Wednesday, April 2nd 2025

AMD Isolates Ryzen 9000 Series Boot Issues to a BIOS Update, ASRock Offers a Fix
A small number of AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPUs have had trouble starting up on some ASRock AM5 motherboards. The issue was first noticed in February 2025, and both AMD and ASRock immediately looked into the problem. The investigation found that the older BIOS versions on specific ASRock boards had memory compatibility problems. When a Ryzen 7 9800X3D was used, the computer could not complete its normal boot process, known as POST. ASRock quickly released a beta BIOS update to fix the memory issue, and after testing, a final version of the update was made available as of now. Users who update their BIOS should now see the problem disappear. In one case, a report suggested that a Ryzen 7 9800X3D had been damaged. However, further checks showed no burn marks on the motherboard. The issue was simply due to some debris, and after careful cleaning, the motherboard started normally and passed further tests.
AMD pointed out that many reasons can cause a computer to not start up properly, and a POST failure does not always mean the CPU is broken. They advise users to update their BIOS to the newest version available for their motherboard model. If the problem continues even after updating, users should reach out to customer support for help. In a few cases, if the problem cannot be fixed on the spot, the CPU might need to be replaced. This quick fix shows that AMD and ASRock work well together to solve problems. Even though only a few systems were affected, the issue was taken seriously and fixed fast. With the latest BIOS update, users can now expect their systems to boot without trouble, ensuring that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D offers good performance for everyday tasks and gaming.
Source:
Tom's Hardware
AMD pointed out that many reasons can cause a computer to not start up properly, and a POST failure does not always mean the CPU is broken. They advise users to update their BIOS to the newest version available for their motherboard model. If the problem continues even after updating, users should reach out to customer support for help. In a few cases, if the problem cannot be fixed on the spot, the CPU might need to be replaced. This quick fix shows that AMD and ASRock work well together to solve problems. Even though only a few systems were affected, the issue was taken seriously and fixed fast. With the latest BIOS update, users can now expect their systems to boot without trouble, ensuring that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D offers good performance for everyday tasks and gaming.
24 Comments on AMD Isolates Ryzen 9000 Series Boot Issues to a BIOS Update, ASRock Offers a Fix
Listing, Overview and newest afaik.
Change motherboard, change different RAM in the end the CPU have issues.
The weird thing is sometimes it can boot, sometime it doesn't.
It take about 30 minutes or even longer than it can post.
If under such circumstances that means motherboard onboard diagnostic isn't accurate
to detect a faulty CPU.
AMD must release a CPU testing software like what Intel has for their CPU.
Than news about AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D having similar issues is puzzling?
We cannot say anything here due to lack of deeper and wider insights. It's all speculation.
Backstory:
I bought or got from a refurbish company in the last 18 months four lenovo laptops. #1 died. #2 was replacement. #2 sold because of battery. #3 I returned a few days ago because of bad speakers. #4 i ordered again because #3 was junk. #4 i am very happy. #4 was in 4 years lenovo warranty plan which ended in december 2024. nvme which i just checked in windows smart values - average the device was powered on 1-2 times a day for average 1-2 hours a day for those 4 years according to the samsung smart values for total hours and such.
Main Point: I doubt many people even know about bios or will even update that.
All 4 refurbish lenovo laptops had the first or second bios installed. (to explain for those who do not know: you can check lenovo for uefi updates. it starts with the first bios bios and the number goes up to the last one - usually there are 15-20 different bios version available for download. every few weeks / months you get a new bios version) I assume or I state - that was the bios for the mainboard from the factory.
I doubt many people even know about bios or will even update that.
-- Not every overclocker DRAM will run out of the box. Not every DRAM will run out of the box.
6000 / 6200 MT/s is already overclocking DRAM for AM5.
It's the early adopter tax + user who do not know sometimes what they are doing + user who buys overclocking - not supported DRAM which may work or may not work = the hint about POST = power on self test routine every computer does during the power on phase.
But I do agree that some owners do not touch BIOS. Asrock had some issue with memory training for EXPO. We don't know on how many boards.
As someone that just helped a friend with motherboard selection, Asrock generally has the best X870/B850 AM5 lineup. All but the absolute cheapest boards have good VRM, have good rear I/O(Livemixer series stands out), are aesthetically pleasing(Steel Legend & Pro RS both suit white builds) & storage configurations, are aesthetically pleasing and come in at a good $150-$220 mark, which makes them generally good value.
I have no evidence that asrock boards are more popular, but that is what I would expect after looking into the all the X870/B850 lineups.
You'd essentially have to be arguing that ASRock is selling nearly all the AMD motherboards in order to account for the fact that they represent the vast majority of reported issues.
I've purchased X370, X470, X570, and X670 ASRock boards and have been exclusively buying ASRock for my main rig since Z68. I don't see the point in deflecting criticism away, that doesn't fix the issue and only hurts ASRock. Heck even the industry as a whole gets worse when customers are willing to play defense for corporations.
It doesn't matter whether ASRock is at fault or not, I want to see them reaching out more to people having these issues to find the problem. I'm not seeing that frankly, they are not active on the ASRock subreddit following up on these posts. Those are your customers having issues on your products, any decent company should want to help them and especially to verify the voracity of the claims being made. Having the motherboards sent in for analysis, heck maybe even paying customers to have the whole CPU, motherboard, RAM setup sent in, makes sense. It's a small upfront cost compared to letting it drag on. Did you try swapping out the power supply? Sometimes older power supplies that don't support lower power states can cause boot issues.
Intel's PDT will only detect the most obvious of faulty CPUs. It's better for validating if the CPU in genuine. Y-Cruncher is far more effective at sussing out issues.
ASRock's statement claims they've actively reached out to users for investigation and have fixed some issues, but it very much feels like the investigation is ongoing. I'm personally waiting for them to say more before I buy an ASRock motherboard.
Second, the boot issue mentioned in the TPU articles and physically damaged CPUs are two entirely different things. To date there has been zero progress on the physically damaged CPUs.
At least 20% of failures are on other vendors motherboards, and that comes from a thread specifically on the asrock subreddit.