Hey all, just recently treated myself to a new computer build after ~3 years, and I’ve been having nothing but trouble with USB dropouts. Had I done more research prior, I would have known about this issue that seems to have been prevalent since the AM4 days. Thing is, I’ve had great success with my prior build (AM4, Ryzen 7 3700x, 32GB 3600, RX 5700XT, Asrock Steel Legend mATX), so I wasn’t thinking there’d be issue. Been nothing but frustration.

Specs:

• Asrock PG Riptide mATX
• Seasonic Focus GX Gold 80+ 750W
• Ryzen 7 7700 AM5
• G.Skill Trident Z 32GB DDR5 6000 (Samsung chips)
• Asrock RX 7800XT 16GB
• 500GB Inland Pro NVMe (OS) - 2TB Samsung NVMe - 1TB Crucial MX500 SATA - 1TB WD Blue HDD - 4TB WD Blue HDD
• Windows 11 Pro
• Thermaltake Core v21 Case

So to start it off, the USB dropouts have been… odd. They only seem to happen from a cold boot. It starts with a simple stutter where both my KB+M (wireless 2.4GHz) start lagging and stop any input, then pick back up. Then comes the audio stutter. Slowly but surely, within about 3-5 minutes, the whole system locks up. Upon having to hit the reset button on my case (as everything seizes up), everything works as if there’s no issue whatsoever. Nothing in event viewer to coincide any Windows problems. Hell, I played Starfield for ~6 hours almost non-stop yesterday with nary an issue (although Akila City decided not to load in at once point).

The other thing I find rather strange is that I could not get my RAM to reach the XMP 6000 settings, but if I set it to that and then downclock to 5600, I’m stable. Standard frequency is 4800. This issue happens even at the baseline.

I’ve tried BIOS upgrades and downgrades, CMOS resets, tweaking the BIOS for the “known causes” of this bug (C-states, RAM timings, etc), and yet no change. I just hope this isn’t coming down to an RMA of the board or whatnot. If there’s anymore info I can provide, please ask.

EDIT: I can’t say for sure, but moving my regular USB 2.0 devices to the USB 3 slots seem to have resolve it. I’m still wary.

EDIT 2: I unhooked all currently unneeded USB connections (including internal front USB3.0), with only my USB hub for BT and 2.4GHz dongles and my wired Xbox controller (2 ports total). I also read that one of the "solutions: back on Am4 for this bug was to turn down PCIe speeds from Auto or 4.0/5.0 to 3.0. I’m still being cautious, but right now I did a full shutdown, power cycled the PSU, and then rebooted afterward. Running RAM at 5400MHz.

EDIT 3: Changing the PCIe speeds did not change a thing. USB seized up without any input. Upon reboot I reset defaults to the BIOS, and then, a new thing happened! Seemed to hang upon retraining of the RAM. Shut down via rear power switch, and upon this reboot, Windows refused to launch anything, even Task Manager. Multiple reboots and another BIOS default later, and I’m back to functioning (at least this boot). I’m actively shopping for a new motherboard, though choices are limited. I also can’t return this mobo as it’s my 2nd from Micro Center, with the first Riptide having bent pins.

Recommendations on replacements welcome. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.