One Reddit user and one user on the Quasarrzone forums have reported AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processors burning out. In both cases, the MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI motherboard was used – MSI promised to investigate the incident.
Two owners of AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the best gaming processors on the market, published photos of the CPU and AM5 socket with burnt contacts. According to one version, the processors were installed incorrectly in the sockets – the contacts were not in close contact everywhere, which caused a short circuit.
Another possibility was previously announced by MSI: AMD’s consumer Ryzen processors are square in shape, making them too easy to install incorrectly. This was likely the scenario of the Reddit user’s CPU incident – he reported that the machine was unable to pass the POST check. Another notable detail you can see in the photo is that the plastic edges of the processor socket on the motherboard appear to be damaged, and the protruding plastic could prevent users from installing the processors correctly. If this is indeed the case, then we may be talking about a defective batch of MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI with defective sockets.
«We recently received a consumer report indicating damage to the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor on an MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI motherboard. We at MSI are fully committed to the quality of our products and have begun an investigation into this incident,” reads a brief statement from MSI.