Reddit — Dive into anything
My original setup was Ryzen 5 1600 @ 3.8Ghz cooled by a Thermalright Macho 120 rev.A. Memory: G-Skill Flare X 2x8GB 3200MHz 14-14-14-34. Motherboard: MSI X370 Krait Gaming. Graphics: Sapphire RX Vega 56 (flashed as 64). Power supply: Seasonic SSR-750FX . I run Windows 10 Education.
I have a 1080p/144hz screen and couldn’t get my Apex Legends gameplay to be as smooth as I wanted whatever I tried, so I decided for a CPU upgrade.
I upgraded the BIOS to 7A33v1JRQ(Beta version) released on 3. december 2019 and installed the 3600 with a dab of Pactum PT-1 paste. Unfortunately it didn’t occur to me to install the latest X370 chipset drivers from amd.com! Hard to tell in hindsight if this would have prevented the problem I had after the upgrade, but I think it’s likely.
The 1st problem then. The system took very long to post. The «VGA» EZ-debug light was on and the GPU:s fan spun up and quieted down several times. Task manager was surprisingly showing a BIOS time of only 14 seconds! This only occurred when shutting down from Windows and starting the PC again. It didn’t occur, if in addition the power was completely disconnected from the PC between boots. After shutting down from Windows, there were no recognized devices in BIOS:s «AMI Graphic Output Policy». After a cold start though, it did contain the correct graphics devices. So probably Windows failed to update the correct display devices in CMOS/UEFI memory during shutdown. Solution: quick and dirty fix was disabling «fast boot» in Windows. The final solution was a full Windows 10 reinstall and this time right away with the latest chipset drivers. UEFI and fast boot work now, there is no problem posting and I have to add that cold and also «warm» starts from off are really faster with the newest BIOS.
The 2nd interesting and maybe a bit regrettable surprise. I was fooling around with BIOS settings and running various benchmarks. Idle temperatures were around 38 degrees, CPU-Z stress test around <70 degrees, etc. CPU-Z bench scores were inline with what’s posted online. Well at some point I enabled MSI:s «Game Boost» and XMP, leaving all other options stock.
It seemed the voltages dropped from 1,2-1,3v to around 1,0-1,2v and I started getting a constant boost of 4,1-4,2ghz on all cores. CPU-Z bench scores were slightly better. I then ran this slightly older version of Prime95 I had laying around with small FFT:s — and the temperatures in Ryzen master jumped to 95-98 degrees Celsius in seconds!! I was so dumbfounded, I couldn’t even react before the system thermal tripped!
I returned all BIOS settings to stock (except XMP) and tried small FFT:s again (I had to, right). This time the behaviour was a bit more tame, seemed to settle around 75-80 degrees in a minute or so. I decided to leave the settings at that. I didn’t notice any impact in gaming related to stock vs Game Boost anyway. I guess I shaved some life expectancy off my new CPU with this misadventure but oh well. Anyone else had such infernal experiences with Prime95 and Zen 2?
In conclusion, after the upgrade, Superposition benchmark scores were unchanged. I did see a subjectively significant improvement in Apex Legends 1080p with 4GB VRAM setting, anisotropic 8X, models «High» and everything else «Low» or «Disabled» (144fps almost all areas, except 75-100 fps while jumping and 120fps close to fire).
I personally feel that upgrading from 1600 to 3600 was worthwhile, foremost because my favourite game feels a whole lot smoother. Depending on application one might notice no difference at all. I recommend thorough benchmark research for others considering this upgrade or similar.
tl;dr — I feel that upgrading from Ryzen 5 1600 to 3600 might be worthwhile in certain games, if you have a relatively beefy GPU. On older motherboards, remember to upgrade the chipset drivers in Windows and to upgrade your BIOS. If running Prime 95 small fft:s, keep your eye on temperatures and mouse cursor hovering over «stop» (duh, right). The 3600 seems to be enthusiastically boosting selected cores during gaming, so overclocking might have no benefit anyway (reference: https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/amd-ryzen-5-3600-review,26.html).
