AMD has been working with ASRock to nail down why so many 9800X3D (and recently 9950X3D) CPUs have been failing in recent months, and they claim to have solved it. After ASRock claimed it could be socket debris, AMD is now suggesting the main culprit is memory incompatibility when using an older BIOS. It suggests updating the BIOS should fix the problem, but that if persists, AMD is happy to help.
The mysterious case of the dead and dying X3D CPUs has cropped up time and again in recent months, as well over 100 new owners of these high-end gaming processors have been affected. Although it happened to users with a range of motherboard brands, the one that came up the most is ASRock, prompting serious discussion about whether the brand was somehow to blame. After a joint investigation, AMD thinks it's a BIOS issue, though we've spoken to some affected users who claimed to be running the latest BIOS release at the time the problem occurred.
"We are aware of a limited number of user reports involving ASRock AM5 motherboards failing to complete POST," AMD said in a statement given to Club386. "Following a joint investigation, AMD and ASRock identified a memory compatibility issue present in earlier BIOS versions, which has been rectified in the latest BIOS. ASRock has already issued guidance on this behavior and addressed a singular report of a damaged CPU."
Failed Ryzen CPU
Most failed X3D CPUs have been 9800X3D chips, but some 9950X3D CPUs are failing now too. Credit: u/iksdeasdf/Reddit
AMD went on to stress that a PC failing to post can be caused by a variety of issues, and any such problems could be unrelated to the memory compatibility problem. It then encourages anyone affected by this issue to update their BIOS to the latest version and to contact AMD directly if the problem persists.
While this is positive for anyone concerned about pairing X3D CPUs and ASRock motherboards, it doesn't address the instances of clear damage to CPUs that many users have experienced. Considering these CPUs typically work just fine for days or weeks and then suddenly appear to fail after receiving some clear damage during normal operation, memory compatibility is unlikely to be the core issue.
To ASRock's credit, when ExtremeTech spoke to one of the affected users, he claimed that the company had been excellent in its dealings with him. They were looking to buy the rest of his components from him so they could be tested for any potential causes or faults. At the very least, the issue is being taken seriously. But it seems the saga isn't over just yet.