Question Anyone managed to put a Zen3 CPU on Asrock AB350 Pro4?

[Chicken76]

I have an 1800X on Asrock AB350 Pro4 and I'd like to upgrade the CPU to the newest generation the motherboard can take.
On the Asrock "CPU support list" page for this motherboard, there are only 1000, 2000 and 3000 series CPUs listed.
However, looking at the BIOS descriptions on the downloads page, I see one of them says: "Support Renoir, Vermeer, and Cezanne CPU". Cezanne are APUs with Zen3 cores, which suggests Zen3 CPUs might work too.
So my question is: has anyone managed to run successfully a Zen3 CPU in this motherboard?

 

[fralexandr]

https://www.reddit.com/r/ASRock/comments/uzukq2

Reddit has multiple users who successfully did so, though you may have to make a series of bios updates before replacing the cpu to make it work.

Depending on your firmware version, potentially up to 4 updates are required, 3 of which are mandatory for newer versions to work
3.40 (bridge bios) -> 5.40 -> 7.00 (beta) (bridge bios) -> 7.40 or L8.02

Asrocks bios page goes into a bit more detail. A rough summary:
Going past 5.80 is not recommended if using certain processors, and many of the updates 5.70 or newer are irreversible so older firmwares won't be useable.

ASRock > AB350 Pro4

ATX; ASRock Super Alloy; Supports AMD Socket AM4 A-Series APUs (Bristol Ridge) and Ryzen Series CPUs (Summit Ridge & Raven Ridge); Supports DDR4 3200+ (OC) (Ryzen CPU) / 2400 (A-series APU); 2 PCIe 3.0 x16, 4 PCIe 2.0 x1; AMD Quad CrossFireX™; Graphics Output: HDMI, DVI-D, D-Sub; Supports Triple...

www.asrock.com

 

[Shmee]

What CPU were you looking to get? I know this isn't the same board, but my Gigabyte AB350M gaming 3 has a 5900X in it and works fine. Both boards use the B350 chipset.

 

[Chicken76]

Thank you for your replies.

I am going to stick to 65W parts because this is an old board and it was cheap at the time, so I don't want to put too much load on those modest VRMs. If I can put a Zen3 in there, then I'll get a 5600X or 5700X. If not, I'll get a 3700X.

But the reason why I want to do this is so I can run Windows 11 on that machine and not throw it away in a couple of years. Does the latest bios have support for TPM2 and secure boot and all that jazz that Win11 requires?

 

[Shmee]

Check the release notes on ASrock's website, but I think it should support Windows 11 with latest AGESA if the CPU does.

I would highly recommend a 5700X, seems to be a great deal for it going on recently for around $180. That is a great price for a Zen 3 8 core. Your board should have no issue running it if the update provides Vermeer support. Just be sure to follow the BIOS upgrade instructions carefully, as mentioned earlier.

On a side note, there are many installer tools that will allow you to install WIndows 11 on unsupported hardware, at least for now. Including custom disc images I believe. It may even still be possible to do an OS "upgrade" on an unsupported system. That said, I would still highly recommend getting a Zen 3 CPU, it would be a great upgrade.

 

[latestgbapps]

It is possible to use a Zen 3 CPU on an Asrock AB350 Pro4 motherboard, but you will need to update the BIOS to a version that supports Zen 3 CPUs first. The Asrock AB350 Pro4 motherboard uses an AM4 socket, which is compatible with both Zen and Zen 3 CPUs, but the BIOS must be updated to a version that supports Zen 3 in order for the CPU to be recognized and work properly.
To update the BIOS, you will need to go to the Asrock website and download the latest BIOS update for your motherboard model. Follow the instructions provided by Asrock to update the BIOS, making sure to follow all steps carefully to avoid any issues or damage to your hardware.
Once the BIOS has been updated, you should be able to install a Zen 3 CPU on the Asrock AB350 Pro4 motherboard without any issues. However, keep in mind that the motherboard may not be optimized for the full capabilities of the Zen 3 CPU, as it is an older motherboard designed for use with Zen and Zen+ CPUs.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I see they have you covered on getting this done. I'll add my own experience anyways.

As stated, always install every bridge bios in chronological order until you are fully updated on them, Then you are able to install the latest version available.

I ran every generation of Zen except the 4 series APUs in my ASRock X370. 5700G and 5600X ran great. Outside of benchmarks you'd never know it was not a X570 setup while gaming.

One last note about ASRock's disclaimers. They recommend not using certain Zen CPUs if you update the bios. Being the anti authoritarian rebel without a clue I am, I did it multiple times. I never experienced an issue as a daily driver gaming PC. I am certain there is a reason they recommend against it, but in my practical experience it never popped up.

 

[kschendel]

One last note about ASRock's disclaimers. They recommend not using certain Zen CPUs if you update the bios. Being the anti authoritarian rebel without a clue I am, I did it multiple times. I never experienced an issue as a daily driver gaming PC. I am certain there is a reason they recommend against it, but in my practical experience it never popped up.

I have to second this. I've been running a 1600 in a B450M Pro4 that came with BIOS 4.30 installed, which is well into the "do not recommend with Pinnacle, Raven, or Summit Ridge" territory. It works fine and has done for a couple years now. What I have noticed is that a couple of the more obscure CPU settings seems to have disappeared; there was a C6 state thing in old BIOSes that's gone, and I think maybe Power Supply Idle Current is gone as well. You might miss them if you have a very early stepping of an original Zen 1, maybe. I know I don't miss them.