AMD Identifies Root Cause of Ryzen 7000 CPU Burnout Issue, Related To Higher Chip Voltages

AMD has officially identified the root cause of the recent Ryzen 7000 CPU burnout issues which happens to be higher voltage on the chip & issued a new statement.

Ever since we reported the first case of AMD's Ryzen 7000 CPUs burning up, AMD and its partners have been working to identify the main cause & it looks like the company has now issued an official statement where they confirm that the chip voltage was the root cause and that the recent AGESA BIOS releases from its board partners will make sure that your CPU will run stable.

We have root caused the issue and have already distributed a new AGESA that puts measures in place on certain power rails on AM5 motherboards to prevent the CPU from operating beyond its specification limits, including a cap on SOC voltage at 1.3V. None of these changes affect the ability of our Ryzen 7000 Series processors to overclock memory using EXPO or XMP kits or boost performance using PBO technology.

We expect all of our ODM partners to release new BIOS for their AM5 boards over the next few days. We recommend all users to check their motherboard manufacturers website and update their BIOS to ensure their system has the most up to date software for their processor. 

Anyone whose CPU may have been impacted by this issue should contact AMD customer support. Our customer service team is aware of the situation and prioritizing these cases.

AMD Spokesperson via Anandtech

As per the statement, restrictions have been imposed on certain rails within the CPU to prevent the CPU from burning up. In addition to the rails, the SoC voltage has also been capped at 1.3V. AMD is saying that this won't affect users ability to overclock and utilize EXPO profiles but it might hamper some form of overclocking. These certain power rails on the CPU itself were operating beyond their specifications which led to unusual behavior and the resultant damage which we saw reported on several forums on various motherboard and CPU configurations.

Most of the reports of motherboards and CPUs burning up came on ASUS AM5 motherboards and the company has now published an official statement. ASUS removed all older BIOS firmware from its product pages and left only the new one for users to download and update their motherboards. The older BIOS firmware had no restrictions in place which led to these issues popping up in the first place.

Community Notice - ASUS AM5 motherboard owners

An important update for Ryzen7000X3D processor owners

Several AMD Ryzen 7000X3D owners have reported CPU and motherboard failures. We acknowledge the incidents/issues and have been communicating with AMD to analyze the possible causes. We have also contacted affected users to provide support and collect additional information.

Ryzen 7000X3D processors do not allow for CPU ratio or CPU core voltage tuning (CPU overclocking) but do allow for performance tuning and DRAM overclocking via PBO2 and EXPO memory. To support EXPO and/or memory overclocking at DDR5-6000 and beyond, SoC voltage has to be sufficiently increased to ensure compatibility and stability. The amount of voltage required varies between CPU samples. Some processors are more sensitive to overvoltage than others, and some are capable at running higher memory frequencies without needing as much voltage.

As confirmed with AMD, any intentional manipulation of these settings can damage the processor, socket, and motherboard. To mitigate this, we have been working with AMD to define new rules for EXPO memory and SoC voltage. To help protect the CPU and motherboard, we are issuing new EFI updates to limit the maximum available SoC voltage to 1.3V.

We recommend updating your motherboard UEFI BIOS to the latest release. Please also ensure the CPU is cooled adequately. Our recommendation is to use at least a 240mm AIO liquid cooler or high-performance air cooler. If you have been affected, please do not hesitate to contact ASUS support for your region.

FAQ - 1. When are the new UEFI releases going to be released? Our expectation is to have the UEFI BIOS updates posted and available through the service and support website within the next 24 hours.

Juan Jose Guerrero (ASUS)

MSI on the other hand advises its customers to use the latest available BIOS which will restrict voltages to 1.3V.

MSI Update on AMD 7000X3D Damage Issue

Recently, there have been reports of the 7000X3D series CPUs being damaged, which may have been caused by abnormal voltage issues. AMD is currently investigating this issue and working on providing a solution.

Our BIOS always follow AMD's guidance, and our latest BIOS release has disabled the 7000X3D Core over-voltage feature, as requested by AMD.

There has been a report stating:

"As soon as EXPO is enabled, the CPU SOC and CPU VDDIO/MC voltages increase to 1.36-1.4v, sometimes boosting to 1.5V in Windows, causing instant death on the X3D."

We have confirmed that MSI motherboards have not experienced the reported issue of voltage boosting to 1.5v from 1.36-1.4v in Windows.

MSI HQ Technical Marketing

ASRock has also released the latest BIOS firmware for its X670, B650, and A620 line of boards. The BIOS offers system stability and also limits CPU voltages on certain power rails:

ASRock has released new BIOS as well as A-Tuning utility for following AM5 chipset motherboards which limit CPU voltage on certain power rails. We encourage users to update to the new BIOS with the appropriate voltage settings urgently to ensure system stability and durability.

Apart from bringing rock-solid hardware products to PC users, ASRock is also keen on working with AMD and integrating the most up to date technologies into its products. If you're unsure about the risk of using old BIOS version, please seek professional support from ASRock customer service.

via ASRock

Biostar has also released an update on the matter and all of its X670/B650 series motherboards have received a new BIOS update that limits voltages on the AMD Ryzen 7000X3D CPUs.

BIOSTAR RELEASES A NEW BIOS UPDATE TO LIMIT RYZEN 7000X3D VOLTAGES

Recent reports suggest that AMD Ryzen 7000X3D processors are prone to physical damage when overclocked with voltage assistance. This has prompted motherboard vendors to rush BIOS updates with voltage limiters, and BIOSTAR is no exception.

The new BIOS update from BIOSTAR restricts direct voltage to CPU Vcore Voltage, CPU SOC Voltage, and CPU MISC Voltage, preventing over-voltage and reducing the risk of damage to the 7000X3D series CPUs. Additionally, BIOSTAR also has PBO (Precision Boot Overdrive, Default: Auto) function to provide the best performance for 7000X3D series CPUs even under Voltage restrictions.

Supported models and BIOS list below:

Gigabyte has released its own updated BIOS with provides a more secure range of SOC voltage settings to reduce the risk of CPU damage due to over-voltage settings.

The latest beta BIOS provides a more secure range of SOC voltage settings to reduce the risk of CPU damage due to over-voltage settings. Meanwhile, through the GIGABYTE exclusive Performance Bung in the BIOS option, users can easily optimize the tuning process of CPU voltage setting, while obtain the optimal CPU voltage by AMD PBO2 option, which both help to unleash the foremost performance of Ryzen 7000 X3D CPUs.

The latest beta BIOS is available now, please visit the GIGABYTE website to download for optimal performance.

via Gigabyte

We will also advise all of our readers using either one of the AMD Ryzen 7000 & Ryzen 7000X3D CPUs to download and install the latest motherboard BIOS to ensure stable operating voltages for your chips. We'll keep on adding to this story as more information comes by.