The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D has been the recipient of much acclaim thanks to the upgraded 3D V-Cache for gamers, placing it at the top of our best gaming CPUs ranking. However, one troubling user report has revealed the processor burned out on an AM5 motherboard socket. Could this be an error on AMD’s part?

The two Ryzen 7 9800X3D owners shared photographs of the CPU with burned contacts and the AM5 socket with burned pines. The pictures suggest that improper CPU installation was the

Motherboard maker MSI has confirmed that it's looking into a Redditor's burned out 9800X3D CPU and X870 Tomahawk motherboard socket.

Installing a Socket AM5 CPU isn't difficult, but it's important to be careful about aligning it correctly, and also making sure to avoid dropping a corner of it into the socket forcefully. The LGA pins are very delicate, and it's all-too easy to ruin a motherboard by fumbling the CPU.

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor and AM5 socket burned to a crisp, both physically damaged either due to a fault, or a user error during installation.

Amazon's best early Black Friday laptop deals revolve around Apple MacBooks across the M2, M3, and M4 generations. The ASUS TUF 15.6-inch gaming laptop normally retails for $1,399.99. As of Nov. 15, it's on sale for $999.99 at Best Buy.

Here's where you can find the cheapest UK and US prices we can find on the fastest gaming CPU: AMD's Ryzen 9 9800X3D.

One Redditor and one user from the Quasarrzone forums have provided feedback on how their Ryzen 7 9800X3D, one of the best CPUs, has burned out. Since the MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi motherboard was the common denominator in both cases, we've contacted MSI for comment.

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the best gaming processor currently on the market and a much better option than the new Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. If you're waiting for a discount on this processor for Black Friday,