It requires someone with a R7 to spare to do from what I've heard. ;-)

[edit] So you're saying that the mobo doesn't need a recognised CPU in it to do do that?

Cheers.

No, in the case of ASUS motherboards like the Crosshair VI Hero, they have a dedicated USB port on the back I/O panel assigned to BIOS Flashback.

Many ASUS motherboards offer a feature called BIOS Flashback. It allows you to upgrade the motherboard BIOS without the need to delve into the UEFI BIOS interface. Indeed, you can flash the BIOS during your initial build with just a PSU installed – no CPU, RAM or any other hardware is required. Just plug a USB drive holding the BIOS update into a specific port on the motherboard, hit a button on the rear of the PC and you’re off and running.

You just have to plug the USB flash stick into the port and start the computer. The BIOS on the stick is recognized and the flash process takes place automatically. You have to specifically name the BIOS .CAP file a specific name assigned to your model of ASUS motherboard though with the BIOS renamer tool that can be downloaded from ASUS.

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Seti@Home classic workunits:20,676 CPU time:74,226 hours

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)

Thanks for all the comments guys, and it may be too early to tell, though I know that I've heard that X299 has had some teething problems, but does anyone have any thoughts on the v 1.0 of this new platform? X99 sure could have been rolled out better, and this one looks like a copy of that experience?

No idea.
If you're buying something for work, then go with the established platform. If it's for play, then go for the new platform IMHO. If you really want to go with the new platform, give it at least 6 months for any issues to be discovered and addressed.

+1
Which sort of flows back to the original premise of the OP. Who is willing to be a guinea pig for ANY of the new platforms? X299 or X399. Do you like living on the bleeding edge and just diving in or do you wait and test the waters to make sure it is a deep pool or is in reality a bathtub.

I have been tested with the teething problems of the new AM4 platform and Ryzen with the memory and BIOS issues. I think I will be seated on the sidelines for a good half year watching TR develop before I consider testing the waters. I don't think the platform maturity will take as long though with the learning from Ryzen and AM4.

I was looking to upgrade my main gaming system from an i5-4670 to an i5-8600 or i7-8700 with a 300 series chipset. Since since they already announced the 10nm process CPUs and 400 series chipset will be released early 2018 I'll wait to upgrade that system.
I am thinking about putting together an i3-8350K and a R3-1300X. So that I can compare them in power, thermal, and clock-clock task run times.
Then whichever one "wins" can replace my other i5-4670 as my HTPC.

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SETI@home classic workunits: 93,865 CPU time: 863,447 hours
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I'm also curious about the performance of the new Coffee Lake motherboards and CPUs to see where the fall out on the performance spectrum against Kaby Lake and the recent Ryzen infrastructure.

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Seti@Home classic workunits:20,676 CPU time:74,226 hours

A proud member of the OFA (Old Farts Association)