Article Number: GPU-N4XCSM

This article provides information about UEFI requirements for AMD graphics cards based on the AMD RDNA™ 4 Architecture and later.

What is UEFI?

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (“UEFI”) can be thought of as a tiny operating system that resides on your PC’s motherboard. Tiny operating systems for a piece of hardware are called “firmware.” UEFI firmware provides critical functions to your PC: initializing and booting the processor, detecting and training memory, configuring data buses and motherboard peripherals, monitoring and controlling core hardware, changing low-level settings, and helping Windows® communicate with your PC components. UEFI replaces an older and simpler standard called “BIOS,” though many people today still informally refer to a motherboard’s UEFI firmware as “the BIOS.”

How are UEFI and BIOS different?

Compared to the older “legacy” BIOS firmware, UEFI firmware offers many new and useful features, including:

  • Greatly improved security
  • Fully specified interfaces that ensure interoperability and testability
  • Dependable firmware updates from the internet with minimal user interaction
  • Support for hard drives larger than 2.2TB
  • Support for many new types of PC hardware, including NVMe SSD boot support
  • Windows® Secure Boot for malware prevention
  • Faster shutdown, startup, sleep, and resume times

To fully leverage the benefits of UEFI, only UEFI Mode will be officially supported starting from the AMD RDNA™ 4 generation of graphics cards (Radeon™ RX 9000 Series Graphics and later).

What is UEFI mode?

The PC industry’s transition from BIOS to UEFI is still ongoing, and not all hardware in the market, especially older hardware, understands how to communicate with UEFI firmware. For this reason, motherboards with UEFI firmware can toggle between two modes: UEFI Mode and CSM Mode. Compatibility Support Module (“CSM”) mode emulates some aspects of the older BIOS standard by disabling many of the advanced performance / security / reliability features of UEFI Mode. In other words: compatibility with older hardware is maximized, but modern hardware like the AMD Radeon™ Graphics may lose access to important and necessary features of your motherboard, such as AMD Smart Access Memory™ technology.

It is important for your PC to be configured for UEFI Mode to ensure optimal compatibility, performance, and user experience with your AMD Radeon™ RX 9000 Series and newer graphics cards.

How do I enable UEFI Mode?

Please follow the steps in the order that they are listed below:

  1. You must ensure that your PC’s hard drive and operating system are configured to run in UEFI Mode. Please follow the steps in this Microsoft® video to verify or implement the correct configuration for Windows® 10/11.

  2. After completing the “MBR2GPT process” described in the video (if applicable), restart your PC.

  3. As your PC is initially powering on, enter your UEFI menu by rapidly pressing the appropriate hotkey on your keyboard. This hotkey will usually be “Delete” or “F2.” Refer to your motherboard or system user manual for more information.

  4. Once inside the UEFI interface, locate and disable the “Compatibility Support Module” or “CSM” option. This option is typically available under the “Boot” menu.  If you need assistance locating this option, please refer to the documentation available for your system or your motherboard manufacturer’s website.

  5. Save your settings and exit the UEFI interface. Your PC should now restart in UEFI Mode.

Below are a few examples of where the UEFI/CSM setting can be found on typical motherboards:

ASRock X670E Taichi

ASUS TUF Gaming X570-Plus

Gigabyte A520I AC

MSI MPG B650 EDGE WIFI

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