In recent weeks, numerous reports have surfaced regarding unexpected failures of AMD’s Ryzen 7 9800X3D processors, predominantly when paired with ASRock motherboards. Owners have reported CPUs becoming non-functional after varying periods, ranging from immediate failures to several weeks of use.
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Megathread on Reddit Highlights Issue
A megathread on the ASRock subreddit has been created to consolidate these reports, highlighting the inconsistency of the failures. Some CPUs fail during active use, while others do not boot at all. Notably, out of over 40 reported incidents, 32 involved ASRock motherboards.
ASRock Releases Beta BIOS Update
In response, ASRock has released a beta BIOS update (version 3.20) aimed at addressing these issues. The company attributes the problem to memory compatibility, particularly involving older DDR5 RAM modules and specific memory controllers on the 9800X3D CPUs. ASRock advises users with stable systems to avoid updating their BIOS unnecessarily.
ASRock Addresses CPU & Memory Compatibility Issues
ASRock Japan has emphasized that the CPUs themselves are not defective but are affected by specific memory compatibility issues during system initialization. They recommend that owners experiencing boot issues consider reverting to an older BIOS version as a temporary solution or by trying the beta BIOS update.
Investigation Ongoing, Owners Advised to Contact Support
While the exact cause remains under investigation, both ASRock and AMD are aware of the situation and are working towards a resolution. Owners experiencing issues are encouraged to contact customer support and provide detailed information about their hardware configurations.
Update: The reported boot issues and CPU damage cases on the AMD platform are being thoroughly investigated by ASRock. Initial findings suggest that while some BIOS versions caused boot failures, they are unrelated to CPU damage. Affected motherboards have shown no critical faults, and BIOS 3.20 resolves compatibility issues.
