We Exploded the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D & Melted the Motherboard

This video benchmarks and tests various points of failure for the AMD X3D CPUs in particular, but also just generally AM5 / Ryzen 7000 (Zen 4) CPU failures. The most eye-catching failure mode is catastrophic: Users have posted photos of exploded CPUs with blown-out motherboard sockets and melted plastic. We bought those parts from the users to perform a failure analysis, then set forth testing our own AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPUs to see if we could make them explode. Spoiler alert: It worked. We were able to melt new AMD X3D CPUs in the socket of an ASUS X670E Crosshair Hero motherboard, but we also found severe BIOS bugs in Gigabyte's BIOS. SOC voltage isn't the only concern, here. It's also poor OCP implementation on at least the ASUS board we used, plus a combination of the erosion of thermal and over-current protections. As stated in the video, no test of this type is fully conclusive: These are complex issues with functionally infinite variables between users (and possible error), manufacturers, BIOS versions, and AMD itself. As such, we can only speak to our findings in some instances -- but we have some that do point to specific issues.

We killed 2x 7800X3Ds and 1x ASUS motherboard, but we also had 2 failed CPUs and 1 failed board from viewers.

We will have at least 1 more part following this video up. We've sent parts out to the same failure analysis lab we worked with in our NVIDIA 12VHPWR content - it'll take a few weeks to put together.

Big thanks to Wendell at @Level1Techs - check out his channel!
Thanks to @der8auer for his guidance on delidding safely!


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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - INVESTIGATING
02:11 - GN’s 15 Year Anniversary!
03:23 - The Story So Far
05:58 - Hypotheses & Plans
08:52 - Test: Low-Resistance Shorts
10:56 - Test: Accelerated Aging & Failed OCP
16:28 - DAMNING & How to Fix
20:04 - DELIDDING Exploded CPUs
21:31 - MICROSCOPE
24:48 - Wendell’s Voltage Differential Theory
26:14 - ASUS’ Wildly Overvolted EXPO
29:10 - Gigabyte, ASRock, & MSI ft. Level1 Techs
30:44 - Expo Isn’t Guilty
31:39 - Conclusion & Tons of Other Bugs

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Host, Testing, Writing, Editing: Steve Burke
Testing, Research: Patrick Lathan
Video Editing, Camera: Vitalii Makhnovets
Guest support: Wendell of Level1 Techs (linked above), der8auer, Elmor, lots of people we can't name or who requested not to be named

[GamersNexus]

This was really difficult to put together. The team had an absolute blast working on it. It's great working shoulder-to-shoulder with this crew while we try to understand new concepts! A big thank you to everyone who helped us behind the scenes: Wendell of Level1Techs, Der8auer, Elmor, and everyone else we couldn't name because they'd get in trouble. We linked the others above!
Support us and grab one of the brand new, LIMITED EDITION FOIL 'GN15' shirts to help out while getting something commemorative for 15 years of GamersNexus in return! This research piece took us a straight week of nonstop work to complete. We're beyond excited to have worked on this -- it's exactly what we love doing here. Link above.

[GeoStreber]

Gives ROG's slogan "For Those Who Dare" a completely new meaning.

[SquintyGears]

It's great to know that motherboards got 10x more expensive and yet they still lack protections (bugs asside)

[snan]

You did an insane amount of work to explain where those problems come from. I believe I say this for the whole pc enthusiast community - we really appreciate your work.

[wladewig]

As a retired EE, over the years have watch Gamers Nexus become an excellent quality, reliability test engineering business that I as a consumer really appreciate. I'm delighted to hear that your team really enjoys the diligent effort to provide qualitative and quantitative test results - and present in a manner that well communicated. Well done!

[SumRndmPenguin]

De8auer really made a whole contraption to desolder cpus when he could have just put it on an Asus motherboard

[trickmnkey]

This channel is perhaps the last of its kind for this kind for hardware journalism that keeps it super real and doesn't care about offending the industry, even as the industry tries to corrupt with either money or mob tactics.

[LukeTheRager]

Thanks! You and your team probably saved my week old 7800X3D. It was running 1.375 volts on the SOC (Asus ROG Strix X670E-F MOBO).

[eduardo_Antagonista]

This idea of buying failed hardware from people to check the issue is awesome! Outstanding job of you guys! Outstanding indeed!!
Congratulations from Brazil!

[lw]

"I think we see the smoke steve" and the random inserts of exploding gigabyte power supplies are some of the best tech memes.

[stupiddog]

Let us all take a moment to remember the chips that heroically gave their lives for this investigation.

[invertedvpowerhouse]

Never seen a comment section with so many donations on youtube but its very well deserved. Been following for a few years now when the lab was barely starting

[jochen]

Keep doing this important work, us consumers need you guys more then ever it seems! Big cudos to the entire team for doing continuesly excellent and informative content!

[zackmatey]

Amazing turnaround on this - it's insane how fast you guys were able to investigate and replicate this. Even faster than with the 4090 12 pin issue

[jaylacke]

GN has long set the standard for PC journalism and we, as the community, really appreciate it! Thanks for bringing us this comprehensive diagnosis, been looking forward to this for awhile!

[MrGrannyStylez]

I don't understand why companies like ASUS do not have a press statement ready along the lines of: "Sorry everyone there is obviously something wrong. We are investigating and will update you soon." That's all I want as a customer, open and clear communication. Not some bad move trying to hide their fault by retroactively editing the CPU support list. ASUS that's not how you get customers to trust your brand. I am curious to the excuses and future press releases that hopefully will reach us in the next few weeks. Cheers

[wmejia]

Such an in depth analysis of the problem! 🤯 The amount of work you put into this is amazing!

[poundpoundza]

Thanks Steve (and the team)! Beer's on me, you guys have earned it!

[Mirrormn]

How cool would it be to sell your CPU that suddenly stopped working for no reason to GN for retail price, and then get a 40 minute feature video explaining *exactly* what happened to it as a free bonus. This is great content, love it.

[Juvir]

Steve and team, I just want to say the following:
I absolutely LOVE the fact that you do this deep level of investigative journalism for the community as a whole. When issues arise, whether they're hardware issues like in this video, or PR issues. You work tirelessly to make sure that you not only get the information needed to hold *everyone* involved accountable, but you do so in a non-biased way. You then present it in a way that the most technically savvy, *as well* as the laymen can understand.
You also manage to do this while also maintaining what we all love about YouTube reviewers in general: showing us the good *and* the bad of new hardware as it comes to market. I applaud you all for being not only so diligent, but also for loving the community enough to continue this way. Bravo.