BIOS Updates Bring Ryzen 5 Compatibility To ASRock Motherboards

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ASRock released BIOS updates for its Taichi, Fatal1ty Gaming, and Pro series motherboards to support AMD's new Ryzen 5 processors. The company also announced that it has entered a strategic technology partnership with Sapphire Technology, a Hong Kong component manufacturer and supplier, to "launch cutting edge motherboard, CPU, and VGA card configurations" to offer gamers a better price-to-performance value.

The BIOS updates can be downloaded from ASRock's website. You'll have to visit your motherboard's page, click BIOS, and then make sure you download Version 2.0 from the list of available options. The company hasn't yet updated its list of which motherboards support what CPUs to include Ryzen 5, but it did include this table in the press release announcing the BIOS updates and its partnership with Sapphire Technology:

Swipe to scroll horizontally
ChipModel NameBIOS Version
Row 0 - Cell 0 Fatal1ty X370 Professional GamingP2.00 or latest
X370 TaichiP2.00 or latest
AMD Promontory X370Fatal1ty X370 Gaming K4P2.00 or latest
X370 Killer SLI/acP2.00 or latest
X370 Killer SLIP2.00 or latest
Row 5 - Cell 0 Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4P2.00 or latest
AB350 Pro4P2.00 or latest
AMD Promontory B350AB350M Pro4P2.00 or latest
AB350M-HDVP2.00 or latest
AB350MP2.00 or latest
AMD Promontory A320A320MP2.00 or latest
A320M-HDVP2.00 or latest
A320M-DGSP2.00 or latest

You can learn more about Ryzen 5 in our review of the 1600X. We've also reviewed the Ryzen 7 1700, 1700X, and 1800X; compared the Ryzen 7 lineup's performance against Intel Core i7-6900K and Intel Core i7-7700K in popular games; and covered the first Ryzen game optimization as well as a new Windows 10 power plan that promises improved performance. You should have most of the info you need to get ready for Ryzen.

ASRock said in its press release that the Sapphire Technology partnership "will focus on the performance and features that gamers deserve," but it didn't offer details about how the companies plan to work together or when we can expect to see the fruits of this endeavor.

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Nathaniel Mott
Nathaniel Mott
Freelance News & Features Writer

Nathaniel Mott is a freelance news and features writer for Tom's Hardware US, covering breaking news, security, and the silliest aspects of the tech industry.

6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • BulkZerker
    Pardon my stupidity. How are you supposed to update the bios without a supported processor in the socket then?
    Reply
  • valeman2012
    19549292 said:
    Pardon my stupidity. How are you supposed to update the bios without a supported processor in the socket then?

    I think going release the motherboards for new comers supporting them. (Probably something like Rev1.1)
    Reply
  • elbert
    Given its the same chip as the 8 core I would think it should work somewhat. Probably no XFR, boosting, and stuck at low speeds but should allow bios update.
    Reply
  • Glock24
    BulkZerker, sorry for the downvote, it was unintentional, I read trying to quote you.

    I would think the motherboard would boot even if it did not recognize exactly the model of the CPU, given they are all the same just with different core count.

    Also there are some motherboards that do not require CPU or RAM to update/recover the BIOS, you just insert an USB drive with the BIOS image and press a button or sequence.
    Reply
  • epobirs
    The BIOS should be accessible even without the update for processor specific features and settings. I've had similar situations in the past. For example, a Core 2 Duo system that couldn't run 64-bit Windows until the BIOS was updated. Similarly, many Skylake generation boards need a BIOS update to properly support Kaby Lake CPUs but can run well enough to do the update.
    Reply
  • chumly
    You can use ASRock Instant Flash or ASRock Internet Flash utilities with the provided BIOS. For Instant Flash, you will need a USB thumb drive with the new BIOS already on it. For Internet Flash, it will use the internet connection to find it online.

    I found a video of it for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDrTQmEtzMs#t=9m50s
    Reply