If you own an ASRock Radeon RX 7900 XT or RX 7900 XTX, hold off on the latest firmware. VBIOS 1.0.5, which ASRock posted on October 29, has bricked cards for several users: the ASRVBFlash utility starts flashing, Windows reboots, and the PC won't start with that card installed anymore. Users report that ASRock has pulled the files from its download pages, but there is no official statement or recovery procedure yet.
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Which cards got the firmware and which ones broke
| ASRock model | VBIOS 1.0.5, Oct 29 | Bricking reports |
|---|---|---|
| RX 7900 XTX Taichi and Taichi White | yes | yes |
| RX 7900 XTX Phantom Gaming | yes | yes |
| RX 7900 XT Phantom Gaming and White | yes | yes |
| RX 7800 XT Challenger and Steel Legend | yes | none seen |
| RX 7700 XT Challenger | yes | none seen |
| RX 7600 XT Challenger and Steel Legend | yes | none seen |
This is part of the wave of "security" firmware that AMD's partners pushed out for Radeon RX 7000 cards in October, with Sapphire and GIGABYTE going before ASRock. Nobody has properly explained what vulnerability these updates close. ASRock shipped 1.0.5 for ten of its cards, and so far, according to VideoCardz and TechPowerUp, the failures only involve the RX 7900 XT and XTX. A VideoCardz reader going by MO described the typical sequence on an RX 7900 XTX Phantom Gaming: he followed ASRock's instructions, the utility checked compatibility and restarted Windows on its own, and after that the PC wouldn't POST with the card in. Without it, the system boots normally. Similar reports came from ASRock and MSI motherboards, so it isn't down to one board.
What to do if you've already flashed it
If your card isn't flashed yet, leave it alone and wait for a corrected version. Users report that the 1.0.5 files have been removed from ASRock's pages (the HTTP links return 404), although they can still be downloaded over FTP, which suggests the release is only hidden for now.
If it's too late, there are two routes. At least two RX 7900 XTX Phantom Gaming owners brought their cards back by writing an older VBIOS with an external EEPROM programmer, one of them a T48 with a test clip. Older VBIOS versions are archived at TechPowerUp. It takes steady hands and isn't for everyone, and I'd only go that way if the warranty has already run out. The simpler route: a user in Japan says ASRock support confirmed the failure is covered under warranty. There's no public company statement, so keep your correspondence and contact support directly.
Sources
VideoCardz, November 5, 2026: the reader's account, affected models, recovery with a T48 programmer, 404s on the download pages, the escalation to ASRock, warranty in Japan. TechPowerUp, November 6, 2026: version 1.0.5, the list of ten cards, ASRVBFlash 1.0.5, the old VBIOS archive. TechPowerUp VBIOS archive. Images: Radeon RX 7900 XT photo by Shinobara, 2025, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
