Ryzen. Reputation for dying? Or just the same as everything else?

[msknight]

I'm trying to get a handle on my current situation. Ryzen 5 2600X on an Asus B450-Plus board with Raijintek Themis Black heatpipe cooler. Not overclocked. Fed with a Be Quiet CM 80 Silver (600w) also fitted with a 1660Ti card... so... this isn't exactly pulling down the national grid

Happily using for 1.5 years and I'm killing zombies last night when it just dies on me. No bang, no magic smoke, it just said that's all folks, and goodnight.

Initial troubleshooting is pointing at the processor (no response to power button, not even fan twitch although mobo is lit) and while I read and discounted the controversy on the, "motherboard power reporting statistics, shorten lifespan of Ryzen," thing that happened a few months ago, I am scratching my head as to why this should die.

It was a pre-built system from a company I consider reputable and they're being reasonable and working with me on the issue, so I'm not naming them.

But.... and here's where I'm scratching my head. There are supposed to be protections on chips these days. Thermal protection, voltage protection, and all that business. And a quick search reveals more discussion about Ryzen suddenly dying, than I'm comfortable with.

Anyone have anything to help me get to grips with why I shouldn't just stomach the cost and go back to Intel... 'cause I'm feeling like I've got no reliable information on which to base what is (for me) an expensive decision.

 

[CommanderAlex]

Have you at least tested the power supply by shorting the pins on the 24 pin to see if that is the cause? 

[Nerdom]

IMO if ryzen had a large reputation for dying you'd be hearing more about it. Never had any problems with my 3900x. 

 

Not saying ryzen doesn't die, but random failures can/do happen, and often don't point to a massive lifespan problem with an entire line. It's a little premature in my opinion to look for a controversy over one chip dying. 

 

See if you can get some sort of warranty service from your prebuilt company

[msknight]

Just now, CommanderAlex said:

Have you at least tested the power supply by shorting the pins on the 24 pin to see if that is the cause? 

Not yet. I have a replacement PSU as well as processor on order. I'm not going to short the pins while I'm under warrantee. Basic troubleshooting like removing the graphics card, resetting CMOS battery, etc. I can do without hacking off the supplier. And the MB is obviously receiving power, as LED's are active, along with network card showing response LEDs. I'm at 70% CPU, 30% psu at the moment

[Nerdom]

Try reseating your CPU as another step. Could just be bad contact is causing an issue.

[msknight]

I really should return to building machines. I'm now caught without spares, and a basic Ryzen is going to cost £80+... which is a bit expensive just to have a chip around to throw into things and see if they work.

[Fasauceome]

I've built many Ryzen systems over the years and can happily report that they are all in service to this day, serving my clients very well.

13 minutes ago, msknight said:

It was a pre-built system from a company I consider reputable

you consider them reputable, but beyond that, what have they done to establish that a system like this would last?

 

In my experience, prebuilts very commonly cut corners on motherboards and power supplies, and one of these breaking would definitely be cause for this issue. Nothing to do with AMD's design, just poor part selection and quality.

[msknight]

Just now, Nerdom said:

Try reseating your CPU as another step. Could just be bad contact is causing an issue.

Good suggestion. I'm seeking supplier blessing to do a re-seat and re-paste. This is being slightly complicated because I didn't build it myself.

[CommanderAlex]

5 minutes ago, Nerdom said:

IMO if ryzen had a large reputation for dying you'd be hearing more about it. Never had any problems with my 3900x. 

See if you can get some sort of warranty service from your prebuilt company

Time to update the signature!!! That is also another option to go through by contacting the prebuilt company to see whether or not they can help troubleshoot the system, but usually they don't offer that long of a warranty. 

 

4 minutes ago, msknight said:

Not yet. I have a replacement PSU as well as processor on order. I'm not going to short the pins while I'm under warrantee. Basic troubleshooting like removing the graphics card, resetting CMOS battery, etc. I can do without hacking off the supplier. And the MB is obviously receiving power, as LED's are active, along with network card showing response LEDs. I'm at 70% CPU, 30% psu at the moment

I highly doubt the processor is at fault here, unless the mobo blew something up (a VRM) that resulted in more voltage going to the CPU and causing it to short out. 

[msknight]

Just now, Fasauceome said:

you consider them reputable, but beyond that, what have they done to establish that a system like this would last?

I consider them reputable because of their track record. I've also bought from them for a good number of years. The Intel systems I've bought from them are still running well. Also, now this has happened, they're working with me.

[Nerdom]

1 minute ago, CommanderAlex said:

Time to update the signature!!!

lol didn't realize my signature even said that anymore since I have them disabled

[CommanderAlex]

1 minute ago, msknight said:

I consider them reputable because of their track record. I've also bought from them for a good number of years. The Intel systems I've bought from them are still running well. Also, now this has happened, they're working with me.

That's great news though and hope that they are able to work this issue out with you. Some hardware fault must be at play here. 

[Vishera]

Possible causes:

Faulty motherboard

Faulty CPU

Faulty Power Supply

 

Even if a component receives power,it does not necessarily mean that it's fine.

[msknight]

Just now, CommanderAlex said:

That's great news though and hope that they are able to work this issue out with you. Some hardware fault must be at play here. 

Agreed. But what, is the question. At the moment it's looking like I'll end up with a later Ryzen and another PSU. Then see if it objects to me killing Zombies again

[CommanderAlex]

Just now, msknight said:

Agreed. But what, is the question. At the moment it's looking like I'll end up with a later Ryzen and another PSU. Then see if it objects to me killing Zombies again

As @Vishera said in his post above, these parts are where the fault most likely lays in. 

[msknight]

1 minute ago, Vishera said:

Even if a component receives power,it does not necessarily mean that it's fine.

Very true, but certain types of fault behaviour do point in general directions. As CommanderAlex pointed out, a MB fault could be the cause of a processor fail. It's going to take investigation.

I'm trying to bottom out whether what I'm reading about Ryzen issues have something behind them, or it's just general background chatter and the reliability is the same as everything else, and I just had some bad luck.

[Vishera]

31 minutes ago, msknight said:

Very true, but certain types of fault behaviour do point in general directions. As CommanderAlex pointed out, a MB fault could be the cause of a processor fail. It's going to take investigation.

I'm trying to bottom out whether what I'm reading about Ryzen issues have something behind them, or it's just general background chatter and the reliability is the same as everything else, and I just had some bad luck.

Considering that i have a 2600 - which has the same silicon as a 2600X i hope it's just bad luck and not a trend.