AMD Ryzen 7000X3D Overheating Issue May Be Linked to Memory Overclocking

If you own an AMD Ryzen 7000X3D chip, you may want to turn off a memory overclocking function, as it’s causing the processors to overheat to the point they can burn the motherboard. 

The problem came to light in recent days from user reports(Opens in a new window) that show images(Opens in a new window) of their 7000X3D chips with apparent burn marks and deformation. One consumer reported their chip getting so hot, part of it has permanently bulged(Opens in a new window). 

AMD restricted CPU overclocking with the Ryzen 7000X3D chips; affected consumers say the processors were running under normal conditions. However, motherboard vendor Asus sent a statement(Opens in a new window) to YouTuber der8auer that suggests the problem is connected to the EXPO memory overclocking feature and increases to the System-on-Chip voltages. 

(Credit: YouTuber der8auer)

“We’re also working with AMD on defining new rules for AMD Expo and SoC voltage. We’ll issue new updates for that ASAP,” Asus said. The same statement notes the company posted motherboard BIOS updates last Friday to add “dedicated thermal monitoring mechanisms” to protect the boards and CPUs from overheating.  

The EXPO memory profiles, which can be turned on over the motherboard, are designed to overclock the DDR5 RAM. But the same feature can also send voltage levels on the Ryzen X3D processors to unsafe levels, according(Opens in a new window) to Tom’s Hardware, citing industry sources. Manually changing the SoC voltages poses the same risk. The excessive voltage can destroy the chip’s thermal sensors, preventing it from detecting dangerous overheating.   

In some more potential bad news, Tom’s Hardware adds that the standard Ryzen 7000 series chips also appear to be affected, although to a lesser degree. 

We reached out to AMD for comment and will update the story if we hear back. But according(Opens in a new window) to MSI, the chip maker is working on a patch. In the meantime, several users on Reddit who own Ryzen 7000X3D chips also report(Opens in a new window) the EXPO memory profiles causing their PCs to crash. So it’s probably a good idea to turn the function off until AMD issues a proper fix.