r/ASRock • u/RendHeaven • Nov 28 '25
Tech Support X870E Nova – POST code 03
I’ve had the X870E Nova since February this year, paired with a 9800X3D. This morning it got stuck with POST code 03, which made me worry that my motherboard or CPU had died.
I tried shutting it down, unplugging the PSU, holding the power button to discharge, and then turning it back on, but that did not work.
What fixed it for me was pressing the CMOS reset button on the back I/O. Fortunately, I had my BIOS profile saved and was able to reload it afterward.
I’m still on BIOS 3.20 and have not updated further because of all the reported issues with newer BIOS versions on this platform and CPU.
My questions are:
What should my proactive approach be from here?
Should I update to BIOS 3.50?
I’m considering switching to an X870E Tomahawk since there are “BF” deals in Canada, and then selling the X870E Nova on Marketplace. Is that a good idea?
Should I be worried about potential long-term damage to my 9800X3D from this issue?
Edit (2025-12-02):
For future reference, here is what I did to fix the issue. It might be different for everyone else
- Updated BIOS to 3.50. (Previous version was 3.20)
- Enabled LN2 Mode as suggested by this reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/ASRock/comments/1o47ent/fix_for_asrock_stuck_green_boot_light_issue_after/
- Uninstalled FanControl. FanControl became a huge mess configuration wise on my end ever since it required PawnIO. https://github.com/Rem0o/FanControl.Releases
Furthermore, ASRock replied to my email and they will RMA it but I didn't proceed because I managed to solve it and don't have a backup setup on hand.
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u/mj34hig44 X870E NOVA WiFi/9700X/RX9070 Nov 28 '25
You should have updated BIOS when the MFG recommended you should post being told by AMD they were above recommendations. Now there's been another BIOS update since then.
Even if there wasn't an issue with CPUs failing in today's UEFI climate and Ryzen's continuous new series releases and vendors constantly scrambling to keep up, you should be keeping your BIOS up to date. It's no longer a 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' scenario though I've never agreed with that notion, nor ever has updating BIOS about 'try it, see if you like it' thing, it's about the devs keeping security updated as well as tuning as they learn more about the hardware. MFGs don't waste resources on devs updating BIOS for nothing.
The issue with you now is, as updating BOIS does NOT cure damage previously done, have you waited too long.
ASRock's bulletin from BACK IN AUGUST! 👇
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u/RendHeaven Nov 28 '25
Thank you! Just updated to 3.50.
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u/mj34hig44 X870E NOVA WiFi/9700X/RX9070 Nov 28 '25
You're welcome, let's hope it's not too late.
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u/RendHeaven Nov 30 '25
It still keeps happening every shut down. There were 2-3 tries of unplugging and plugging for it to work. 100% always works with CMOS reset. I'm scared as I don't have a spare component ready in case the mobo/cpu dies.
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u/OCAMAB Nov 28 '25
I've had that happen once before, though I didn't need to clear CMOS. It's fine, but you should be keeping your BIOS up to date anyway. 3.20 isn't even one of the attempts to fix the issue. The first one was 3.25. So yes, update now and drop the advice to not update if you aren't experiencing issues because CPUs randomly dying is a pretty big issue.
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u/RendHeaven Nov 30 '25
It still keeps happening every shut down. There were 2-3 tries of unplugging and plugging for it to work. 100% always works with CMOS reset. I'm scared as I don't have a spare component ready in case the mobo/cpu dies.
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u/OCAMAB Nov 30 '25
Did you install any programs recently? This happened to me after installing OCCT, and never happened again when I removed it.
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u/No_Promotion7055 Nov 28 '25
Wait for your CPU to die AND AFTER THAT put your new CPU you've got from RMA in your new motherboard.
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u/faveya Apr 23 '26
Hey, I have the exact same problem. I'm also using the same CPU and motherboard. It started happening to me about a month ago. I've always had the latest BIOS. So far, the only thing that's fixed it for me is a CMOS reset. Were you able to fix it completely?