Don’t panic, your Ryzen 7 9800X3D will probably not burn

It’s been a week since the launch of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the new benchmark in gaming processors. Since then, the chip has been flying off the shelves, but a problem linked to the processors’ past could arise and rain on the parade. ‘AMD. However, upon closer inspection, there may be nothing to worry about.

Reddit user TrumpPooPoosPants took to the PCMR subreddit to share his unfortunate experience burning the 9800X3D and the motherboard socket, namely that of the MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi. They claim this damage occurred following an unsuccessful boot, with their card displaying an error code “00”, indicating a problem with the processor. Upon inspection, this was certainly the case.

Their images evoke memories of burned Ryzen 7 7800X3D processors. However, AMD and manufacturers have nipped these SoC voltage issues in the bud with BIOS updates, so a resurgence seems unlikely. Additionally, there are no similar reports elsewhere so far, suggesting that this is an isolated incident.

As such, user error or abnormal manufacturing error appears to be to blame. Looking at the highlighted part of the AM5 socket above, you will notice some minor damage to the plastic frame. It is not clear whether this happened during installation or in the factory. All I can say with certainty is that Club386 staff have not encountered similar issues with any of the components in question.

Either way, a poorly installed CPU could cause issues like this due to poor contact between the pins and pads. Regardless, it pains me to see the CPU and motherboard in this state. Not to mention the cost of this problem, which comes to $779.

With that in mind, we may learn more about this incident in the coming weeks from Gamers Nexus. The YouTuber contacted the Reddit user to ask for a review of his processor. Naturally, they’ll cover the cost of the broken card and processor, saving TrumpPooPoosPants the hassle of an RMA. So stay tuned.