Question Flash Motherboard with another identical board bios

[escherzi]

Hello Fellow Members

The Question: Can you flash a bios or bypass the protection to flash a bios from another identical Motherboard?

The Long Story: I purchased a second hand motherboard online and noticed it was marked as ASUS GA15DH (Serial or Barcode: 000- 2002 - 992697 - 60PD02V0 - MB0A03 - 300). This motherboard must have been pulled from a prebuilt Asus ROG Strix GA15 (GA15DH). The current bios is Version 303 Dated: 2020/12/10. I found out that asus puts in motherboards it manufactures into these prebuilt systems but ends up relabeling the boards with the prebuilt system ID. I found the identical retail motherboard version online which is the ASUS Prime B450M-K. The Asus Prime B450M-K has latest Bios Version 3211 Dated: 2021/08/26

I would like to use the bios from the Asus B450M-K on the identical board Asus GA15DH. Is this possible?


Asus GA15DH Board















Asus B450M-K

 

[mpo]

Cursory look, it doesn't appear that the motherboards are identical. The prebuilt GA15DH has 1x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port and 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports at the top of the I/O.

The stand-alone Asus Prime B450M-K has 2x PS/2 ports in the same location.

I doubt the motherboard has a flashback feature for the BIOS, so it is a risky proposition to try the stand-alone BIOS.

 

[escherzi]

Cursory look, it doesn't appear that the motherboards are identical. The prebuilt GA15DH has 1x PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port and 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports at the top of the I/O.

The stand-alone Asus Prime B450M-K has 2x PS/2 ports in the same location.

I doubt the motherboard has a flashback feature for the BIOS, so it is a risky proposition to try the stand-alone BIOS.

I just uploaded an image of the back panel area you described. Unless I'm missing something they look the same.

 

[tcsenter]

It used to be common 5 ~ 7 years ago for ASUS to use slightly different mainboard in their prebuilt, OEM/integrator systems, even when it advertised the same moniker/model naming as one of their retail boards. The BIOS were usually not compatible, with some exceptions. Grievances or complaints to ASUS about this would just be ignored with some canned response like 'these are different products for different markets, sorry about your bad luck'. I can't comment on current practice for the past few years. You might have better luck on official ASUS support/ROG forums.

 

[Iron Woode]

best advice is not to do it.

OEM boards tend to have custom BIOSes and you could brick your board doing it.

 

[mpo]

Thanks for the picture. The ASUS website brought up a different image of the back of the prebuilt.

To expand on what others are saying, OEM integrators tend to install a BIOS that makes their support easier. How do they make their life easier? By limiting what a consumer can do to their product.