ASRock issues longer warranty amid failing CPU controversy — but only in Japan

AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D processors are the best gaming CPUs in the world, but the AM5 platform that they drop into hasn't been without problems, as there have been numerous reports of failures. So far, the issue appears limited, with around three hundred systems reported to be affected (as far as we know). It's not limited to any one particular motherboard vendor, but there does seem to be a bias toward those using ASRock motherboards. As a result, some people have described it as the "ASRock CPU burning issue." Folks in Japan probably don't have to worry as much, though, because ASRock just extended the warranties for most of its extant motherboard models in that region from two years to three years.

To clarify, this benefit is only available to "eligible ASRock Intel Z890/B860 and AMD X870/B850 series motherboards" in the Japan region. To qualify for the benefit, you must register for ASRock's mailing list, known as the Fan Club, between September 29th and December 31st. ASRock says the purchase date doesn't matter, so if you are both in Japan and the owner of a board that falls into the above categories, there's good news.

This announcement is a nice gesture toward the company's Japanese users, but the timing of it is extremely interesting. This post went up almost immediately after Gamers Nexus posted a video wherein the contentious consumer advocates thoroughly investigated the issue and came up with little in the way of answers. Still, the video title certainly seems to implicate ASRock in the issue, and the video does levy the accusation that ASRock has failed to follow through on its promises to users.

To clarify, there is currently no direct link between ASRock motherboards and the Ryzen 7 9800X3D failures. ASRock has been at the center of this controversy largely because discussions about it have been coordinated through the /r/ASRock subreddit. That, in turn, has led to the majority of reports of this problem coming from users with ASRock motherboards. Gamers Nexus reports that more than 80% of 9800X3D failures happened on ASRock motherboards, but Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI boards are also not immune.

It is somewhat suspect that ASRock made several seemingly spurious statements about the cause of the failures, though. The company claimed that AMD's Precision Boost Overdrive overclocking tech was at fault, when it clearly wasn't, as some users have seen failures when not using PBO. Similarly, ASRock also seems to be the only motherboard vendor that is taking active steps to try and counter the problem, although Gamers Nexus wasn't able to find much in the way of actual changes to voltage values or power limits beyond lowering a 1,000-watt cap to 270W—neither of which are limits a Ryzen 7 9800X3D is likely to actually reach.

ASRock hasn't said anything about bringing the one-year warranty extension overseas, so unfortunately, this probably doesn't apply to the vast majority of our audience. It's still interesting to consider in light of the AMD X3D CPU failures, though, particularly considering that the vast majority of the reported cases have been on ASRock B850 and X870 motherboards. Of course, ASRock's warranty extension covers Intel boards too, so it's probably just coincidental timing. If you're in Japan and have an eligible board, you can go here to sign up and claim your 3-year warranty.

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