Multiple users of ASRock Radeon RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX graphics cards reported that their GPUs became unusable after installing the security-related VBIOS released by the manufacturer on October 29. The reports cover various models, and the full scope and exact cause of the issue remain unclear.
A user with an RX 7900 XTX Phantom Gaming stated that he followed ASRock's instructions to run ASRVBFlash 1.0.5. After the tool completed its compatibility check and automatically restarted Windows, the PC failed to POST with the GPU installed, but booted normally when the GPU was removed. Other users described similar experiences involving the RX 7900 XT Phantom Gaming, RX 7900 XTX Phantom Gaming, RX 7900 XTX Taichi, and its white edition. The affected systems used motherboards from ASRock and MSI, with no evidence pointing to a single motherboard configuration as the cause.
At least two users reported restoring their graphics cards using external EEPROM programmers. One user rewrote the VBIOS using a T48 USB programmer and test clips, but such equipment is not typically available to average users.
Users also noted that ASRock has removed some HTTP download links for the affected firmware. While the updates are still listed in the BIOS index, some links return 404 errors, though FTP access reportedly remains available. A user in Japan stated that ASRock customer support confirmed the issue is covered under warranty, but the manufacturer has not yet issued a public statement or unified recovery steps for all regions, and the procedure for out-of-warranty cases remains unclear. Users of the affected models should exercise caution when installing this batch of firmware until a corrected version is released.