AMD AM5 socket pin map shows ‘where’ some Ryzen 7000X3D CPUs might be failing
Over the past few days, some users were reporting that their Ryzen 7000X3D CPUs were failing. A very likely explanation thus far was the voltage oversupply to the CPU. The problem is not widespread, but some CPUs might still end up being damaged and beyond repair.
To counter this problem, AMD and board partners have quickly stepped in to release a new BIOS. Moving forward, AMD might be limiting overvolting functionally for Ryzen 7000X3D CPUs. Users should now only see undervolting options, reports AnandTech.
According to Igor Wallossek, the affected part of the CPU is indeed related to the CPU voltage. All affected contact pins are part of the VDDCR voltage rail that delivers the power to the core. However, there is still no conclusion as to why are those particular pins affected more than others. The burned pins are likely a result of the problem rather than its source.
The pin diagram I assembled (AMD only supplies 4 individual quadrants here, which are unfortunately not even scaled to the same size) now shows the location of the damage once again. However, you have to take into account that the contacts in the socket are of course spatially offset from line, while the scheme is checkerboarded. If you consider the offset and possible displacements of the contacts, then the area marked purple by me in the picture below crystallizes. All affected contacts supply the CPU with the VDDCR (CPU Core Power Supply).
— Igor’sLAB
AMD Ryzen 7000X3D, Source: Igor’sLAB
The issue is likely not limited to user-optimized CPUs, but also systems that were simply running EXPO (memory overclocking profiles), which are supported by the CPU series. The bad news is that this type of ‘tuning’ is still considered overclocking, so technically, it could affect warranty claims.
Motherboard makers were rather quick to respond to this problem, either by removing affected BIOSes or by releasing new ones. MSI has a dedicated Reddit post to this problem, although no trouble with MSI boards has been reported thus far. AMD is now investigating the issue, so we might get an official word from them at some point.
Meanwhile, ASUS actually offered a replacement of CPU and motherboard to the affected user. As long as other users are aware of this issue and rely solely on the latest official BIOS, those systems should not be impacted. Fingers crossed this is one of the last reports on this issue.
Source: MSI, Igor’sLAB, AnandTech
