Asrock releases new Radeon GPU firmware after previous update bricked cards, offers no explanation

[midian182]

Facepalm: If you have an Asrock Radeon 7000-series graphics card, here's some good news: the company is rolling out a replacement firmware update after the previous version reportedly bricked some RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX GPUs. The less welcome news is that the company hasn't said what it plans to do for users whose cards were borked.

As VideoCardz reports, the new RX 7900 XTX download carries the ASRVBFlash 1.0.6 label and a November 6 date. It replaces version 1.0.5, but there's no changelog explaining what's new or confirmation that the problems with the previous release have been fixed. That's not exactly reassuring for anyone considering another attempted update.

The original downloads arrived on October 29, covering ten Asrock models ranging from the RX 7600 XT to the RX 7900 XTX. They followed similar security-related firmware releases from Sapphire and Gigabyte, although Asrock's descriptions offered little beyond the flashing utility's version number.

Some owners soon reported that running the updater left their systems unable to boot. Windows would restart during the process, after which the machine failed to POST with the graphics card installed. Removing the GPU allowed affected systems to start again.

A moderator on Asrock's forum wrote that the failed flashes were due to graphics drivers not being completely removed beforehand. But one owner replied that they had used the uninstaller specified in the instructions and still ended up with a nonworking card.

Some users have recovered their GPUs using external EEPROM programmers. While that's encouraging for those affected, buying specialist equipment to rescue a graphics card after installing its manufacturer's update is hardly something for Asrock brag about.

It's also reported that a Japanese customer received an assurance from Asrock that the failed update would be covered under the company's warranty. Things don't look as positive for one European owner, though. They were directed toward warranty service, even though their card was out of warranty. It remains unclear what support other affected card owners will receive.

Asrock is no stranger to controversy over its firmware. In April 2025, AMD and Asrock pointed to memory compatibility amid multiple reports of Ryzen 9000 failures. The following month, an Asrock executive acknowledged that its BIOS settings were responsible, with current limits set too high for early CPU samples.

Permalink to story:

Asrock releases new Radeon GPU firmware after previous update bricked cards, offers no explanation

 

[takaozo]

In the last 30 years I had to do a single GPU FW update because it fixed the re-bar on the Asus RTX3070.
If the card didn't had dual bios I wouldn't touch it. The card still has the original FW on the quiet bios.

 

[Kirby1]

In general I always avoid ASrock.

 

[The Talking Tech]

That's why forced hardware updates for any equipment should be outlawed, these companies hide behind limited time and liability warranties leaving you with something no better than a paperweight.

We all know every time you update anything you have a much higher chance for that item to never work as good as it used to or at all... and that goes from PC hardware to even TV sets.

 

[Skully]

In the last 30 years I had to do a single GPU FW update because it fixed the re-bar on the Asus RTX3070.
If the card didn't had dual bios I wouldn't touch it. The card still has the original FW on the quiet bios.

I get what you're saying. If it's not broke, don't fix it.
If a new BIOS or Firmware comes out for anything on my system, I read the release notes thoroughly first to see what it addresses, then make the determination if it should be applied.

It's too bad Asrock has been so crappy lately, they were once one of my favorite manufacturers.

 

[Aolish]

That's why forced hardware updates for any equipment should be outlawed, these companies hide behind limited time and liability warranties leaving you with something no better than a paperweight.

We all know every time you update anything you have a much high percentage chance for that item to never work again as good as it used to or at all, and that goes from PC hardware to even TV sets.

Totally agree, they need to give out an option to disable updates on any device. This is especially true for PCs, I lost count how many times MS updated something only for something else not to work whether its printer related or a remote app not being able to connect to another service. Frustrating and terrifying when users are not able to get their work done in a corporate environment all because of an update. In addition, I wasn't able to avoid an update on my Galaxy S21, the thing was working fine and I had no problems. After an update on my S21 the ENTIRE quick settings panel (where you pull down) did not work at all! It would randomly work one part of the day and the next part of that same day completely break. I had to deal with this for MONTHS until one day it was fixed. I'm not even sure if it was another update that went through or it fixed itself. Another incident that happen was when Google decided to auto-update one of our TVs on our sanctuary right when our church service was about to start! This is where we place all of our songs and bible passages on these TVs and Google decided to update it lol, thank goodness we had the other one. After that incident I just pulled the ethernet out of the TV and I never had a problem again. These updates are a NIGHTMARE!!! I can't stand them. I understand the need for them (especially when it comes to security updates), but PLEASE give us an option to disable them and let us decide when to update our devices and when not to. I feel like an experiment/guinea pig for these people to work their bugs on.

 

[bitwarden]

I have stopped using AsRock back when my X79 board was bricking itself every time I booted a Rufus-made USB.

 

[BbN48]

I will never buy ASRock again. Terrible company.