Select motherboards are designed to support “USB BIOS Flashback,” which allows for BIOS updates from a flash drive—even if the current BIOS on the motherboard does not have the software code to boot a new processor. Some motherboards can even update the BIOS when there’s no CPU in the socket at all.

Do you need a processor to update BIOS?

Unfortunately, to update the BIOS, you need a working CPU to do so (unless the board has a flash BIOS which only a few do). … Lastly, you could buy a board that has a flash BIOS built in, meaning you don’t need a CPU at all, you can just load the update from a flash drive.

Can you get to the BIOS without a CPU?

Generally you won’t be able to do anything without the processor and memory. Our motherboards however do allow you to update/flash the BIOS even without a processor, this is by using ASUS USB BIOS Flashback.