Following multiple reports of fried Ryzen 7 7800X3D and 7950X3D processors, board partners have released patches in the form of firmware updates. MSI and ASUS are the first to act, releasing BIOS updates for their entire AM5 lineup. The new firmware doesn’t add new features, but quite the opposite. It clamps down on overvolting on the Ryzen 7000X3D processors to avoid thermal damage to the silicon.
The BIOS update disables positive offsets for all voltage settings on the Ryzen 7000X3D CPUs, including direct voltage adjustment. Consequently, you can only use a negative voltage offset for the 3D V-Cache CPUs on the latest firmware.
Previously, multiple YouTubers had demonstrated that an SoC voltage (VSOC) of more than 1.4 volts could damage the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and the 9 7950X3D. The problem was replicable on the ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme and the Strix X670E-E: both high-end motherboards. The damage was not limited to the CPU. The motherboard, specifically its pins, was also affected.
Users whose CPUs and motherboards were damaged have been replaced, and the older BIOS versions have been taken offline.
Further reading:
- AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D vs 7950X3D Gaming Benchmarks
