The new AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs are on fire; understand the problem

AMD’s Ryzen 7000 family of game processors started to give overclock users a headache. Reports began to appear that the parts were overheating, causing the chips to burn.

After warming up, the CPU expands and breaks. However, it causes significant damage to the motherboards on which it is installed. Problems have already been detected on Biostar, ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte and ASRock cards.

Initial reports came with both the standard Ryzen 7000 models and the new Ryzen 7000X3D chips, with the latter being more sensitive. The flaw comes with the voltage spike that happens when the chip is overclocked. The processor does not detect higher temperatures.

Current AMD components have normal operation up to 95°C. Anyone running the chip at default settings needn’t worry. In other cases, the manufacturer is working on a fix.

The solution is on the way

As manufacturers are already aware, a solution to the problem is on the way. The update should include a voltage limit or lockout in the firmware. This should prevent users from exceeding this limit with EXPO memory profiling and simple BIOS manipulations.

For now, the recommended safe system-on-chip (SoC) voltage limit is 1.25 V. When it exceeds 1.4V, the chip will burn out and damage the motherboard. It seems that the margin of safety is 1.35V, but at the user’s own risk.

Making a statement on the subject, AMD told consumers to get support from the company if necessary.

“We are aware of a limited number of online reports claiming that excessive voltage may have damaged the motherboard socket and pins while overclocking. BIOS settings are within product specifications. Anyone whose CPU may be affected by this issue should contact AMD Customer Support.”