Learn the necessary precautions to take before updating your motherboard’s BIOS, including key considerations such as compatibility and more.
Updating the BIOS can easily scare people off, as there is a lot of misinformation spread worldwide that updating the BIOS damages the motherboard or bricks the system. While this information is partially correct, it is not entirely accurate. Not updating the BIOS won’t damage your components. The real danger lies in improper updates, such as interrupting the process or flashing the wrong file, which can brick the motherboard.
Before proceeding with a BIOS update, you must perform several checks to ensure the entire process is successful. A successful BIOS update can enhance your system’s stability and allow newer hardware to be supported, but it can be risky if you are not careful. Follow the steps below to be technically sound when performing a BIOS update.
Determine If a BIOS Update Is Necessary
Brands will make sure to market it to you whenever there is a crucial update, such as performance enhancements. If something significant happens, you will see videos on the internet. For example, take Intel Arrow Lake. Despite an underwhelming launch, Intel has offered continuous microcode updates to vendors, who then compiled them as BIOS versions. As a result, there are drastic performance enhancements. Many media outlets have covered benchmarks comparing old microcodes to new ones.
If these are the reasons, or if you are using an AMD AM5 board and want to upgrade from the 7000 series to the 9000 series of CPUs on your X670E motherboard, then a BIOS update is necessary. Another situation that was very common with AM4 was DDR4 support. Users who installed four DDR4 modules saw 32/64 GB of memory installed, but only half of it was usable. A BIOS update mitigated this. Apart from these real-world use cases, consider the guidelines below:
First, evaluate whether you need to update your BIOS:
Remember: As long as your current BIOS supports your CPU and RAM, updates are not mandatory unless you’re experiencing issues.
Check Update Compatibility
Now that you are prepared and have decided to update your BIOS, there are steps to help you easily complete the process. Ensure that the update you’re considering is appropriate for your system:
Back Up Important Data
BIOS updates rarely cause data loss, but take precautions:
Prepare Your Update Materials
Gather everything needed for a successful update:
Verify Your Update Method
Different motherboards use different update methods:
Final Pre-Update Checks
Before starting the update process:
Remember These Critical Rules
Following these checks and preparation steps allows you to update your BIOS easily and avoid bricking your motherboard. Ensure that you pay close attention to your motherboard revision. With changes in motherboard revisions, vendors often change many things internally. From the outside, these may look identical and carry the exact same model name.
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