Ryzen 9000 defects: AMD urges BIOS update
Even today, PC gamers are still complaining about Ryzen 7 9800X3Ds that smoke. Old BIOS versions are usually to blame.
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AMD is commenting for the first time on defective Ryzen 9000 processors, which have become more frequent, especially in the spring with the combination of Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Asrock motherboard. Two high-ranking AMD managers referred on the one hand to motherboard manufacturers who do not adhere to AMD's recommendations, for example with regard to CPU voltages. On the other hand, the employees reminded users to install important BIOS updates.
Quasarzone from China spoke to David McAfee, head of AMD's Client Channel Business, and Travis Kirsch, Director of Client Product Management. They also mentioned that the longevity of a platform makes validation more difficult. The more CPU generations and chipsets are released with a CPU version, the more combinations manufacturers have to test. The Ryzen 7000 and Ryzen 9000 are currently available for the AM5 platform.
Ryzen 7 9800X3D particularly frequently affected
Defects in the Ryzen 7 9800X3D became more frequent this year, sometimes with clearly visible burn marks in the CPU socket. Ultimately, too high voltages were to blame, particularly in conjunction with the Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) overclocking function. The X3D models are particularly sensitive to high voltages due to their flat, stacked chips.
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As the eight-core Ryzen 7 9800X3D for gaming PCs sells better than the more expensive X3D processors, defects have become more frequent. There were also isolated cases with motherboards from Asus, Gigabyte and MSI, but mostly systems with Asrock boards were affected.
Asrock needed several BIOS update rounds to get the problems under control. The last BIOS update for all AM5 mainboards was in May 2025, which adjusted the voltages and overclocking functions. Cases of users using old BIOS versions became known again just last week. In other cases, however, the cause is unknown. Users can find the current BIOS version on the product page of their mainboard under the "Service" tab.
Excessive BIOS settings ex works have been a problem for years, previously primarily on Intel platforms. In the meantime, AMD has also repeatedly pointed the finger at motherboard manufacturers. Only recently, the company complained about undistributed fixes for Tursted Platform Modules (fTPM). They have been available since 2022, but are sometimes ignored by mainboard manufacturers.
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