(-details in AMD_BC-250_info.pdf)
The ASRock AMD BC-250 is a crypto mining hardware. It's not a card but a full computer based on the PlayStation 5. As mining is not efficient on this any more, the boards are selling out in the range of $60-$100 each on eBay (as of November 2025).
The BC-250 APU is slightly tuned down to 6 CPU cores (PS5 has 8) and 24 GPU compute units (PS5 has 32). The memory is 16GB integrated GDDR6.
As this is a full computer it also has 4 USB, one Ethernet and a DisplayPort port on its I/O plate. Additionally it has an M.2 NVMe slot for storage (tested with 1TB stick). All of these makes it an ideal small form factor budget mini gaming PC or a budget travel gaming PC.
IMPORTANT!
The following description includes hardware modifications involving sharp tools and exposure to 110V electrical components, as well as software modifications that can render the BC-250 device non-functional. Proceed only if you fully understand the risks and have the necessary skills and safety knowledge.
By using this information, you acknowledge that you are solely responsible for your actions. I do not accept any liability for injuries, electrical hazards, data loss, device damage, or any other consequences resulting from following the procedures in this document. If you are not completely confident in performing these modifications safely, do not attempt them.
I found 2 nice 3D designs for the BC-250. Both offer integrated PSU and cooling.
Probably the most compact shell case with integrated PSU. The PSU that matches the design is the LOP 300-12 (300W 12V). It does not come with cooling, one central 120mm fan provides the cooling both for the PSU and the BC-250 board. This looks ideal to make it a travel PC.
No modification needed for the finstack.
To use the LOP 300-12V power supply you have to remove the factory pinout and solder a PCIe power connector instead. Same thing with the 110V power plug.
I've found that the middle shell piece was very tight so I've modified the original model. This new version is easier to install. The design uses M3 size heated inserts to assemble the case and hold the parts. The 3D model files are included in the repo with the original author's instruction.
Credit: https://www.printables.com/model/1228207-asrock-amd-bc-250-shell-case/files
Good size case. The cooling performance is probably better than with the mini shell case. The Flex PSU is probably more reliable. Finstack has to be opened up which is not easy to do. I found a finstack scooper 3D design and used that. I only opened up the middle piece for the single fan design.
The technique I've used was to get the scooper in position at the small openings at the middle section of the finstack, and then hammered it through till the other opening. That gave me a ~120x120mm open fin in the middle section as this case requires it.
The case is made up of a front and back piece and 2 custom adapters. Printing the front and back piece was over 2 days individually.
The 3D model files are included in the repo with the original author's instruction.
Credit:
- https://www.printables.com/model/1423572-minimal-case-for-bc250-and-flex-psu/files
- https://www.printables.com/model/1282906-bc-250-scooper/files
Depending on your choice of case you might have to open the closed server style finstack. Some open up completely and use 2x120mm fans. Some just open the middle section which is a 120x120 area that perfectly fits a single 120mm fan.
It's not easy to do. This scooper has helped a lot: https://www.printables.com/model/1282906-bc-250-scooper/files
- Front (heatsink side): 1.5mm heatpad for VRMs, thermal paste for APU
- Back (memory side): 2mm heatpad for memory modules
In order to use this as a gaming device, the shared memory allocation has to be changed. For that you need an unlocked 3.0 BIOS version.
There's no need for hardware flashing the BIOS any more. Lots of descriptions and videos from a year ago has shown that. I found an EFI Flasher tool that works with the "unlocked" 3.0 BIOS.
Based on:
- https://github.com/kenavru/BC-250 - This is the flasher tool
- https://gitlab.com/TuxThePenguin0/bc250-bios - This has the custom BIOS to be able to change the memory allocation
I've created this "custom" BIOS flash, that has the unlocked 3.0 BIOS version: https://github.com/csabakecskemeti/amd_bc-250_how-to/tree/main/bios
Follow the instructions here: EFI update BIOS Step.pdf
Note: Additionally remove the NVMe drive just to be safe.
From: https://github.com/mothenjoyer69/bc250-documentation
VRAM allocation is configured within:
Chipset -> GFX Configuration -> GFX Configuration. SetIntegrated Graphics Controllerto forced, andUMA Modeto UMA_SPECIFIED, and set the VRAM limit to your desired size. 512MB is best for general APU use.
You have to do this to be able to game on the device. If this is set, even Cyberpunk 2077 has a playable framerate.
Manjaro Linux is a good choice. It knows the hardware and has drivers. I've used the KDE Plasma version: https://manjaro.org/products/download/x86
The BC-250 doesn't have built-in WiFi or Bluetooth, so you'll need a USB adapter. I've tested two options:
TP-Link USB WiFi Adapter for PC (TL-WN725N), N150 Wireless Network Adapter
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Plug and play - drivers included in kernel 6.12+ | Slower speeds (N150) |
| No installation required | Single band only |
| Very compact | No Bluetooth |
Simply plug in the adapter. The 6.12.64-1-MANJARO kernel already contains the drivers natively.
lsusbCheck if the network interface is available:
ip linkIf you experience issues with saving the network password through the GUI, use nmcli:
nmcli device wifi connect "YOUR_WIFI_NETWORK" password "YOUR_PASSWORD" ifname wlp0s16f0u2Note: Replace
wlp0s16f0u2with your actual interface name fromip link.
