How to get B550/Ryzen5700 combo to boot the "BIOS"?

[este.el_pa157c02e2]

Folks:

First time build . . . maiden voyage with mobo "populated" and hooked to power supply, peripherals plugged in . . . booting the assembled parts before installing into the case . . . LED mobo power light lights, cpu fan spins, power supply fan spins, mouse is powered . . . . But display light remains orange??

I have tried various key strokes to get the mobo to boot to the "BIOS" window, but so far nothing. Display stays black. When I unplugged the HDMI cable while the mobo is booted when I plug it back in the display turns blue for a second and then back to orange. A gent from the TW forum gave me the hints on the parts to assemble and gave me some tips on doing this booting while pre-installed to case, but there is a time differential and I can't get live updates. Looks like the US helpline for mobos is closed on the weekend . . . .

Any hints on where the pilot error is entering into the mix? I tried booting with "delete" "esc" all of the F keys all of the keys with fn key . . . looked at some videos, nothing is giving me any hints. I unplugged the various cables and keyboard from the FrankenyzenB550Berry and plugged them into my '12 Mac Mini . . . to type this post, so the equipment is working, but the mobo is not bringing up the display???

 

[este.el_pa157c02e2]

OK, having fiddled with it a few times I have come to the conclusion that this is a display problem, possibly relating to my old View Sonic display having one VGA port and one DVI port. I have cables that are either VGA or DVI to HDMI . . . one of them works to show the display on my '12 Mac Pro (VGA) and tthe other works with my '12 Mac Mini (DVI) . . . .

I was unplugging the Mini's cable and that is the one that when just slightly plugged in will show the display light turn blue, then it shows a "no signal" error, and it turns back to orange. I then unplugged the Mac Pro's cable and plugged it into the mobo and fiddled with it and got no change or message.

So, would I be correct in assuming that the B550 doesn't really "do" HDMI to VGA or DVI?? And that it needs to go HDMI to HDMI to get the display to work???

 

[electrostingz]

Hello,

Can you make a list of everything / all the parts you have so people can see, also be precise in details like the exact model CPU, VIDEO CARD, RAM...

- CPU (Model)
- Motherboard (Model)
- RAM (Model)
- VIDEO CARD (Model)
- POWER SUPPLY (Model)
- drives, NVME or SSD... (Model)

Because if you do not mention what you have someone can only make assumptions with the limited information you provided.
Like one could assume nothing works because you don't have a video card and have simply plugged the monitor cable to the back of the motherboard expecting it to work? Does happen so maybe true.

And that would spark the next question, do you have a 5700, 5700G or 5700X CPU?
The 5700G has a GPU built within so plugging straight into the motherboard will work.
5700 / 5700X are just CPUs without a GPU.

I only assume the above as you mention the B550 and HDMI / VGA / DVI, so maybe this is the problem you do not have a 5700G CPU and are not using a video card. However please tell us more about the PC parts and we can go from there.

 

[este.el_pa157c02e2]

And that would spark the next question, do you have a 5700, 5700G or 5700X CPU?
The 5700G has a GPU built within so plugging straight into the motherboard will work.
5700 / 5700X are just CPUs without a GPU.

@electrostingz

Thanks for the reply . . . indeed from what you said there that I was laboring under the impression that my bundled cpu/mobo would be sufficient to get by w/o a GPU . . . but turns out that it is the 5700X cpu . . . so no graphics included????

A gent on the TW forums who has been encouraging me to build my own machine for over a year flipped me a link to the MSI B550-A Pro mobo combined with Ryzen 7 5700X cpu . . . and I blithely clicked "go" on it, believing that he had taken the time to check it over, but, everybody is in a rush and no time for double checking, it came out as the 5700X. I think when I was assembling the parts somewhere it was spelled out either on the Amazon site, or box the cpu came in . . . "graphics card required" . . . . But, the whole point of this exercise was to build a machine that didn't need a GPU so I didn't believe that he would flip me a link to a "graphics card required" bundle . . . but, as he said this morning, "Reality is complex and stuff happens . . ." and so it does.

Other parts, Samsung 990 NVMe 1 TB storage, 32GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 RAM, 400 watt power supply EVGA?? Fractal G ATX case.

In looking now at the CPU box, it does say, "compatible graphics required" . . . and so, as I have done many times . . . both feet firmly placed on the banana peel . . . taking the fall, etc. The parts assembled were to be for a machine that is newer than my '12 Mac Pro, but behind the bleeding edge in parts technology . . . for a "bang for the buck" machine. I see you are running a Gigabyte GPU . . . but would there be a basic GPU that would get me back in the game on this build that would be "best bang for the buck"??

I'm not a gamer . . . I mostly just post questions on forums trying to get help running multi-boot linux distros on a carved up storage drive???

