AMD to replace Ryzen 9 7950X3D after rejected warranty claim
Hardware Unboxed says AMD confirmed a replacement after the CPU was initially denied over physical damage.
AMD is now replacing the Ryzen 9 7950X3D from the warranty case we covered earlier this week . According to Hardware Unboxed, AMD confirmed that the affected CPU will be replaced after the claim was originally rejected due to physical damage.
The case was first posted by Reddit user VINCENT199411. The owner reported that the system shut down while idle on April 28, 2026, after a loud pop sound. The PC would no longer boot, and the CPU later showed visible swelling on the back of the processor substrate.
The system used a Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER motherboard, Kingston Fury Beast DDR5-6000 memory, and a be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000W Titanium power supply. The owner said EXPO was enabled, but no manual CPU overclocking or manual SoC voltage tuning was applied.
Good news, AMD has just told me this issue is being resolved. The customer is getting a replacement part. https://t.co/Ie5FfJPg2W
— Hardware Unboxed (@HardwareUnboxed) June 12, 2026
Motherboard and power supply were not the culprits
Gigabyte tested the motherboard and reported corrupted BIOS data. After reflashing the BIOS and adjusting the CPU socket pin alignment, the board reportedly passed voltage checks and more than 64 hours of stress testing. Be quiet! also tested the PSU and reported no fault after 12V, load, dynamic, and burn-in testing. In other words, user had all testing data from the motherboard and power supply warranty claims, the only part that could be responsible was the CPU.
AMD initially rejected the CPU claim after reviewing photos. The company said it observed swelling on the back of the processor substrate and classified it as physical damage, which is not covered under warranty.
AMD changes decision
At this point, we can only guess what made AMD change its decision. The company has not said whether the Reddit thread, public criticism, or follow-up reports played a role. But we all know the answer to that.
The visible damage was swelling on the back of the CPU package, not a scratch, dent, or broken contact caused by handling. If the damage developed from inside the processor, treating it as ordinary physical damage without deeper inspection was always going to raise questions.
Source: Hardware Unboxed
