ASRock did one of those bizarre things where companies sometimes feel like they are doing something to help customers, when in fact it proves to be more of a nuisance. On its new X670E socket AM5 motherboard lineup for Ryzen 7000, the vendor decided to put "memory installation guide sticker" that covered up the entire DIMM region. While the intention was to help users install their new DDR5 kit, customers found that removing the sticker was difficult as it left off residue.
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In worse instances, the users would find big portions of the sticker still sticking to their place and of course there is a concern for possibly damaging their boards when trying to pull off the thing. The image below shows an example of such an instance:
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The intention of the sticker is to guide users through the first boot on the first firmware version. However, ASRock probably did not anticipate this kind of reaction.
Following these reports, the motherboard maker has apologized for the inconvenience caused by this event. In a press release today, the company put out the following statement:
ASRock, is aware of the feedback from some customer about the Memory Installation Guide sticker residue on AM5 motherboard"s memory slots. Part of ASRock AM5 motherboards in initial shipment came with the Memory Installation Guide stickers to illustrate the situation that end-users would face for the first boot with the first version of BIOS. Gladly, with the concerted efforts of ASRock and AMD engineers, the first booting time is shortened a lot after updating the new BIOS version. The motherboards without Memory Installation Guide sticker are all updated the BIOS.
If the customer feels concerned about the memory read and write operation due to the residue caused by tearing off the Memory Installation Guide sticker on ASRock AM5 motherboard"s memory slots. They can contact local retailers and e-tailers for the exchange service.
Therefore the good thing is that ASRock has confirmed it"s willing to accept RMAs for any damage, though so far, there doesn"t seem to be any such report of that happening. That may have to do with the market segment that AM5 motherboards currently reside in as it is mostly enthusiasts that have bought the new motherboards for now. The situation likely would have been worse in case of entry-level boards.
Source: ASRock