According to Wccftech, ASUS has started rolling out a new AGESA “Pre1.3.0.0” BIOS update for its entire lineup of 800-series and 600-series AM5 motherboards. This follows the company’s recent investigation into reports of AMD Ryzen CPU failures on its AM5 boards, though ASUS hasn’t explicitly confirmed this update fixes those issues. The new firmware promises improved system security, enhanced performance and stability, and better memory compatibility for standard JEDEC modules. Crucially, it introduces a change to a memory controller setting called “M_Ordering” or Bank Refresh mode, switching its default from “Normal” to “Relaxed.” This change can cause previously stable memory overclocking profiles to become unstable, leading to boot failures and crashes. The update is currently in beta and is available for a wide range of boards including the ROG Crosshair X870E Hero, ROG Strix B850-A Gaming, and TUF Gaming X670E-Plus.
The memory settings catch
Here’s the thing that’s going to trip people up. That switch from “Normal” to “Relaxed” for the M_Ordering mode isn’t just some minor tweak. Basically, in the old BIOS versions, the memory controller kind of ignored certain tight refresh timings (tRFC2 / tRFCsb). Now, with the new AGESA code, it actually enforces them. So if you’ve carried over a memory profile you tuned on an older BIOS, there‘s a good chance it’ll be unstable now, throwing WHEA errors or crashing games. ASUS has a detailed guide about this, which is nice, but it puts the onus back on users to retest everything. It’s a classic case of a stability update that might initially *cause* instability for enthusiasts.
Performance vs. stability reality
Now, you might think “Relaxed” sounds better, right? It must allow for tighter timings and more performance. But that’s not really how it works. According to the testing that ASUS and others have done, “Relaxed” mode might show slightly better synthetic memory bandwidth in tools like Karhu. However, for the actual thing most people care about—gaming performance—”Normal” mode is still recommended as the default. It delivers more consistent real-world results. The gains from “Relaxed” are typically marginal and don’t translate well to games. So, unless you’re doing specific memory subsystem testing, the advice is clear: stick with “Normal” for clarity and consistency, especially if you’re comparing performance across different BIOS versions. It’s a subtle but important distinction that highlights the complexity of modern hardware tuning.
A beta for a reason
And let’s not forget, these are all labeled as *beta* BIOS versions. That’s ASUS being cautious, and users should be too. Flashing a beta BIOS, especially one that changes fundamental memory controller behavior, is always a risk. You’re trading potential stability improvements for the chance of new, weird bugs. For businesses and industrial applications that rely on rock-solid computing—like those using specialized industrial panel PCs where reliability is non-negotiable—this is exactly why you wait for final, validated releases. For the average gamer or builder, it’s a reminder to not just blindly update because a new version exists. Read the notes, see if the fixes apply to you, and be prepared to retune your system. The fact that this is a widespread rollout across both new 800-series and older 600-series boards tells us this is a significant AMD AGESA update that they’re trying to get into users’ hands quickly, but the “beta” tag means the final word on stability isn’t in yet.
