As Windows 10’s support is ending in October 2025, many older computers may become electronic waste as they can’t run Windows 11 without special tricks. Microsoft has published lists of processors from AMD, Intel, or Qualcomm that are compatible with Windows 11, but the AMD Ryzen processors of the first series Ryzen 1000 (Summit Ridge) for AM4 mainboards are still missing. With the latest BIOS updates, however, Windows 11 can suddenly be installed on some of these AMD processors without any further action.
A c’t reader reported that the Microsoft tool “PC Integrity Check” marked his AMD Ryzen 5 1600 on the Asus board Prima A320M-A as compatible after he installed the BIOS version 6062, which contains the AMD firmware AGESA ComboV2PI 1208. Tests at the c’t laboratory showed that Windows 11 can also be installed on the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 with the Asus ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING and MSI X370 SLI Plus motherboards if other requirements are met, such as activating TPM 2.0 or fTPM 2.0 in BIOS setup and using UEFI start mode with Secure Boot.
Microsoft’s “PC Integrity Check” considers the computer with AMD Ryzen 5 1600 to be suitable for Windows 11 if UEFI Secure Boot is activated. However, the Ryzen 5 1600 still doesn’t appear in Microsoft’s official lists of “Windows 11 supported AMD processors,” which currently only start with the Ryzen 2000 series. AMD and Microsoft haven’t confirmed whether the Ryzen 1000 series (Summit Ridge, version AM4) is now officially supported by Windows 11.
The AMD Ryzen 5 1600 has a special reason for being able to run Windows 11: AMD sold two different versions of it. The first one was a tray version with the AMD-OPN YD1600BBM6IAE, while the second one, released in 2020, was a 12-nanometer version with the OPN YD1600BBM6IAF, which is largely the same as the Windows 11-supported Ryzen 5 2600 from 2018. The tests used the newer version of the Ryzen 5 1600, i.e., with the OPN YD1600BBM6IAF (box version YD1600BBAFBOX).
Owners of older Ryzen systems or one with the Athlon 200G who want to switch to Windows 11 should try a BIOS update before buying new hardware. Alternatively, tricks published in autumn 2021 to install Windows 11 on computers with other processors may still work.
