Welcome back to Tech News. This week, AMD’s X3D CPUs are dropping dead on ASRock motherboards faster than a deadbeat dad dodging child support. Nvidia turns an April Fool’s joke into a legit product because commitment to the bit is apparently their thing now. And Microsoft is rolling out Windows 11 25H2 testing, inching closer to the day that your PC evolves into a self-aware toaster that passively aggressively nags you for skipping updates. Hope you’re ready because we’re diving right in. Reports of AMD X3D CPUs, particularly the Ryzen 7, 9800 X3D, and the Ryzen 9 9950 X3D dying on ASRock motherboards have escalated with over 100 cases noted by April 2025. Because what’s better than spending $1,000 on a processor than having that processor self-destruct? However, the good news is while some CPUs are dead on arrival, others work for days or even weeks before they die. I mean, I guess that’s better than nothing, right? In several cases, people have reported that marks on the CPU or socket. So, not only is the 12volt power connector on GPUs trying to kill us, but now our CPUs are turning into incinuary devices. You know what? The warning labels on computers are going to be lit soon. Literally. Unfortunately, these symptoms point to a a complex problem beyond simple software fixes. The issue primarily affects as rock boards, though ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, and all the normals have seen some failures. Also, the inconsistent nature of these incidents may have kind of make pinpointing this thing kind of challenging. AMD and ASRock attribute the issue to a memory compatibility flaw in early BIOS versions supposedly fixed in recent updates. However, ASRock also cites socket debris as a factor, claiming that cleaning the socket has fixed some boards. Is it just me or do manufacturers really like to blame the user for their inability to design a product that doesn’t self-destruct? How about this? Don’t design something that explodes if it gets a little piece of dirt in it. That would be great, wouldn’t it? That would be great. Okay. Speculation includes BIOS instability, weak voltage regulation on ASRock boards, or even a defective X3D CPUs in certain batches. And believe it or not, it turns out that reverting to an older BIOS has revived some CPUs. So, manufacturers apparently suggest updating your BIOS. And if that doesn’t work, try downgrading it. And there’s only a slight chance that your CPU might explode. You know, that sounds an awful lot like the X-ray technician that puts the little vest on you and then stands behind a concrete wall and tells you, “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” With as boards being mostly affected, some have recommended avoiding them for the X3D CPUs until a solid solution is found. But since they’re kind of the go-to budget pick, it might just be a numbers game. Kind of like how more people bail on cheap skateboards. It sounds to me like no one knows what’s going on yet. So, good luck out there. This week’s sponsor is me. If recently launched the Gass Assist app. It was released as part of an update to the Nvidia app. G Assist is an AI powered assistant designed to enhance gaming and PC performance for GeForce RTX users because apparently their GPUs aren’t doing a very good job of that themselves. They just need more AI instead of more horsepower. Introduced as a beta feature in March, Gassyst uses a small language model that runs locally on RTX 30, 40, and 50 series GPUs with at least 12 GB of VRAM. So, in other words, it only works on a small subset of Nvidia GPUs that have more than 8 gigs of VRAM. I would just like to point out that even Nvidia knows that their GPUs need more than 8 gigs. But running locally, it ensures data privacy by avoiding cloud processing. It also ensures more buyers remorse for people who bought GPUs that clearly should have had game more VRAMm to begin with. Do you think that if we keep complaining about it, Nvidia will do something about it? Nah, don’t be silly. The assistant seeks to simplify system management by optimizing gaming through natural language commands that are either typed in or spoken by the user. Gassyst offers a few capabilities. It can diagnose bottlenecks in real time. It can suggest game settings and even overclock your GPU. And outside of gaming, it can control things like fan speeds and RGB lighting on some devices. From the videos that I watch, the support is very limited at the moment. However, several brands like Logitech, Corsair, MSI, I hear should support Gassyst at some point. Users can also query their system stats, check driver updates, or run benchmarks via a simple interface. However, I guess people who can’t run the latest drivers due to black screen issues don’t have to worry about this. probably best because it sounds to me like driver updates might not be in their best interest. Ironically though, G Assist started out as an April Fool’s prank back in 2017, and it’s now a real tool. The April Fool’s joke named GeForce GTX G Assist was a USB stick resembling a GTX 1080 that promised absurd AI powered gaming features. These included features like Ghost Play to handle gameplay during your break, Boss Boost for instant boss wins, and Nvidia Nurture to order snacks and remind you to shower. While just a joke at the time, Nvidia gave away 1,080 real 64 gig USB drives that look like GTX 1080s. I checked on eBay and found one for $400. It even comes in a small little thumb drives sized Nvidia GPU box. $400 for a 64 gig USB stick is about right considering Nvidia’s current pricing model. The prank itself though mocked gaming culture and AI hype. Something that was clearly prophetic since Nvidia no longer cares about gaming culture and is only concerned with AI hype. G Assist is available in the Nvidia apps discovery section under the home tab. Currently, it only supports desktop GPUs with laptop GPUs compatibility being in future updates. Nvidia is just trying to prove that they’re still all about gamers. Gassyst is just here to help them by reminding them that AI is all they really care about anymore. But with that said, in other news, Microsoft has recently begun early testing for Windows 1125H2. This will be the next major update for Windows 11 and it’s expected to roll out later in 2025. Test builds are available through the Windows Insider dev channel and the they include builds of 26,200 and higher range. These builds are based on the current Windows 11 24H2 which also remains in the beta channel for more stable builds. We don’t know much about what’s going to be included in 25H2 yet, but reports suggest that this build will include optimization for Quadcom’s upcoming Snapdragon X2 chips. Plus, rumors that I hear Microsoft is trying to eliminate the blue screen of death and replace it with the black screen of death. You know, they should contact Nvidia about that. I hear they have some experience in the department. Some other reported features include taskbar icon scaling and a quick recovery feature. It’s just not clear yet if 25H2 is going to be a major overhaul of Windows 11 or essentially a bug fix for 24H2. We’ll just have to wait and see. But one thing they have been quick to address in the current 24H2 builds is people’s desire to use Windows 11 without a Microsoft account. Microsoft has decided to eliminate the popular bypass NRO workaround that allowed us to install Windows 11 with a local account. Luckily, this hasn’t taken effect yet, but it could take effect in 24H2 or possibly be included in 25H2 when it’s released later. But don’t worry, I have a video coming out Monday that will show you how to get around it. But that’s all I got for you today. Hopefully, this video is helpful to you. While you’re here, check out some of these videos. And as always, you guys have a great day.