For the AM4 Platform, AMD has been very generous when it comes to motherboard compatibility. A CPU launched in 2022, like the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, will work with an almost 6-year-old motherboard, like the ASRock X370 Pro, which was launched in early 2017.
However, it's not all rainbows and sunshine. Just because it fits, doesn't mean it will work.
For some scenarios, the BIOS Firmware has to be updated with an older CPU inserted for the newer CPUs to work. After such an update, the older CPU might no longer work correctly with that motherboard. Also, relatively newer motherboards, like A520, outright won't support older CPUs like the Ryzen 5 1600.
This article will clear up a lot of this confusion by listing out the CPUs for all AM4 motherboard platforms that will boot regardless of the BIOS Firmware version.
To avoid confusion between CPU series, it will be referred to by the CPU Core codename:
| No |
Codename |
Microarchitecture |
Series |
Example |
| 1 |
Summit Ridge |
14nm Zen |
1000, 1000X |
Ryzen 5 1600 |
| 2 |
Pinnacle Ridge |
12nm Zen+ |
2000, 2000X, 2000E, 1000AF |
Ryzen 5 2600 |
| 3 |
Raven Ridge |
14nm Zen |
2000G, 2000GE |
Ryzen 5 2400G |
| 4 |
Matisse |
7nm Zen2 |
3000, 3000X, 3000XT |
Ryzen 5 3600 |
| 5 |
Picasso |
12nm Zen+ |
3000G, 3000GE |
Ryzen 5 3400G |
| 6 |
Renoir |
7nm Zen2 |
4000, 4000G, 4000GE |
Ryzen 5 4600G |
| 7 |
Vermeer |
7nm Zen3 |
5000, 5000X, 5000X3D |
Ryzen 5 5600X |
| 8 |
Cezanne |
7nm Zen3 |
5000G, 5000GE |
Ryzen 5 5600G |
Since AMD has already launched a new socket, AM5, it is unlikely for this list to have any additions.
| MB |
Summit Ridge |
Raven Ridge |
Pinnacle Ridge |
Picasso |
Matisse |
Renoir |
Vermeer |
Cezanne |
| X570 |
N |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
| B550 |
N |
N |
N |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
| A520 |
N |
N |
N |
N |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
| X470 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
B |
B |
B |
B |
| B450 |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
B |
B |
B |
B |
| X370 |
Y |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
| B350 |
Y |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
| A320 |
Y |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
B |
Y- Fully Supported or BIOS FB Capable
N- Not Supported
B- Specific BIOS versions might be needed [1] [2]
[1] For 400 Series motherboards, later revisions came with the BIOS updated from the factory, this might be indicated by a compatible or ready sticker on the retail package.
[2] BIOS cannot be updated unless older CPU is inserted
Most B550 and X570 and a few older motherboards have BIOS Flashback, a feature where you can flash a new BIOS Firmware without a CPU being installed. If this feature is a part of the chipset, compatibility has been marked Y in the above table.
Let's all hope we can see such beautiful cross-compatibility for the new AM5 platform and beyond and pray that intel follows suit in the future.
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