ASRock Posts New Radeon RX 7900 Firmware After Reports Its Last Update Bricked Cards. It Hasn’t Said What Went Wrong
If you own an ASRock Radeon RX 7900 XT or RX 7900 XTX, hold off on flashing its firmware for now. ASRock has posted a new VBIOS, version 1.0.6, after owners reported that the previous 1.0.5 update left their cards unable to boot. Tom’s Hardware reports the new version arrived with no changelog and no statement from ASRock.
What happened
Last month AMD released a VBIOS patch for Radeon RX 7000-series cards to fix potential security vulnerabilities. In a statement to ComputerBase, AMD said there were no reports of the flaws being exploited and recommended that owners update once their card maker provides the firmware.
ASRock then listed VBIOS 1.0.5 for 10 of its cards across the RX 7600 XT, RX 7700 XT, RX 7800 XT, RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX families. According to Tom’s Hardware, several RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX owners reported that their systems failed to boot after installing it. TechPowerUp covered the same reports. Some owners recovered their cards with an external EEPROM programmer, which isn’t a tool most people have.
ASRock pulled 1.0.5 from its website. Version 1.0.6 has now appeared in its place.
What ASRock hasn’t said
- What went wrong. There’s no explanation of why 1.0.5 failed on some cards.
- Whether 1.0.6 fixes it. With no changelog, there’s no confirmation the new version addresses the failures.
- Who pays for dead cards. VideoCardz reports a user in Japan was told the failed update would be covered under warranty, while an owner in Europe with an out-of-warranty card was reportedly pointed to warranty service anyway. That’s two individual reports, not a policy.
The failure reports come from owners and haven’t been confirmed by ASRock, and nobody outside the company knows how many cards are affected.
What to do if you own one
- Card works and you haven’t flashed? Waiting is reasonable. AMD says the security flaws haven’t been exploited, and a VBIOS flash that goes wrong can leave a card that won’t start.
- Card stopped booting after 1.0.5? Contact ASRock support, say the failure followed its official firmware, and keep your purchase receipt and any messages.
- Different brand? These reports are about ASRock’s 1.0.5 file. Use only the firmware your own card maker provides.
PCGeek’s take
A security patch that can kill a $900 graphics card is worse than the problem it fixes. Swapping in a new file without a word doesn’t rebuild trust. ASRock owes owners three things: what broke, proof that 1.0.6 is safe, and a clear promise to repair or replace every card its update took down, in or out of warranty. Until it says so, we wouldn’t flash.
Photo: AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT reference card by Shinobara, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Not an ASRock card.
Did you install ASRock’s 1.0.5 firmware? Tell us how it went in the comments.
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