- Asus recently launched its Q-Release Slim feature for GPUs
- Said feature is reportedly damaging GPUs
- There is no current solution for this problem from Asus
Asus’ Q-Release Slim revealed for the first time in August 2024 during Gamescom. It is an eject feature on AMD and Intel 800 series motherboards that makes removing graphics cards much easier. However, the recently launched feature is reportedly causing major headaches for buyers.
According HXL and Andreas Schilling From HardwareLuxx (reported by Tom’s Hardware), Q-Release Slim has been causing damage to graphics cards by scraping the sides of the connector. This could ruin your expensive graphics cards, including the recent RTX 5090.
The Q-Release Slim is supposed to be an improved version of the Q-Release released in 2021 for high-end Asus ROG motherboards. Allows you to quickly eject cards by titling them as you pull them up. However, the fault lies on the pin side of the motherboard’s PCIe slot, which has an embedded metal piece that rubs against the connector. If the card is ejected frequently, this can cause significant damage, something reviews and overclockers often do.
Uniko Hardware offers more information on the matter, including several photos from the bilibili channel. The first is about the design flaw that supposedly causes this problem, while two more are before and after the condition of the original card versus the damaging results of using Q-Release Slim Eject 60 times.
We have also reached out to Asus regarding this issue and will update this story with any statements from them.
This is not the only problem that affects Asus either
This isn’t the only recent report about Asus motherboards either. Patch Notes Out Earlywhich revealed a BETA BIOS fix for a “microcode signature verification vulnerability,” apparently affecting Asus gaming motherboards.
Tavis Ormandy, the security researcher who spotted the leak, said: “It appears that an OEM leaked the patch for an upcoming major CPU vulnerability, i.e. ‘AMD Microcode Signature Verification Vulnerability.'” He then continues: “I’m not enthusiastic about this. The patch is not currently in the Linux firmware, so this is the only publicly available patch.”
When Asus edited the patch notes to remove mention of the AMD microcode issue, AMD had already confirmed the vulnerability to The Registry. “AMD is aware of a recently reported processor vulnerability. Execution of the attack requires local administrator-level system access and the development and execution of malicious microcode,” the company stated.
It seems that Asus motherboards have been involved in serious problems, which could spell disaster for both processors and graphics cards. Hopefully, the manufacturer can fix the issue soon, as the timing couldn’t be worse: with the launch of the RTX 5000 series and new processors on the horizon.