MSI Global — The Leading Brand in High-end Gaming & Professional Creation
Ever since AMD’s Ryzen 3000 series processors launched, you might be wondering if your old AM4 motherboards support them.
In short, yes. The 3rd Generation Ryzen (3000-series) CPUs still use the AM4 socket, same as 1000/2000 series, which means you can upgrade your CPU to experience higher performance and better multi-core efficiency without having to upgrade your motherboard. However, your motherboard will need a BIOS update.
In this article, we’ll cover the following:
— Beta BIOS overview – who should update BIOS and how to get it?
— How to update your BIOS? Flash BIOS Button & M-Flash
Beta BIOS Overview
After you update to the beta BIOS, you might notice that the user interface is completely different compared to the version you had before the update.
Long story short, the limited BIOS ROM size made this necessary. We simplified the Beta BIOS interface to support as many processor models as we could, without exceeding the BIOS ROM. Although beta BIOS is a Click BIOS version (GSE Lite) with lower graphics and fewer icons than Click BIOS 5, you won’t lose access to any MSI exclusive features such as A-XMP, M-Flash, and Smart Fan Control.
Only the user interface looks different. Not the functionality!
Who should update to Beta BIOS?
If you’ve already purchased a 3000-series AMD Ryzen CPU without upgrading to an X570 motherboard, you have to update to the beta BIOS before switching to your new processor.
On the other hand, if you haven’t made your decision yet and are waiting for more third-party tests and reviews, you don’t need to update to the beta BIOS immediately.
The processor support information for the new Beta BIOS is listed below:
All the Beta BIOS listed here, for 400 Series you can download from Support page, too.
X470 Series Motherboards
Beta BIOS Link
B450 Series Motherboards
Beta BIOS Link
X370 Series Motherboards
Beta BIOS Link
B350 Series Motherboards
Beta BIOS Link
A320 Series Motherboards
Beta BIOS Link
* RAID will be supported in the next BIOS update for all older AM4 motherboards except those with an A320 chipset.
How to update BIOS?
Before you can enjoy the improvements that 3rd Generation Ryzen CPUs offer on older motherboards, you need to update your BIOS. There are two ways for you to update BIOS – regardless of whether you want to switch to the new beta BIOS or roll back to an older version.
Flash BIOS Button
The MSI exclusive feature — Flash BIOS Button simplifies BIOS flash process by a small button on rear IO. This is featured on most MSI 400-series motherboards.
Prepare a USB drive with BIOS files, plug it into the dedicated USB port, and push the Flash BIOS button. The motherboard will flash the new BIOS within minutes. You don’t need to install a CPU, RAM, or a graphics card to update your BIOS thanks to this feature.
If you’re unfamiliar with flashing BIOS, this tutorial should help you: https://youtu.
be/iTkXunUAriE
List of older MSI AM4 (300 and 400-series) motherboards featuring the Flash BIOS Button:
400 Series Motherboards
300 Series Motherboards
X470 GAMING M7 ACK
X370 XPOWER GAMING TITANIUM
B450 GAMING PRO CARBON AC
X370 GAMING M7 ACK
B450 GAMING PLUS
B450 TOMAHAWK
B450-A PRO
B450M GAMING PLUS
B450M MORTAR
B450M MORTAR TITANIUM
B450M BAZOOKA PLUS
B450M BAZOOKA PLUS V2
What if my board doesn’t feature Flash BIOS Button?
No sweat! All MSI motherboards feature M-Flash, an easy update feature in Click BIOS 5, which makes BIOS updates straightforward. You should be able to find it in both Easy mode and Advanced mode of the BIOS.
Prepare a USB drive with the BIOS update files, insert into the dedicated USB port, reboot with your previous generation processor, and go to M-Flash in the BIOS screen.
