ASRock has finally acknowledged the causes of massive AMD Ryzen 9000 processor failures on their motherboards. It turns out that overly aggressive Precision Boost Overdrive automatic overclocking settings in BIOS were to blame.
G. Ostrov
Long-awaited clarifications from ASRock regarding AMD Ryzen 9000 series processor issues have finally been received. At Computex 2025, company representatives acknowledged that the cause of massive failures was incorrectly configured Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) technology parameters in early BIOS versions.
Problem Timeline
The first problem reports began arriving in February 2025 through Reddit and specialized forums. Owners of Ryzen 7 9800X3D and other Ryzen 9000 series (Granite Ridge) processors complained about overheating, unstable operation, and complete CPU failure when using ASRock motherboards.
Initially, ASRock categorically denied any connection between their products and the emerging problems, calling user complaints "disinformation." However, over time, the company was forced to release BIOS updates, officially intended to fix "boot and memory compatibility issues."
Technical Aspects of the Problem
According to information from YouTube channel Tech Yes City obtained at Computex 2025, ASRock employees confirmed the presence of excessive values in early BIOS versions:
- Exceeding allowable EDC (Estimated Design Current) values - estimated design current
- Incorrect TDC (Thermal Design Current) configuration - thermal design current
- Excessive voltage on SoC (System on Chip)
PBO technology dynamically regulates processor frequencies depending on temperature, current consumption, power, and current load. Overly aggressive settings allowed processors to operate at critically high frequencies with insufficient thermal regime control.
Aggravating Factors
Experts note that liquid cooling systems could have exacerbated the situation. Effective cooling created a false sense of thermal headroom, allowing PBO to maintain high frequencies longer than usual, which ultimately led to processor degradation.
The problem primarily affected mid-range and high-end ASRock motherboards, where aggressive PBO settings were particularly pronounced.
Current Status
Although testing of new BIOS versions did not show cardinal changes in visible EDC and TDC parameters, Tech Yes City representatives claim that ASRock also corrected "hidden voltages" not available for manual user configuration.
The distribution of responsibility between AMD and ASRock remains unclear. Motherboard manufacturers must follow AMD's BIOS configuration recommendations, but AMD has not yet officially commented on the situation.
For additional information about AMD Ryzen processors, visit the official AMD website.
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