TP-Link 2-in-1 USB Bluetooth WiFi Adapter Archer TX10UB Nano | AX900 WiFi 6 BT 5.3
kernel 6.17+ has the drivers.
sudo mhwd-kernel -i linux618| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Faster WiFi speeds (AX900) | Requires driver installation |
| Dual band support (2.4GHz + 5GHz) | |
| WiFi 6 support | |
| Bluetooth 5.3 included | |
| Single USB port for both WiFi + BT | |
| Great for gaming with BT headphones |
Install all necessary build tools and kernel headers:
sudo pacman -Syu
sudo pacman -S base-devel linux-headers gitbase-devel→ compilers, make, etc.linux-headers→ kernel headers for module compilation (e.g.,linux612-headersfor kernel 6.12)git→ to clone the driver repo
Note: Make sure kernel headers match your running kernel version.
The morrownr driver is actively maintained and supports kernels ≥6.11:
cd ~
git clone https://github.com/morrownr/rtl8852bu-20240418.git
cd rtl8852bu-20240418Alternative mirror: https://github.com/csabakecskemeti/rtl8852bu-20240418
make
sudo make installmake→ compiles the modulesudo make install→ installs it to/lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/...
sudo modprobe 88x2buVerify it's loaded:
lsmod | grep 88x2buExpected output:
88x2bu <some numbers>
Disable Realtek USB power-saving (prevents disconnects and suspend/resume issues):
echo "options 88x2bu rtw_power_mgnt=0 rtw_enusbss=0" | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/88x2bu.confEnsure module loads automatically at boot:
echo "88x2bu" | sudo tee /etc/modules-load.d/88x2bu.confRestart NetworkManager to detect the adapter:
sudo systemctl restart NetworkManagerThen use the system tray/network icon to select your network, or use nmcli:
nmcli device wifi list
nmcli device wifi connect "YOUR_WIFI_NETWORK" password "YOUR_PASSWORD"- Kernel headers must match your running kernel
rtw89and other Realtek drivers will not work for this USB devicemorrownr/rtl8852bu(88x2bu) is actively patched for modern kernels- DKMS isn't strictly necessary — module builds directly and works immediately
- Power-saving tweaks are critical for USB WiFi stability
If you have a saved network that won't connect, or you get this error:
Error: 802-11-wireless-security.key-mgmt: property is missing.
This typically happens due to password/secret management issues with the saved connection profile. The solution is to delete the saved network and recreate it:
nmcli connection delete "YOUR_WIFI_NETWORK"ip linkLook for your wireless interface (e.g., wlp0s16f0u2 or wlp0s16f0u2i2).
nmcli device wifi connect "YOUR_WIFI_NETWORK" password "YOUR_PASSWORD" ifname wlp0s16f0u2i2Note: Replace
YOUR_WIFI_NETWORKwith your actual network name (SSID),YOUR_PASSWORDwith your WiFi password, andwlp0s16f0u2i2with your actual interface name fromip link.
https://gitlab.com/TuxThePenguin0/oberon-governor
This repo has an install script: https://github.com/pnbarbeito/bc250-arch
You can install Steam via the UI - there's an Add/Remove Software app where you can install Steam from.
Cyberpunk 2077 has playable framerate:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Average FPS | 85.94 |
| Min FPS | 70.85 |
| Max FPS | 105.02 |
| Resolution | 1920x800 |
| Texture Quality | Medium |
| Windowed Mode | Windowed Borderless |
| AMD FSR 3.1 Frame Generation | Yes |
| AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3.0 | Auto |
| AMD FSR 3.0 Sharpness | 0.50 |
| Ray Tracing Enabled | Yes |
| Ray-Traced Local Shadows | Yes |
sudo pacman -S amdvlk spirv-tools vulkan-headers vulkan-radeon vulkan-tools vkd3d lib32-vulkan-radeoncmake -B build -DGGML_VULKAN=ON
cmake --build build --config ReleaseHere are the exact shell commands you need, plus the config file entries:
sudo modprobe nct6683 force=trueCreate (or edit) /etc/modprobe.d/sensors.conf:
sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/sensors.confAdd:
options nct6683 force=true
Create (or edit) /etc/modules-load.d/99-sensors.conf:
sudo nano /etc/modules-load.d/99-sensors.confAdd:
nct6683
For Arch-based systems:
sudo mkinitcpio -PsensorsInstall psensor for a graphical interface to monitor temperatures.
- https://github.com/mothenjoyer69/bc250-documentation
- https://github.com/kenavru/BC-250
- https://gitlab.com/TuxThePenguin0/bc250-bios
- https://gitlab.com/TuxThePenguin0/oberon-governor
- https://github.com/pnbarbeito/bc250-arch
- https://github.com/morrownr/rtl8852bu-20240418 - WiFi driver for TP-Link Archer TX10UB Nano
- https://github.com/csabakecskemeti/rtl8852bu-20240418 - WiFi driver mirror