ASUS has issued an urgent product recall after multiple reports that its motherboards were melting and catching fire.
Reports on social media emerged that laptops powered by the Z690 Hero were burning and producing smoke during normal use.
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The Z690 is a powerful motherboard used in high-end gaming laptops.
The motherboard is the main circuit board inside a computer that connects its different parts together.
Customers began reporting issues with the Z690 in December on Reddit and other forums.
Many of those affected reported seeing a Bio warning code of 53, which indicates a memory failure.
A number of people reported a burning smell and smoke erupting from their computers. Some posted photos of burn marks on motherboards.
One customer on Reddit said they were browsing the web when their PC shut down without warning.
They added: “When I look over there I see a component on the motherboard literally on fire.”
On December 29, Asus issued a recall on the product – or what the company is calling a “replacement program.”
In a statement, Asus blamed the faults on the Z690’s capacitors, a component that stores electrical energy.
“In our ongoing investigation, we have preliminarily identified a potential reversed memory capacitor issue in the production process from one of the production lines that may cause debug error code 53, no post, or motherboard components damage,” the Taiwanese tech giant said.
“The issue potentially affects units manufactured in 2021 with the part number 90MB18E0-MVAAY0 and serial number starting with MA, MB, or MC.
“You can identify your part number by referring to the product packaging.”
The firm said the issue only affects some 2021 units with part number 90MB18E0-MVAAY0 and serial numbers starting with MA, MB, or MC.
It added that there have been “a few incidents reported in North America” and acknowledged that the problem could affect units manufactured in 2021.
Asus has launched a webpage where customers can type in their serial number and find out if their motherboard is at risk.
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