 

[electrostingz]

If not gaming then you are pretty much ok for any GFX card, I would recommend Nvidia as they have decent Linux driver support but we are currently living in a time of a massively overpriced GPU market so its not exactly cheap.

MSI GeForce GT 1030 4GHD4 LP OC

MSI GeForce GT 1030 4GHD4 LP OC with a low profile design saves more space and can build a slim or smaller system more accessible. The large heat sink covers the area of GPU and memory.

www.msi.com

This one if you can find is probably the most sensible one to go for as its 4GB and HDMI / displayport, will do 4k 60Hz and is passively cooled so less noise / maintenance, will retail for around £70.

The cheapest nvidia card I can find is a GT 710 at around £40 but in my opinion it's not worth it considering how dated it is, if only it was a 5700G CPU in your bundle.

 

[este.el_pa157c02e2]

If not gaming then you are pretty much ok for any GFX card, I would recommend Nvidia as they have decent Linux driver support but we are currently living in a time of a massively overpriced GPU market so its not exactly cheap.

MSI GeForce GT 1030 4GHD4 LP OC

MSI GeForce GT 1030 4GHD4 LP OC with a low profile design saves more space and can build a slim or smaller system more accessible. The large heat sink covers the area of GPU and memory.

www.msi.com

This one if you can find is probably the most sensible one to go for as its 4GB and HDMI / displayport, will do 4k 60Hz and is passively cooled so less noise / maintenance, will retail for around £70.

The cheapest nvidia card I can find is a GT 710 at around £40 but in my opinion it's not worth it considering how dated it is, if only it was a 5700G CPU in your bundle.

@electrostingz

Thanks kindly for the link to an option in GPUs . . . . Historically I have had Nvidia graphics in just about all of my machines, as a former "visual person" I like the way Nvidia cards render the display in crispy manner . . . .

However, what I found on my '12 Mac Pro that I upgraded to a GTX 780 card to have "metal" capacity, I think it's a 3 or 4GB, is that in fact they don't really provide too much support for Linux drivers after a period of time. Similar to Apple, after a couple of years support is dropped.

These days I am mostly running linux distros, and I use "nouveau" rather than proprietary, but still I would have problems with getting the machine to resume from suspend, as the "G05" and "G06" updates (for example) would be taking over the drivers duties from nouveau, blacklisting it w/o asking me about it . . . and now the 780 is "ancient legacy" . . . and the newest kernels are not resuming at all.

So, this project was to move away from needing a GPU at all, and then, as needed to upgrade, switching out parts to stay closer to behind the technological wave than just letting the old '12 era parts try to make do. But, if a GPU is now needed, the inclination would be to go for Radeon?? perhaps being more compatible with the Ryzen cpu, or perhaps being less "high maintenance" than my 780 card has been???

I'll certainly take a look at your suggestion . . . my needs are largely humble . . . cheaper is "better" but then, junk is often very reasonable in price, or often just as unreasonable. Possibly if I were to go Nvidia I would just have to be more frequent about upgrading it, OR whenever I do this again, actually look to see whether the bundle provides graphics, or, quietly mentioned . . . does not.

 

[electrostingz]

When I looked at AMD offerings the prices were double as there is nothing other than high performance cards but this may differ at your end, what do you available / shop sites to look at? The Ryzen CPU won't have any implications on compatibility or support so you will be fine either choice.

 

[este.el_pa157c02e2]

When I looked at AMD offerings the prices were double as there is nothing other than high performance cards but this may differ at your end, what do you available / shop sites to look at? The Ryzen CPU won't have any implications on compatibility or support so you will be fine either choice.

@electrostingz

Thanks again for the effort on it . . . the gent who has been coaching me on this project said, "I strongly recommend that you get the 5700G" . . . .

My supreme error was in moving away from single products to the mix and match bundles . . . like I sw this AM that a bundle with the 5700G but the B550 F mobo was available for a dollar more, G has a fan the X did not. But my mentor suggested the B550 A Pro mobo, which I did get . . . .

I indeed did noot find any Radeon GPUs that I considered to be cheap, the problem with the 1030 IMHO is "no fan" . . . sometimes on rare days I run some distributed.net "stats" and that does use GPU capacity. My 780 card in my '12 Mac Pro does a fair job at it, nothing crazy, but adequate. I might guess that a heatsinked GPU would just provide basic duties . . . vs . . . bite the proverbiall bullet and get the right 5700G cpu . . . . <sigh>

 

[Heliconseo]

• Check for Missing Graphics:
  • If your CPU does not have integrated graphics (like many AMD Ryzen CPUs), you must install a graphics card the HDMI port on the motherboard won’t work without iGPU.
  • Solution: Check your CPU model. If it’s not one with a "G" in the name (like Ryzen 5 5600G), you need a dedicated GPU.
• RAM Not Properly Seated:
  • Bad or loose RAM can stop the system from POSTing.
  • Solution: Remove and firmly reseat the RAM. Try booting with just one stick in slot A2.
• BIOS Compatibility Issue:
  • If you're using a newer CPU with an older B550 board, the BIOS may need updating (which you can do with BIOS Flashback feature if available).
  • Solution: Look up your CPU + motherboard compatibility on MSI's site. If BIOS update is needed, use USB BIOS Flashback.
• Monitor Input Source:
  • Sometimes the monitor input source is not set correctly.
  • Solution: Manually set the monitor to HDMI input using its buttons.

