched my home desktop to a Ryzen 2600X / Gigabyte AX370M-DS3H motherboard: Only hiccup was having to source a pre-ryzen AM4 cpu to update to BIOS to get Ryzen support, which was a pain - I'd advise making sure that any board you buy has had the BIOS updated if required by the seller. I run Debian Testing mostly, so a 4.16.16 kernel. Been perfectly stable for me so far. NB - For anyone hoping to use the the new AMD Vega CPUs with integrated graphics, the Debian kernels don't have the relevant support compiled in, so you'll have to compile a custom kernel & grab the latest firmware files from the linux-firmware git repo if you want accelerated graphics.

SubiculumCode 8y ago
Do you mean Ryzen 2200G and 2400G with APU? That was why I was thinking of going with a X470 mobo, though they are more expensive than the B350 and B370 boards. Id go with the cheaper but it seems that even those advertised as being upgraded to the 2000 have reviews claiming otherwise, so its kind of a mess.
- nobleach 8y ago
  I bought an ASRock B350 a couple of days after the Ryzen 2400G release. It was flashed with a firmware new enough to handle it. The Gigabytes waited a LONG time to bring their boards up.
  - pja 8y ago
    Yeah, In retrospect I should have done my research on this front. Mea culpa.
- pja 8y ago
  Yes - I built a pair of machines - one mini ITX B350 motherboard with a 2400G CPU/GPU & the second an X370 board with a Ryzen 2600 that used a GPU I already owned.[1] The first came with an updated BIOS & the 2400G worked out of the box. The second came with it's original BIOS. Both were ordered from Amazon. If you order from a smaller outfit they’ll hopefully be able to tell you whether the motherboard box has the sticker on it that says that its BIOS has been updated to cope with Ryzen CPUs. [1] Still hoping for the great crypto-currency crash in the sky to bring down GPU prices. In the meantime the 2400G is adequate for console grade gaming on the TV.
PascLeRasc 8y ago
If you end up getting a motherboard without a compatible BIOS, AMD will send you a temporary CPU for free. (https://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/2Gen-Ryzen-AM4-System-Bootup.aspx https://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/2Gen-Ryzen-A...)
- brian_herman 8y ago
  Yes, but if you use this program you have to get a RMA from your motherboard manufacturer first stating they wont do anything to help.
- pja 8y ago
  Yes, but online reports suggest the round trip time is a couple of weeks. I ended up ordering the cheapest possible AM4 CPU from Amazon Warehouse & returning it after updating the BIOS instead.
  - Tijdreiziger 8y ago
    A tech forum that's local to me ran a 'CPU forwarding ring' - you could sign up to have a CPU sent to you, and after upgrading your BIOS you'd have to send it to the next person who needed it. I thought that was a genius solution.
bumblebritches5 8y ago
Why not just RMA the motherboard to get the update? That's what I did on a refurbsihed motherboard no less from ASUS. the CPU was AMD Athlon 860, it came out just before Ryzen, and used the older FM2+ socket. It was totally free, all I had to pay for was shipping.

by pja 8y ago

SubiculumCode 8y ago

Do you mean Ryzen 2200G and 2400G with APU? That was why I was thinking of going with a X470 mobo, though they are more expensive than the B350 and B370 boards. Id go with the cheaper but it seems that even those advertised as being upgraded to the 2000 have reviews claiming otherwise, so its kind of a mess.

nobleach 8y ago
I bought an ASRock B350 a couple of days after the Ryzen 2400G release. It was flashed with a firmware new enough to handle it. The Gigabytes waited a LONG time to bring their boards up.
- pja 8y ago
  Yeah, In retrospect I should have done my research on this front. Mea culpa.
pja 8y ago
Yes - I built a pair of machines - one mini ITX B350 motherboard with a 2400G CPU/GPU & the second an X370 board with a Ryzen 2600 that used a GPU I already owned.[1] The first came with an updated BIOS & the 2400G worked out of the box. The second came with it's original BIOS. Both were ordered from Amazon. If you order from a smaller outfit they’ll hopefully be able to tell you whether the motherboard box has the sticker on it that says that its BIOS has been updated to cope with Ryzen CPUs. [1] Still hoping for the great crypto-currency crash in the sky to bring down GPU prices. In the meantime the 2400G is adequate for console grade gaming on the TV.

PascLeRasc 8y ago

If you end up getting a motherboard without a compatible BIOS, AMD will send you a temporary CPU for free. (https://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/2Gen-Ryzen-AM4-System-Bootup.aspx https://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/2Gen-Ryzen-A...)

brian_herman 8y ago
Yes, but if you use this program you have to get a RMA from your motherboard manufacturer first stating they wont do anything to help.
pja 8y ago
Yes, but online reports suggest the round trip time is a couple of weeks. I ended up ordering the cheapest possible AM4 CPU from Amazon Warehouse & returning it after updating the BIOS instead.
- Tijdreiziger 8y ago
  A tech forum that's local to me ran a 'CPU forwarding ring' - you could sign up to have a CPU sent to you, and after upgrading your BIOS you'd have to send it to the next person who needed it. I thought that was a genius solution.

bumblebritches5 8y ago

Why not just RMA the motherboard to get the update? That's what I did on a refurbsihed motherboard no less from ASUS. the CPU was AMD Athlon 860, it came out just before Ryzen, and used the older FM2+ socket. It was totally free, all I had to pay for was shipping.