AMD Machine Check Exception – X570/B550 Chipsets

Why you need this article

We have seen a trend of systems with Ryzen CPUs, usually 16-core variants, having issues with stability. Luckily, this is easily fixed with a BIOS update.

If you are currently using any of the following hardware AND experiencing critical errors, shutdowns, reboots, BSODs, or system hangs; you may be able to resolve using the below guidance.

AMD Ryzen 9

• 5800
• 5800X
• 5900
• 5900X
• 5950X

5XX chipset motherboard

• X570
• B550

The usual suspect

Most systems are seemingly randomly rebooting or just simply shutting off but if you check the Event Viewer there are usually errors that identify the culprit. For guidance on how to use the Event Viewer, check out this article:

Windows 10 Event Viewer Basics

The error will show up in the Event Viewer, near a Critical error, as follows:

• Error
• WHEA-Logger
• A fatal hardware error has occurred.
• Reported by component: Processor Core
• Error Source: Machine Check Exception
• Error Type: Cache Hierarchy Error

Addressing the Issue

This is definitely one of the more frustrating issues but thankfully Puget Systems Support is here to help! We have identified a solution that has been working well for our users and is worth attempting.

Based on our findings the issue seems to be resolved by performing a BIOS update which is a fairly complex operation but compared to a system constantly crashing, it’s definitely worth the effort.

Some Preparation

You will need to know the following information about your system before proceeding:

Motherboard Make (ex: ASUS, Gigabyte)

Motherboard Model (ex: Strix X570-E, B550 Vision D)

If you are ever unsure about the steps please reach out to our Puget Systems Support team as we can provide links, guidance, or instructions as needed.

If you already know the motherboard model, navigate to the manufacturers page to download the current BIOS version. If you are a Puget customer you will find the necessary files linked below.

Once the BIOS update has been completed, you will want to make sure all the settings are corrected for your hardware. We have BIOS profiles for our hardware, listed below. Alternatively, you can login to your Puget Systems Account then review the BIOS screenshots one by one and adjust the settings in your new BIOS manually.

For ASUS we have qualified version 3405 which can be downloaded HERE

ASUS BIOS version 3405 BIOS profile can be downloaded HERE

For Gigabyte B550 Vision D we have qualified version F13c which can be downloaded HERE

Gigabyte B550 Vision D BIOS version F13c BIOS profile can be downloaded HERE

For Gigabyte B550 Vision D-P we have qualified version F13e which can be downloaded HERE

Gigabyte B550 Vision D-P BIOS version F13e BIOS profile can be downloaded HERE

For Gigabyte X570 Ultra we have qualified version F33c which can be downloaded HERE

Gigabyte X570 Ultra BIOS version F33c BIOS profile can be downloaded HERE

A few warnings before proceeding:

ASUS BIOS update process

You can get the latest software, manuals, drivers and firmware from the motherboard manufacturers site. Use only BIOS officially approved for your motherboard.

Download the latest BIOS file corresponding to your motherboard model, extract it to a local folder and then save the extracted files in the USB flash drive previously prepared.

1. After booting, when you see your motherboard logo, press the keyboard DEL key

2. Once in the BIOS, verify you are in Advanced Mode

3. Navigate to the “Tool” tab, select the “ASUS EZ Flash 3 Utility” and press enter

4. Since we’ve got the BIOS file on the flash drive, we’ll want to select to update via USB

5. Navigate to the flash drive, select the 3405 BIOS file, and initiate the update

Here’s a guide from ASUS about the BIOS update process. The BIOS looks a little different, but the process is similar:

BIOS update process

ASUS BIOS profile restoration

Now that the update is complete, we’ll want to get the BIOS user profile loaded and saved to a profile slot

1. Re-enter the BIOS, navigate to the ‘Tool’ tab, and select ‘Asus User Profile’

2. Select ‘Load/Save Profile from/to USB Drive’, and select the flash drive where the profile is located

3. The profile should then load, and at this point, you can use the ‘Save to Profile’ option to save the profile to any of the available profile slots, which will allow you to load the profile in the future if the BIOS settings are lost. (except in the case of a BIOS update)

4. Just give the profile a name (we use today’s date, e.g. 2/15/2021), then select ‘Save to Profile’ and press enter twice. Once it saves, you should see the profile name appear in the profile section above instead of “Not assigned”

5. At this point, you can press ‘Escape’ to exit the User Profile menu, and then press F10 to save the changes and restart the system

Gigabyte BIOS update process

You can get the latest software, manuals, drivers and firmware from the motherboard manufacturers site. Use only BIOS officially approved for your motherboard.

Download the latest BIOS file corresponding to your motherboard model, extract it to a local folder and then save the extracted files in the USB flash drive previously prepared.

1. After booting, when you see your motherboard logo, press the keyboard DEL key

2. Once in the BIOS, verify you are in Advanced Mode

3. Select the Q-Flash option in the bottom right of the screen

4. Since we’ve got the BIOS file on the flash drive, we’ll want to select Update BIOS

5. Navigate the flash drive, select the F13c BIOS file, and initiate the update

Gigabyte has an older guide available for the process. The images are a bit outdated but the process is similar.

Gigabyte BIOS update process

Gigabyte BIOS profile restoration

Once it’s done, we’ll need to head back into the BIOS to load the profile

1. Navigate to the Save & Exit tab, select the “Load Profiles” option, and choose “Select File in HDD/FDD/USB”

2. From here, locate the flash drive with the profile on it, and load the profile

3. Finally, once the profile loaded, we’ll want to save a local copy to the BIOS in case you need to reload in the future

4. Choose “Save Profiles”, and save the current profile to the 1st profile slot. It doesn’t matter too much what you name it, but we usually go with today’s date, i.e. 2/24/2021

5. Once the profile is saved to a profile slot, save the changes and exit the BIOS

Conclusion

With the significant impact on workflow that this problem presents, we wanted to jump on getting an article out as quickly as possible. As always, our Puget Systems Support is available. If you use AMDs new 16 core Ryzen CPU and the X5XX chipset, this article should provide a solution.

Hopefully we were able to explain all of that clearly, and hopefully you find that the BIOS update improves system stability. If you have any questions about the process, please don’t hesitate to let us know!