bios update question

[aryanpall]

i have a gigabyte ga-320a-hd2 and im on bios version F2 (the 2nd update after release) and i was thinking of upgrading the bios to the lastest vertion f51 ? can i just ahead with this right like i never updated my bios ever 

what should i expect?

how long will it take

is it worth it ?

 

thank you in advance 

[Sjaakie]

Some older chipsets like the a320 may drop support for certain cpu's to allow room for the new ones, so double check your cpu support is still supported.

 

Just make sure to keep the update running until it is fully complete, don't cut the power.

 

It takes about 5 minutes.

[aryanpall]

10 minutes ago, Sjaakie said:

Some older chipsets like the a320 may drop support for certain cpu's to allow room for the new ones, so double check your cpu support is still supported.

 

Just make sure to keep the update running until it is fully complete, don't cut the power.

 

It takes about 5 minutes.

how do i check this ? im on r7 1700 and also when i tried to run the bios it says invalid bios image 

[191x7]

28 minutes ago, aryanpall said:

how do i check this ? im on r7 1700 and also when i tried to run the bios it says invalid bios image 

Is it this board?

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-A320M-HD2-rev-10/support#support-dl-bios

 

Did you see the note?

Note: Before update BIOS to F40 or later version, make sure you have prior updated to F31.

[aryanpall]

9 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

Is it this board?

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-A320M-HD2-rev-10/support#support-dl-bios

 

Did you see the note?

Note: Before update BIOS to F40 or later version, make sure you have prior updated to F31.

yes this is the board i did upagte do f31 but iu havent to f51 yet as im not sure if i can do it with my cpu ? how do i know if ryzen 7 1700 will work with bios F51e?

[An0maly_76]

1 hour ago, Sjaakie said:

Some older chipsets like the a320 may drop support for certain cpu's to allow room for the new ones, so double check your cpu support is still supported.

So much this. It's been known to cause issues with existing devices after updating for a new processor because support for a given device was dropped to facilitate support for the newer processor (ex. some sort of conflict with GPU or M.2 after update for 3000-series Ryzen, took awhile to find because support for the device had been dropped three BIOS revisions previously). This is why I recommend B550 boards for 5000-series chips. Eliminates a lot of headaches, and as long as you are careful to choose memory from a board's QVL list, your chances of issues are quite low.

[aryanpall]

1 minute ago, An0maly_76 said:

So much this. It's been known to cause issues with existing devices after updating for a new processor because support for a given device was dropped to facilitate support for the newer processor (ex. some sort of conflict with GPU or M.2 after update for 3000-series Ryzen, took awhile to find because support for the device had been dropped three BIOS revisions previously). This is why I recommend B550 boards for 5000-series chips. Eliminates a lot of headaches, and as long as you are careful to choose memory from a board's QVL list, your chances of issues are quite low.

am i good to go with the f31 to f51 update then with my cpu ?

[An0maly_76]

1 minute ago, aryanpall said:

am i good to go with the f31 to f51 update then with my cpu ?

What processor, and what other components? This all matters.

[aryanpall]

Just now, An0maly_76 said:

What processor, and what other components? This all matters.

quick overview is a ryzen 7 1700 with 16gb vengencace lpx , 1050,  other components are in my profile i dont know which one you might be asking for 

[An0maly_76]

9 minutes ago, aryanpall said:

quick overview is a ryzen 7 1700 with 16gb vengencace lpx , 1050,  other components are in my profile i dont know which one you might be asking for 

Doesn't appear to include an M.2 drive, at least the board doesn't appear to support it, so that's a potential issue avoided. Do you have the SKU (part #) for your Corsair RAM handy? It should be on the package or on the DIMMs somewhere.

[aryanpall]

1 minute ago, An0maly_76 said:

Doesn't appear to include an M.2 drive, at least the board doesn't appear to support it, so that's a potential issue avoided. Do you have the SKU (part #) for your Corsair RAM handy? It should be on the package or on the DIMMs somewhere.

CMK16GX4M2A2400C14

[An0maly_76]

43 minutes ago, aryanpall said:

CMK16GX4M2A2400C14

This RAM SKU is not listed on the board's QVL. Doesn't mean it won't work, but there's no guarantee it will be stable, or that it will POST with it. This is something I have experience with, my Asus Tuf B550-PLUS did not like the original RAM I used and had several annoying issues until I used RAM from the QVL. That said, some boards aren't as picky about RAM as others, but I have an MSI B450 with a 1700 Ryzen that has similar stability issues with another kit of the same RAM I used. So just be aware that this may or may not be an issue. If you can still exchange or return the RAM, it might be prudent to do so for a kit recommended for this board while still doable. Here is the list so that you can consult it for yourself...

 

https://download.gigabyte.com/FileList/Memory/mb_memory_ga-a320m-hd2.pdf?v=df51667e5d3461108fd69ae8899aaadb

 

Your storage isn't listed on QVL either, but both appear to be standard SATA SSDs, so I don't think this has near the same potential to be an issue. I can see it happening with an onboard PCIe M.2, but not modular SATA. The processor appears to be supported from an update equivalent or prior to either you reference.

 

As to A320s and update / support issues, what I've seen before was a member who had updated BIOS for a 3600 processor, to find that the machine either had no video or failed POST afterward. Support for one of their devices had been dropped in one of the prior BIOS revisions (not the one they'd updated to), so it took some time to find. I don't recall what they did, if they reverted their BIOS and went back to the original processor while they saved for a new board (likely), or not. I believe the conflicting device for which support had been dropped was either their GPU or an on-board PCIe M.2 drive.

 

Overall, I don't see the update being a problem with your component choices, but there are no guarantees. And without the board manufacturer's QVL recommendation, that RAM does have the potential to create stability issues. You might look through my threads to see the issues I experienced, and they did not go away until I replaced the RAM with a kit that was recommended by the manufacturer per QVL. As it turns out, it's quite likely the RAM I used was actually optimized for Intel and therefore not recommended for AMD.

Edited September 6, 2022 by An0maly_76
Revised, more info

[191x7]

4 hours ago, aryanpall said:

am i good to go with the f31 to f51 update then with my cpu ?

Flash the bios. You won't lose the CPU support. Everything will work better.

[aryanpall]

9 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

Flash the bios. You won't lose the CPU support. Everything will work better.

what does that mean?

[191x7]

15 hours ago, aryanpall said:

what does that mean?

BIOS updates don't just bring support for new CPU-s and devices, they bring fixes for different issues like memory compatibility, USB issues, performance issues if some were there and so on.