Skip the BIOS update for 32GB — unless you’re on old hardware.

Probably not, unless your motherboard is several years old or you’re using a very early chipset.

32GB is standard now. Most DDR4 and DDR5 boards from the last 5+ years support it out of the box — no BIOS update needed. You’re usually fine just popping the sticks in and enabling XMP/EXPO.

But there are exceptions. Early Ryzen (first-gen) or older Intel platforms (like Haswell or Skylake) sometimes shipped with BIOS versions that capped memory at 16GB per DIMM or had buggy memory training. In those cases, an update can fix stability or compatibility. Same goes if you’re mixing kits or using a higher-frequency kit — BIOS updates often improve memory support.

If your board is from 2020 or later, you’re almost certainly fine. If it’s older, check your motherboard’s support page. Quickest way: look at the CPU support list or memory QVL. If your CPU needed a BIOS update to work, same principle applies.

If the RAM doesn’t post, update the BIOS first. It’s easier than troubleshooting bad sticks.