Question My ASUS B550M-PLUS broke twice even when replaced: it just wouldn't turn on. I want to know what really happened.

[Magastem]

My motherboard ASUS TUF GAMING B550M-PLUS suddenly stopped working after about half a year of usage. I managed to get it replaced through the warranty. It was working as intended until a few months later. I turned it off, and it wouldn’t turn back on again. Even though the RGB lights were receiving power, nothing would happen when I pressed the “turn on” button on the computer case like I usually did. Even my PC technician, after all the troubleshooting he did, had no idea what was going on and decided it was broken. He said “it wasn’t giving any sign of life.” I wish I could give more information, but that was just it. No other method would turn it on, and nothing was wrong before it broke.

I sent it back to the store demanding another replacement. They reviewed it and came to the same conclusion that it wasn’t working and had the same issue as last time. They sent me a new one again. I’m planning on selling that ASUS motherboard and buying an MSI B550M Pro-VDH WiFi because it is within my budget, but even that one has its own set of problems. I will also buy a new Ryzen 5600X, because of what I describe below.


At the same time that I bought that motherboard, I also bought a Ryzen 5600X. It worked fine for a couple of days, but then it started giving weird internet issues, huge spikes, software closing out of nowhere, and sometimes BSOD. My PC technician disabled one core of the CPU (by disabling its threads on Windows), and it started working perfectly. I was impatient and had work to do, so I thought it was fine to keep 5 cores instead of 6 and didn’t call for a replacement.

After almost a year of the motherboard shenanigans, he suggested that maybe it was the faulty CPU somehow breaking the motherboards. I sent the CPU back to the store (a different one from the mobo), and they declined to send a replacement, saying that the pins were bent, and that it was my fault (it already came broken, I’ll pursue legal action). I find that very unlikely, after all it was working fine, and somehow my PC technician just didn’t notice after a whole year? Regardless, the CPU was broken from the start.

Could my faulty CPU suddenly break the motherboard, and then its replacement without showing signs of something being wrong?
Could it be a case of a batch of these same motherboards in that specific store being faulty?
What other reason is there for the motherboard to break like that?

Is it advisable to continue with this motherboard, and just buy the new CPU?
(My current plan is buying an MSI mobo, and buying the new CPU.)

CPU: Ryzen 5 5600X
CPU cooler: Stock Cooler that came with the CPU
Motherboard: ASUS TUF GAMING B550M-PLUS
Ram: 2x of 16GB 2666mhz DDR4 (32GB of RAM)
SSD/HDD: Crucial 240GB and 450GB. ST31000520AS; WDC WD20PURX-69P6ZY0
GPU: Zotac Nvidia GTX 1660
PSU: Corsair CX550 (I don't remember how old it is. Maybe four years old.)
Chassis: Corsair
OS: Windows 10
Monitor: LG FULL HD

 

[Lutfij]

When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, it's customary to include your full system's specs. Please list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model. BIOS version for your motherboard at this moment of time.

What other reason is there for the motherboard to break like that?
A bad source of power(wall outlet). A grounding issue. You could also be pending a BIOS update. Corrupt BIOS can do the same thing.

Regardless, the CPU was broken from the start.
Does the processor behave the same way when on a donor board(with the latest BIOS version)

MSI B550M Pro-VDH WiFi
Just an FYI, the PRO series of boards are akin to the PC Mate series of boards from ages past. They are entry level boards and have been known to be hit or miss, just like every other board maker out there.

 

[Magastem]

When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, it's customary to include your full system's specs. Please list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model. BIOS version for your motherboard at this moment of time.

What other reason is there for the motherboard to break like that?
A bad source of power(wall outlet). A grounding issue. You could also be pending a BIOS update. Corrupt BIOS can do the same thing.

Regardless, the CPU was broken from the start.
Does the processor behave the same way when on a donor board(with the latest BIOS version)

MSI B550M Pro-VDH WiFi
Just an FYI, the PRO series of boards are akin to the PC Mate series of boards from ages past. They are entry level boards and have been known to be hit or miss, just like every other board maker out there.

There's definitely a grounding issue in my home, but that has not been a problem for other computers in the house. I'm using a very old one right now plugged to the same outlet and it's working just fine; just a few replacements here and there in its lifetime. Same PSU and case. It would be an extremely difficult and lengthy process to fix the electricity in this house, potentially impossible. Is there an alternative to help with a grounding issue of sorts just in case that it is the problem?

Yes, the CPU behaved the same way on another motherboard with the latest BIOS.
I must also note, the first motherboard was upgraded to the latest BIOS, the second one (replacement) was not. Both worked for some time and then experienced the same issue, which was having its RGB lights on once connected to a power source, but having no other signs of life whatsoever.

Should I avoid the PRO series of boards then? I want to avoid any more potential issues, but I still need a motherboard within that budget.