AMD will support Zen 3 on B450 and X470 motherboards after all

If you were one of the people upset by AMD's recent announcement that Zen 3 CPUs would not be supported on B450 and X470 motherboards, then there is a spot of good news for you today. After observing feedback, AMD has decided to open up an upgrade path after all. 

In an updated statement posted to the r/AMD subreddit this afternoon, the company said that it has “closely reviewed” feedback over the last week and that while “large-scale BIOS updates can be difficult and confusing”, you will have the option to flash your existing B450 or X470 motherboard to support a Zen 3 processor. It will be a ‘one-way' upgrade path though, so you will need to consider the decision carefully.

Below is AMD's current plan for upgrading B450 and X470 motherboards to support Zen 3 CPUs:

1. We will develop and enable our motherboard partners with the code to support “Zen 3”-based processors in select beta BIOSes for AMD B450 and X470 motherboards.

2. These optional BIOS updates will disable support for many existing AMD Ryzen Desktop Processor models to make the necessary ROM space available.

3. The select beta BIOSes will enable a one-way upgrade path for AMD Ryzen Processors with “Zen 3,” coming later this year. Flashing back to an older BIOS version will not be supported.

4. To reduce the potential for confusion, our intent is to offer BIOS download only to verified customers of 400 Series motherboards who have purchased a new desktop processor with “Zen 3” inside. This will help us ensure that customers have a bootable processor on-hand after the BIOS flash, minimizing the risk a user could get caught in a no-boot situation.

5. Timing and availability of the BIOS updates will vary and may not immediately coincide with the availability of the first “Zen 3”-based processors.

6. This is the final pathway AMD can enable for 400 Series motherboards to add new CPU support. CPU releases beyond “Zen 3” will require a newer motherboard.

7. AMD continues to recommend that customers choose an AMD 500 Series motherboard for the best performance and features with our new CPUs.

Planning for this upgrade path is underway, so changes could be made over time. There will be another update in the months to come, in addition to a walkthrough explaining the upgrade process for those who already own and want to keep their B450 or X470 motherboard rather than upgrading to a newer chipset.

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KitGuru Says: It won't be long before we see Zen 3 in action at the rate things are going. What do you all think of AMD's decision to enable B450 and X470 motherboard owners to upgrade to its next-gen CPUs? Is a BIOS flash something you will be going through with, or will you be picking up a newer motherboard instead? 

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