CPU/RAM compatibility with ROG Strix B550-F?

derpkotacasper · April 11, 2021

I didn't see how little template applied and budget is a non issue, but my concern here is compatibility. I am upgrading in a shell of a PC I already have.
[Open Box] ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming (WiFi 6) AMD AM4 (3rd Gen Ryzen) ATX Gaming Motherboard (PCIe 4.0, 2.5Gb LAN, BIOS FlashBack, HDMI 2.1, Addressable Gen 2 RGB Header and AURA Sync) - I just bought this as the basis for my new build.

If it helps:
MSI GTX 1050 Ti is going in, Hypermax 212 Evo, Toshiba 128 GB SSD, WD 1 TB HD and an EVGA 600B power supply.

I am looking at Ryzen 5000 processors, the board says it may support them with a BIOS update. Specifically, Ryzen 5 5600X.

Before spending the money on it, I took a look at the compatibility list here:
CPU Compatibility List - It is compatible, but in my digging I also noticed there's a memory support list on there... So I checked the memory I bought today, (was a great deal!) G. Skill Ripvaw V 2x8GB DDR4 2666 (16GB). It is not on the list. I have NEVER heard of RAM having a compatibility issue if, say, for example in this case the board supports DDR4 2666 which it does.

Background information aside, here's my questions:
How do I tell if it will support my CPU out of the box without said update the product page says it may need, and will I need a CPU installed other than the 5000 series to do it?
Is it seriously even possible for RAM to have compatibility issues under those conditions? I don't understand why how it possibly could.

Thank you for bearing with me, I tried to include all the background information I possibly could.

tarfeef101 · April 11, 2021

12 minutes ago, derpkotacasper said:

I didn't see how little template applied and budget is a non issue, but my concern here is compatibility. I am upgrading in a shell of a PC I already have.
[Open Box] ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming (WiFi 6) AMD AM4 (3rd Gen Ryzen) ATX Gaming Motherboard (PCIe 4.0, 2.5Gb LAN, BIOS FlashBack, HDMI 2.1, Addressable Gen 2 RGB Header and AURA Sync) - I just bought this as the basis for my new build.

If it helps:
MSI GTX 1050 Ti is going in, Hypermax 212 Evo, Toshiba 128 GB SSD, WD 1 TB HD and an EVGA 600B power supply.

I am looking at Ryzen 5000 processors, the board says it may support them with a BIOS update. Specifically, Ryzen 5 5600X.

Before spending the money on it, I took a look at the compatibility list here:
CPU Compatibility List - It is compatible, but in my digging I also noticed there's a memory support list on there... So I checked the memory I bought today, (was a great deal!) G. Skill Ripvaw V 2x8GB DDR4 2666 (16GB). It is not on the list. I have NEVER heard of RAM having a compatibility issue if, say, for example in this case the board supports DDR4 2666 which it does.

Background information aside, here's my questions:
How do I tell if it will support my CPU out of the box without said update the product page says it may need, and will I need a CPU installed other than the 5000 series to do it?
Is it seriously even possible for RAM to have compatibility issues under those conditions? I don't understand why how it possibly could.

Thank you for bearing with me, I tried to include all the background information I possibly could.

It is impossible to know if it will work out of the box. Some b550 boards do, some don't. Mostly depends on when they were manufactured. But since that supports "bios flashback", you can update it with just a usb, so you'll be fine cpu-wise.

As for your ram, a 2666 kit will work fine. The ram support list for consumer boards is mostly about overclocking, and the base spec for your cpu is 3200 anyway. There's more nuanced ways to describe it, but the important takeaway is you shouldn't be worried.

Happy building!

derpkotacasper · April 11, 2021

5 minutes ago, tarfeef101 said:

It is impossible to know if it will work out of the box. Some b550 boards do, some don't. Mostly depends on when they were manufactured. But since that supports "bios flashback", you can update it with just a usb, so you'll be fine cpu-wise.

