MSI H61M-E23 (B3) - What CPU will work without BIOS update?

wannabedamned · 9 Oct 2018 at 17:55

Hi Guys,

I'm flying blind due to the lack of a compatible CPU, I'm not even sure of the motherboards current bios

I have an I5 3570k which I would like to use on the H61M-E23 (B3), and it is compatible with a BIOS update, however I need to have a CPU in for the initial update.

I grabbed a couple of g550 Celeron processors from ebay(for next to nothing) thinking they would work, however the Motherboard is failing to post. It could be the processors were DOA, maybe the mobo is DOA.

Howvever I'd just like a cheap and cheerful throw away CPU so I can do the bios update. So does anyone know a processor that should definitely post? At least then I know for certain whether the issue is elsewhere

The fact the G550 and i5 3570k are Costa Rica makes me think its a bios update that I need, and I just need a processor!! haha

pastymuncher · 9 Oct 2018 at 19:10

This is a weird one because according to the cpu support list the G550 needs a newer bios (7680vC1) than the 3570k (7680vC0). The weird bit is that the G550 is a Sandybridge cpu that launched before the Ivybridge 3570k. Going by the cpu support list the 3570k should work with the boards launch bios. The thing is that the bios versions on the cpu support list do not match up with the actual bios versions on the downloads page in any way. Launch bios on the downloads page was 10.2 released on 18/02/2011 while the update for Ivybridge cpu's was 12.0 released on 21/03/2012. Confusion like this is yet another reason I hate MSI motherboards. Updating the bios on a board of this generation is very risky and there is a high chance of bricking the board. We had many tales of woe from owners of bricked MSI P67/Z68/Z77 boards on here when Ivybridge launched.

wannabedamned · 10 Oct 2018 at 15:17

Yeah, I've been looking at the support list and it only added to the confusion.

I've taken a lucky guess at a Celeron G460. It shows as being compatible with a really early bios revision, and it's not Costa Rica, It's Malay.

Worth a shot!

I can definitely see why this leading to a lot of unnecessary bricking in the past

Undesirable · 10 Oct 2018 at 22:45

Does M-Flash allow you to flash the BIOS without CPU present?

pastymuncher · 11 Oct 2018 at 11:57

No. Only higher end boards tend to have that ability and I am not sure if that was even around when this board came out. On the boards that do have it MSI call it Bios Flashback, Asus boards call it USB Bios Flashback. I am not sure if Gigabyte and Asrock even have this capability. There is usually a button and special USB port on the rear I/O panel of boards that do have it.