Senior digital hardware enthusiasts know that when assembling a computer, whether choosing the Intel or AMD platform, if you opt for a high-end processor, it’s essential to pair it with a “high-end” motherboard. Currently, the high-end motherboard for Intel is the Z790 series, and for AMD, it’s the X670 series, which is significantly more expensive than the mid-to-low-end models.
The performance of high-end processors is much better than that of mid-to-low-end ones, so their higher price is understandable and acceptable, with many willing to pay for them. However, some do not feel the same about high-end motherboards, believing they are just about stacking more materials, luxurious components, more interfaces, richer overclocking options, yet are much more expensive, which they find not worthwhile.
In reality, manufacturing high-end motherboards is much more challenging than most people think. It demands very high design and manufacturing standards from the motherboard manufacturers. This money is not easy to earn and comes with a high risk of failure. The incident I’m about to share concerns the MSI Z790 motherboard failures.
Over the past year, there have been numerous reports of MSI Z790 motherboard failures. The typical symptoms include the motherboards either not powering up or getting stuck in a continuous reboot loop during the power-on self-test, preventing the system from booting into the operating system.
Upon thorough investigation, it was found that these faulty MSI Z790 motherboards shared a common feature: numerous cracks on the Southbridge chip (refer to images two and three), which is considered the main reason for the failures.
Initially, repair technicians thought this was a rare occurrence, a defect due to poor quality control during production. MSI’s after-sales service replaced the motherboards for users facing these issues, but the problem was not entirely resolved and could recur.
As more reports of MSI Z790 motherboards with cracked Southbridge chips emerged, preventing computers from operating correctly (with at least hundreds of cases reported), it has become clear that this is not an isolated issue but rather a widespread one, indicating a flaw in the design and manufacturing of the MSI Z790 motherboards.
It’s important to note that the cracks on the MSI Z790 motherboards are very fine and hard to detect with the naked eye. They look like ordinary scratches but are not. Repair technicians had to remove the thermal components on the Southbridge chip, clean off the thermal paste, and use professional thermal imaging equipment to verify that these were cracks, not scratches. The exact cause of these cracks is currently unknown.
This might raise the question: Is this a common issue with the Z790 series motherboards? Do motherboards from other manufacturers have this problem?
The answer is no. Currently, only MSI’s Z790 motherboards have been reported with this issue, with no similar reports for other manufacturers’ Z790 boards, so consumers can be reassured.
MSI has officially issued a statement acknowledging the issue, explaining the reasons for these problems as shown in the image below.
The original text of their official response is as follows:
Regarding the MAG Z790 TOMAHAWKWIFl incident, we’ve discovered that a minority of units may encounter non-functional PCH potentially resulting in Dead on Arrival (DOA) of the motherboard product. We have isolated the cause to a previously used chipset heatsink screw design and have taken proactive measures to address this issue.
A revised chipset heatsink screw design has been implemented into our production, and the known cases have been resolved.
We uphold high standards of responsibility and accountability and want to assure affected customers can promptly receive product replacements. Please contact our local customer service center for assistance.
Overall, MSI’s response was quicker than the editor initially anticipated, and their sincere attitude is highly commendable.
However, MSI did not specify the number of motherboards affected by this issue. Additionally, they only mentioned the MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK WIFI model from the Z790 series, without disclosing whether other Z790 series motherboards from the company have the same problem. Therefore, the further development of this issue still warrants attention.
Related:
- Overclock i9 14900KS to 6.4GHz with MSI Z790 BIOS Update
- How to Buy a Motherboard: A Complete Guide
- What’s New in AMD 800 Series Motherboards?
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