Asus recalls product after users 'smell smoke'

Asus has been forced to issue a product recall after reports from some users that its motherboards were melting.

Reports emerged on social media that a number of affected Z690 Hero motherboards made by the computer company were burning and producing smoke after normal use.

Asus acknowledged the fault and said it could "potentially affect" specific units manufactured in 2021. The Z690 Hero is a high-end motherboard for use on gaming desktop computers.

The motherboard is the bit into which you plug all the other parts of a PC. The majority of those affected have reported seeing a Bios warning code of 53 on screen, which indicates a memory initialisation failure.

Others smelled smoke and found burn marks on the products, while one user on social media platform Reddit reported an actual fire being sparked.

User TheMaxXHD said they were browsing the internet when their PC shut down and: "When I look over there I see a component on the motherboard literally on fire."

Asus acknowledged the issue in a statement on its website and warned the fault could "affect units manufactured in 2021" with a specific part and serial number.

Owners of the motherboard can examine the product packaging to see if their hardware is affected. Customers can also type in their serial number on Asus's website to see if their model could be faulty.

"We have recently received incident reports regarding the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero motherboard," said the company.

"The issue potentially affects units manufactured in 2021 with the part number 90MB18E0-MVAAY0 and serial numbers starting with MA, MB, or MC."