Not everyone can RMA their CPUs, and this user thought a keychain would be an appropriate usage of his $500 processor.
User Reports Dead AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D on ASUS Strix X870-A; Turns the CPU Into a Keychain as He Doesn't Have the Invoice
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor and other Ryzen 7000/9000 series chips are still getting cooked on AM5 motherboards, particularly on 800-series boards. We have seen a noticeable reduction in such reports, which are usually posted on Reddit. In most cases, users are having success in RMA'ing their CPUs if AMD doesn't find any consumer-induced damage, but not everyone is lucky to get a replacement.
The user u/Super-Employment2753 was unlucky enough to have his CPU made into a keychain, as he couldn't apply for the RMA. As per the user, he was playing Meccha Chameleon a few days ago, and his PC suddenly froze. After restarting the PC, it refused to boot, and the DRAM LED was continuously on. This clearly indicated that something was wrong with his components, particularly the CPU, which usually results in a continuously on DRAM or CPU Debug LED.
Was playing Meccha Chameleon last friday, around 10:35pm my pc suddenly froze, had to press hold the power button to restart. Then after that, my pc failed to post. Dram light is on. Reseated processor, removed the thermalright contact frame(v1), reset cmos and flashed bios. Same issue, dram is still on. Went to a repair shop to test my ram, mobo and processor. Voila, processor doesn't turn on even with a new motherboard.
Motherboard: asus strix x870-a
Ram: kingston fury 32gb cl30 6000 mt/s
Processor: 9800x3d
Cpu does not have any burn marks. My settings was vsoc set to 1.23. pbo ppt set to 120, tdc 100 and edc 100.
Too bad i bought this ram from another country, without any receipt too(Bought from a scalper around november 2024).
Now i have a nice keychain.
- u/Super-Employment2753
User says he tried various troubleshooting steps, including BIOS flash, resetting the CMOS, and reinstalling the processor. Nothing worked, but when he went to a repair shop for diagnostics, he found out that his processor doesn't turn on even with a new motherboard. This indicated his CPU died, since he already tried flashing the BIOS with newer versions, which are supposed to mitigate boot failures. Considering the user reports no physical damage to the CPU's substrate, it appears that his CPU failed silently, as we have seen before.
The user, unfortunately, could not apply for an RMA because he reportedly bought it from a scalper, who had to invoice the processor as well. Without an invoice, it's impossible to request an RMA, which is why the user had no choice but to convert his expensive Ryzen chip to a keychain.
News Source: Reddit
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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