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AMD BC250 Documentation

Welcome to the comprehensive documentation for the AMD BC250 board - a powerful ex-mining board featuring a cut-down PlayStation 5 APU.

What is the BC250?

The AMD BC250 is a compact motherboard built around AMD's "Cyan Skillfish" APU, originally designed for cryptocurrency mining. The community has transformed this hardware into a capable Linux gaming and desktop system.

Key Specifications

  • CPU: 6x AMD Zen 2 cores @ ~3.5GHz
  • GPU: 24 RDNA2 Compute Units (1536 shaders)
  • Memory: 16GB GDDR6 shared memory
  • TDP: 220W (50W idle - 235W max load)
  • OS Support: Linux only (no Windows GPU drivers)

Important

The BC250 requires Linux for GPU functionality. Windows drivers do not support the GPU, making it CPU-only on Windows.

  • Getting Started

    New to BC250? Start here for board introduction, prerequisites, and quick setup guide.

    Get Started

  • Hardware

    Detailed hardware specifications, power requirements, cooling solutions, and pinouts.

    Hardware Guide

  • Linux Setup

    Distribution guides, kernel configuration, Mesa installation for Fedora, Bazzite, Arch, and more.

    Linux Setup

  • BIOS & Firmware

    BIOS flashing procedures, VRAM configuration, overclocking, and recovery.

    BIOS Guide

  • Gaming & Performance

    Game compatibility database, performance tips, benchmarks, and FSR setup.

    Gaming Guide

  • Troubleshooting

    Common issues and solutions for display, boot, performance, and stability problems.

    Troubleshooting

Critical Requirements

Before you begin, be aware of these essential requirements:

Kernel Version

AVOID Linux kernel 6.15.0-6.15.6 and 6.17.8+ - Known to cause GPU driver failures. Use 6.15.7-6.17.7 for best performance or 6.12.x-6.14.x LTS for stability.

Mesa Version

Mesa 25.1.3+ minimum, 25.1.5+ recommended for proper RADV driver support.

BIOS Configuration

P3.00 BIOS with 512MB dynamic VRAM allocation is the recommended configuration for most use cases.

Installation Boot Parameter

Use nomodeset as a kernel boot parameter during OS installation. Remove after drivers are installed.

Based on extensive community testing:

  1. Fedora 42/43 - Most tested, beginner-friendly, Mesa 25.1+ in repos
  2. Bazzite - Gaming-focused, works out-of-box
  3. CachyOS - Best performance for advanced users
  4. Arch Linux - Maximum control and flexibility
  5. Debian/PikaOS - Stable with low power consumption

Community

This documentation is built from the collective knowledge of the BC250 community, combining:

  • 1000+ Discord community members sharing real-world testing and troubleshooting
  • 100+ verified solutions for common issues
  • 30+ tested games with performance data
  • Multiple distribution-specific setup guides

Contributing

This documentation is based on community Discord discussions and the BC250 GitHub repository. If you find errors or have improvements, please contribute!

Documentation Status

Content Sources

  • Primary: BC250 Discord community (9,716 technical messages analyzed)
  • Secondary: BC250 GitHub documentation repository
  • Last Updated: November 21, 2025

Quick Start Checklist

For those eager to get started, here's a minimal checklist:

  • Verify you have proper cooling (high static pressure fan recommended)
  • Ensure 300W+ 12V power supply with 8-pin PCIe connector
  • Download Linux distribution ISO (Fedora 43 or Bazzite recommended for beginners)
  • Flash BIOS to P3.00 with 512MB dynamic VRAM allocation
  • Install Linux with nomodeset boot parameter
  • Install Mesa 25.1.5+ and RADV driver
  • Install GPU governor for optimal performance
  • Remove nomodeset from boot parameters

For detailed step-by-step instructions, see the Quick Start Guide.