 

[este.el_pa157c02e2]

• Check for Missing Graphics:
  • If your CPU does not have integrated graphics (like many AMD Ryzen CPUs), you must install a graphics card the HDMI port on the motherboard won’t work without iGPU.
  • Solution: Check your CPU model. If it’s not one with a "G" in the name (like Ryzen 5 5600G), you need a dedicated GPU.
• RAM Not Properly Seated:
  • Bad or loose RAM can stop the system from POSTing.
  • Solution: Remove and firmly reseat the RAM. Try booting with just one stick in slot A2.
• BIOS Compatibility Issue:
  • If you're using a newer CPU with an older B550 board, the BIOS may need updating (which you can do with BIOS Flashback feature if available).
  • Solution: Look up your CPU + motherboard compatibility on MSI's site. If BIOS update is needed, use USB BIOS Flashback.
• Monitor Input Source:
  • Sometimes the monitor input source is not set correctly.
  • Solution: Manually set the monitor to HDMI input using its buttons.

Thanks for the follow up on it . . . as mentioned, I ordered the 5700G and it is now sitting next to me in the bag . . . . When I get the chance I'll drop it into the mobo, attach fan, and try again.

One additional problem that might be involved is I have HDMI to VGA/DVI on the display . . . the display does not have an HDMI port. But, indeed the 5700X does not offer "video" . . . . Live and, um, learn.

 

[este.el_pa157c02e2]

Alrighty, the 5700G arrived and has been installed. I was just able to boot to the BIOS a couple of times on the new Stack O Parts . . . even using the HDMI to DVI adapter brought up the BIOS screen . . . at first it was showing only 16GB of RAM, I tried to jiggle the RAM, but it didn't bring up the second stick. Shut down and exchanged the sticks from A2 to B2 and vice versa and on reboot both sticks now show.

Looks like the BIOS version is from March of 2024 . . . seems like next step is to upgrade it using M-flash . . . once I have the latest version extracted to USB drive . . . .

And then go for an OS install before placement in the case.

 

[electrostingz]

Good to hear it's working

 

[este.el_pa157c02e2]

Following up here, as a couple of other problems with my new build have shown up, one semi-serious, and the other a bit more serious to my daily driving of it.
1. There is a problem of scratchy sound in lieu of voices in YT/twitter videos. I tried to adjust the Firefox permissions to "allow audio and video" but that didn't fix the problem. Interestingly "music" will play fine, with perhaps some echo chamber sound effects. But men's voices just talking about a topic are just scratchy noise, not comprehensible. I searched the google and found this thread on Redditt

https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/10olsg1

And then I checked in the BIOS for similar adjustments but didn't find either option that was shown in the photos. The scratchy noise problem was replicated in both a Tumbleweed install (packman repo added) and a Trixie install . . . sound prefs show that sound is working, test speakers work, music works, woman's voice seemed to work in one video, but men's do not, in YT and twitter . . . . Any thoughts on how to get a more complete sound spectrum would be appreciated.

2. And then the more serious problem, as I am an inveterate multi-booter, I installed TW in a Samsung 990 nvme 1TB drive plugged into the m2 slot . . . creating a 50GB partition for / and a roughly 250GB partition for /home, and the install went well. A day or so later I ran an install of Trixie, creating a new 50GB partition for / and pointing the /home directory to the larger partition that already contained the TW /home directory. I have done this move numerous times on various machines running intel cpu and hard drives of both SATA and nvme nature, it has been well tested.

But, on this new platform doing that move seemed to mess both installs up, I couldn't get the log in manager on TW to process my password, it would go to black and then back to asking for password . . . and the Trixie install couldn't get past a grub error "bad shim signature."

I ultimately decided to nuke and pave the drive, reinstalling TW into the same config as before, separate / and larger /home. My question for the forum is, is it OK to try to run the Trixie install again, but create another partition for /home, away the the TW partition on the same drive?? OR, in the Ryzen7 & MSI mobo world sharing /home directories is verboten and better to get a separate SATA drive and put the other kids over there?

I have not had this kind of "corruption" of installs in many applications of putting OSs next to each other on the drive, even putting / on one drive and /home on another drive in the same machine . . . many years of multi-booting. In this present case of B550 Pro A and Ryzen 5700G that apparently did not go well. Any ideas about how to get my usual menagerie of one distro for each day of the week would be appreciated.