Why are AMD Ryzen 7000 chips burning to death? Possible causes, how to fix, and more

A new bug is frying AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs to death, according to multiple users on online forums. The bug is reportedly associated with overclocking via the company's latest EXPO profiles for memory overclocking or manual OC through the BIOS. This feature is shoving extra SoC voltage into the processor, thereby causing the issue.

Multiple users have reported a bulge around the vCore pads of the Ryzen 7000 chips. Some have even shared permanent damage dealt to their motherboard's AM5 socket.

It is worth noting that overclocking AMD EXPO profiles are not contained under warranty. Thus, those with damaged processors might have to spend a pretty penny to get their components repaired.

However, AMD has already acknowledged this issue and is working on fixing it as soon as possible.

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The AMD Ryzen 7000 overvolt bug has affected several users

Thermal damage is impacting both the processor and the motherboard socket (Image via u/Speedrookie/Reddit)

The issue in question started popping up on multiple Zen 4 Ryzen 7000 chips earlier this week. YouTuber DerBauer shared a detailed analysis of the damage dealt to his Ryzen 9 7900X. He called the damage "rather unusual."

Only systems running Asus and MSI boards were reported initially. However, motherboard makers like ASRock also joined the party a few hours later.

AMD has already acknowledged the issue and is working with third-party manufacturers to review the BIOS voltage restrictions. Here's what the company said:

"We are aware of a limited number of reports online claiming that excess voltage while overclocking may have damaged the motherboard socket and pin pads.

"We are actively investigating the situation and are working with our ODM partners to ensure voltages applied to Ryzen 7000X3D CPUs via motherboard BIOS settings are within product specifications. Anyone whose CPU may have been impacted by this issue should contact AMD customer support."

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What can cause AMD Ryzen 7000 chips to die?

Most experts believe that AMD EXPO memory profiles are shoving extra SoC voltage, which is, in turn, shutting off the thermal protection mechanisms of the Ryzen 7000 CPUs. Whether the thermal protection mechanisms are failing or simply turning off is still unclear.

As we found out in our Ryzen 9 7950X review, these chips keep boosting until they have run out of thermal headroom. With the protection mechanisms gone, the chips can now start boosting to infinity. This is causing overheating and permanent damage issues.

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How to fix your dead AMD Ryzen 7000 chip

Some third-party manufacturers like Asus have already taken steps to remedy the issue. The company has revised its thermal monitoring solutions to prevent more Zen 4 chips from frying to death.

Rajinder Gill, a spokesperson for the Taiwanese PC hardware veteran, said in this regard:

"The EFI updates posted on Friday contain some dedicated thermal monitoring mechanisms we've implemented to help protect the boards and CPUs. We removed older BIOSes for that reason and also because manual Vcore control was available on previous builds."

However, other motherboard makers are yet to address the issue. Thus, we recommend updating to the latest BIOS version. Keep checking your motherboard downloads page in case you are rocking a version update from a couple of months ago.

Ryzen 7000 users are advised to avoid overclocking their CPUs entirely until the problem is solved. AMD EXPO profiles and manual OC specifically are causing untimely deaths, so it's best to play it safe for a couple of weeks.

Older Ryzen 5000 and 3000 chips are not affected by the issue. They are performing just fine.

If the bug has already fried your CPU, write an email to AMD's customer support. Although EXPO voids the chip's warranty, the company has committed to helping out affected users.