As for your ram, a 2666 kit will work fine. The ram support list for consumer boards is mostly about overclocking, and the base spec for your cpu is 3200 anyway. There's more nuanced ways to describe it, but the important takeaway is you shouldn't be worried.

Happy building!

Thank you so much. I really went on a limb and decided to go through with this. My case doesn't even have a side panel FFS. So I bought a board and RAM and once I get some money refunded, I am selling the motherboard, CPU and RAM I already have in order to afford a Ryzen 5600x.

Then I'll add a nice case, nvme and an AIO after...

And then maybe six years later, I'll finally get my RTX 3060 Ti....

noname_9990 · April 11, 2021

20 minutes ago, derpkotacasper said:

I didn't see how little template applied and budget is a non issue, but my concern here is compatibility. I am upgrading in a shell of a PC I already have.
[Open Box] ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming (WiFi 6) AMD AM4 (3rd Gen Ryzen) ATX Gaming Motherboard (PCIe 4.0, 2.5Gb LAN, BIOS FlashBack, HDMI 2.1, Addressable Gen 2 RGB Header and AURA Sync) - I just bought this as the basis for my new build.

If it helps:
MSI GTX 1050 Ti is going in, Hypermax 212 Evo, Toshiba 128 GB SSD, WD 1 TB HD and an EVGA 600B power supply.

I am looking at Ryzen 5000 processors, the board says it may support them with a BIOS update. Specifically, Ryzen 5 5600X.

Before spending the money on it, I took a look at the compatibility list here:
CPU Compatibility List - It is compatible, but in my digging I also noticed there's a memory support list on there... So I checked the memory I bought today, (was a great deal!) G. Skill Ripvaw V 2x8GB DDR4 2666 (16GB). It is not on the list. I have NEVER heard of RAM having a compatibility issue if, say, for example in this case the board supports DDR4 2666 which it does.

Background information aside, here's my questions:
How do I tell if it will support my CPU out of the box without said update the product page says it may need, and will I need a CPU installed other than the 5000 series to do it?
Is it seriously even possible for RAM to have compatibility issues under those conditions? I don't understand why how it possibly could.

Thank you for bearing with me, I tried to include all the background information I possibly could.

I wouldn't be too worried about your specific RAM not being on the QVL. It just means the Asus has not gotten a copy of that particular type of RAM and actually tested compatibility. Many companies do not perform as robust testing on their lower spec motherboards as they do with their expensive boards. One thing that you want to know is that neither B550 and X570 Asus boards support display port in the BIOS. You will need to plug your monitor into the HDMI port on your GPU for your first boot until you install the operating system (you also have to do this every time you update the CPU). For some reason these ASUS boards will not POST if you have the monitor plugged into display port on first boot (subsequent boot is fine though). Even worse is that the color error code is the same for a RAM error. However, if you have a QR code display, the error code is different. I mention this because you may misdiagnose a display error with a RAM error.

derpkotacasper · April 11, 2021

1 minute ago, noname_9990 said:

I wouldn't be too worried about your specific RAM not being on the QVL. It just means the Asus has not gotten a copy of that particular type of RAM and actually tested compatibility. Many companies do not perform as robust testing on their lower spec motherboards as they do with their expensive boards. One thing that you want to know is that neither B550 and X570 Asus boards support display port in the BIOS. You will need to plug your monitor into the HDMI port on your GPU for your first boot until you install the operating system (you also have to do this every time you update the CPU). For some reason these ASUS boards will not POST if you have the monitor plugged into display port on first boot (subsequent boot is fine though). Even worse is that the color error code is the same for a RAM error. However, if you have a QR code display, the error code is different. I mention this because you may misdiagnose a display error with a RAM error.

My build is jank anyways. I am currently using a Vizio 55 inch TV as a monitor. 59 Hz from 2012 boiiiiiii. So, display port is down the road, my friend. But I do greatly appreciate your words here!