I don't have experience with MSI recently, but I'd be really surprised if you couldn't flash a new BIOS off the system partition or FAT32 USB. You may not be able to update from Linux directly, but almost all motherboards I've seen support doing it from the BIOS interface.
this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2025
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Yep, got an MSI motherboard, that’s how I’m doing it
I don't think I've ever updated a BIOS from any operating system, always flashed via the BIOS itself. Most can flash the BIOS without even a CPU installed these days.
It's a good idea to validate the information before being outraged at it.
I have a motherboard that reaches a version that requires OS loading. It has an .exe file. No files directly loadable at BIOS level but I always assumed it an oddity.
I've seen this before with laptops, but never with desktop motherboards.
No technical reason they couldn't release flashable files, so see if someone has extracted and posted them online, or support a better vendor
I have an MSI laptop and MSI motherboard in a PC. Didn't have any specific compatibility issues, and I'm running Linux on both. You can update the BIOS with an usb stick straight from the BIOS. There's not really anything that 100% requires Windows.
Check the user manual. See if it supports loading a BIOS image from a flash drive.
I've got a MSI MAG Tomahawk wifi which has had a lot of issues, but nothing related to Linux
MSI is one of the most compatible you'll find. They make server components as well.
I'm going to check a bit further. I would like to have a MSI based system. My (most probably) next monitor will be an MSI curved.
I build with MSI stuff all the time. If you're concerned about BIOS utilities, all of their boards update directly from withing the BIOS utilities AFAIK. Haven't come across a board in years that doesn't.
Even if you do, it's quite easy to build a Live Windows USB disk to run utilities that doesn't require a license. That shouldn't be a barrier to entry for you for anything if you're looking to run Linux.
I'm running msi on a couple systems with no issues.
Which motherboard do you have? There is almost always a way to load from a flash drive via the BIOS. Many motherboards even have a way to do it from a flashdrive without the UI working at all via a button on the back (BIOS Flashback).
Currently, I'm running a Gigabyte AB350M-DASH and I was able to load several BIOS updates directly by USB. However, from a version onwards it requires loading from the OS.
I thought it was just an isolated case but it seem to be a more common situation.
I had a look at the support page for the mobo, and there is a BIOS update from Mar 11th. It contains a zip with a .F52q file inside. You should be able to use that file directly from a USB in the BIOS.
I think that you may be able to update from BIOS (maybe with only power, no CPU no ram) and maybe check fwupd
worst case you can install w10 once now and years from now you can just run a Windows live usb if needed
I don't like MSI as a manufacturer, but compatibility is not a real concern if not muleheaded about it.