Overheating and Breakdowns: AMD Examines Ryzen 9950X Defects

Overheating, discoloration, total failure: AMD examines mysterious Ryzen 9950x defects for intensive calculations. The protective functions failed despite normal operating conditions. That could be behind it.

Enigmatic failures in AMD processors

AMD is currently investigating the failure of high-quality Ryzen 9950x processors. A developer from the GMP project (GMP Lib for programming) had two turious CPUs within six months, although in his view they were operated completely normally. The failures occurred in February and August 2025. He then has Research carried out. The two CPUs were used for intensive mathematical calculations, i.e. for a task for which they were developed. However, after months of continuous operation, they completely failed. During the examination, a clear sign of overheating was found on the underside of both processors, such as fingernail -sized.

At the time of the failures, the systems ran under maximum load and carried out closely programmed assembler loops, which continuously performed mulx instruction per clock. There was a special observation, because the CPUs did not suddenly broke, but worsened for months until they finally tasks. What is the mulx instrument?: Mulx is an X86 assembler instrument for 64-bit multiplication with an extended result. It is used intensively in GMP because it offers high computing power for large numbers.

Modern CPUs actually have built -in protective functions: At 95 degrees Celsius, they automatically reduce their performance to avoid damage. Why this protection has now failed is completely unclear. Even more mysterious: the predecessor Ryzen 7950X runs even hotter under the same conditions, but without any problems for years. So why does the newer generation fail?

Possible causes

Those responsible at GMP Lib have reported two possible causes to AMD:

Too weak cooler?
The Noctua NH-U9S cooler used is actually designed for 165 watts, while the Ryzen 9950x consumes up to 170 watts. These five watt difference could be critical in the event of a permanent load. In addition: In practice, the CPU can even pull up to 230 watts – significantly more than officially stated.
Assembly problem?
The cooler manufacturer Noctua recommends a staggered assembly that may have led to uneven heat distribution. This could form air bubbles between the CPU and cooler.

AMD reacts

AMD confirmed opposite The Register to examine these specific cases. “We contacted GMP to get more details and better understand the situation.” There has been no further official explanation so far. Since it doesn’t seem to be the only “heat problem” at AMD, you should now observe it. At least there is an all -clear for private users. Since the affected systems ran under extreme full load for months, it is unlikely that private users will have the same problem with normal use.