Asus, a prominent PC hardware manufacturer, has come under scrutiny due to allegations of overvolting and Ryzen processors getting damaged as a result. This has led many Asus product owners to question if their components are safe to use or not, resulting in increased returns of Asus motherboards. However, it remains to be seen whether Asus is solely responsible for these controversies.
The photograph above depicts a Micro Center store shelf containing Asus motherboards with yellow tags, indicating that they were returned by previous customers within the allowed time frame (usually 30 days) after buying and opening the boards. This has resulted in a considerable number of returns, leading one Reddit user to caption the image, “Asus mobo (motherboard) fallout on display at Micro Center.” While this looks disheartening, the blame for this entire fiasco surrounding Asus’s reputation cannot be entirely pinned on them as Ryzen processors on Asus motherboards aren’t the only ones affected by similar issues.
A few weeks ago, we reported about users facing problems with their Ryzen 7000 processors on Asus motherboards: One Reddit user complained about their Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor becoming irreversibly damaged, with a visible bulge and burn mark on the board. Similarly, another user reported a similar problem with Ryzen 9 7950X3D, while overclocking only the memory through AMD EXPO. Given that expensive and high-end Ryzen processors generally don’t break down so quickly and easily, this was alarming news for both Asus and the affected customers.
These reports have one common denominator: Asus motherboards. Further issues began to surface, including complaints about faulty BIOS updates, which Asus released, allowing Ryzen 7000 processors to run at dangerous voltages. The YouTube channel, Gamers Nexus, strongly criticized Asus for this, claiming that the company had also pushed a BIOS update for the Crosshair X670E Extreme motherboard that voided its warranty, and allegedly encouraged users to disable AMD EXPO on its AM5 motherboards by not providing support for default memory profiles.
Initially, Asus had remained tight-lipped about the overvolting issues. However, amidst these controversies, the company recently issued an official statement, addressing the said issues and warranty coverage for Asus AM5 motherboards.
Asus stated, “We want to address the concerns that have been raised by our users about whether recent BIOS updates will impact the warranty of ASUS AM5 motherboards…We would also like to confirm the following points:
- The ASUS AM5 motherboard warranty also covers all AMD EXPO, Intel XMP, and DOCP memory configurations.
- All recent BIOS updates follow the latest AMD voltage guidelines for AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors.”
This is a notable shift for Asus, as it implies providing service and support that isn’t commonly included in a product warranty. EXPO profiles are typically categorized as overclocking, which other manufacturers usually exclude from their warranties. This could indicate a move by Asus towards proactively addressing its customers’ concerns.
However, the ultimate question remains: Is Asus retreating hastily to save face due to the mounting number of returns caused by these controversies, as suggested by the Reddit post? The answer is tricky, given that the photo of the Micro Center shelf is misleading, showing mostly Intel Z690 models with no connection to the ongoing AMD Ryzen 7000 controversy. This could mean that many customers might have lost trust in the brand because of the reported issues, but it could also mean that many returned their boards because the store sold motherboard and CPU bundles that included an upgrade from a Z690 motherboard and a Core i7-13700K to a Z790 motherboard. This might’ve caused many people to return their old boards and purchase new ones. Therefore, it may well be a bit of both – a large number of returns caused by the promotion, as well as some long-lasting damage to Asus’ reputation.
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Alex Smith is a writer and editor with over 10 years of experience. He has written extensively on a variety of topics, including technology, business, and personal finance. His work has been published in a number of magazines and newspapers, and he is also the author of two books. Alex is passionate about helping people learn and grow, and he believes that writing is a powerful tool for communication and understanding.
