Sometimes users make mistakes when assembling a configuration. These mistakes can have disastrous consequences for the hardware, as this fallen Ryzen 7 9800X3D demonstrates. But sometimes, for no apparent reason, hardware dies, and that’s much more worrying. That’s what happened to t0pli ‘s 9800X3D on Reddit. After 20 days of normal operation, poof, the CPU and board died for no apparent reason!
A Ryzen 7 9800X3D X870E Nova goes up in smoke!
When you invest in expensive hardware, on the one hand it’s for the performance it offers, and on the other hand it’s for the peace of mind that comes with playing/working with it for as long as possible. After all, between the CPU (~€580) and the motherboard (~€450), you’re looking at a good thousand euros if European prices are anything to go by. And seeing your configuration go up in smoke for no apparent reason is enough to make you hate yourself.
Indeed, according to the Reddit post by the user concerned, we learn that there were no installation errors… At the same time, the setup ran for a good twenty days without a hitch. What’s more, with twenty years’ experience in PC assembly, it’s unlikely that t0pli made a mistake when assembling its processor. The same goes for temperatures: they were monitored via HWMonitor to make sure everything was fine.
As for the bios, we learn that the card was running version 3.16, a version optimising compatibility for Pheonix processors. The only thing that might give us cause for concern is that the RAM EXPO profiles are enabled. However, if this was a recurring problem with Ryzen 7000s, especially the 7000X3Ds, it’s one that was fixed a long time ago. Reminiscence? We’ll see.
In the meantime, we hope that after-sales requests will be validated. Losing €1,000 worth of gear like that is a real blow!