Manufacturing defect or human error?

Two recent cases of AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processors failing have caught the attention of the tech community.

In both cases, users reported burning CPU contacts and damaged pins in AM5 sockets.

Coincidence? Both the Reddit user and the Quasarzone forum user were using the same motherboard: the MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi.

MSI responds to the allegations

The company confirmed that its technical team is investigating the situation.

To date, specialists have been able to reproduce the problem only in cases where the processor was incorrectly installed in the socket.

MSI says it has not yet received any formal warranty claims for this situation.

The pictures reveal important details

Pictures uploaded online by the two users show burnt contacts on the processor and damaged pins in the AM5 socket.

Upon closer inspection, the plastic edges of the socket appear to be damaged, which may have prevented the processor from being properly installed.

Human error or manufacturing defect?

Experts point out that Ryzen processors have a square design, which theoretically allows installation in only one position.

However, one of the users mentioned that his system did not boot at all after installation, suggesting a possible mismount.

Precedents that raise questions

It’s important to note that AMD has faced some similar issues in the past.

The Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor, for example, had burn-in issues on ASUS X670 motherboards caused by excessive voltages on the SoC buses.

Fortunately, the situation was quickly resolved through BIOS updates.

What users need to know

While the situation seems worrisome, the tech community points out that the problem could be isolated to a faulty batch of motherboards or installation errors.

For future buyers of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor, experts have some advice.

One at hand: to carefully check the socket before installation. The next two recommendations sound like this: make sure the processor is oriented correctly and check compatibility with the latest BIOS version.

Last but not least, users must use proper pressure at the time of installation.

Source: OC3D