Hardware bans and CPU instability impact PC users

A user purchasing a second-hand AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D discovered that the processor was subject to a hardware ban (HWID) by Riot Games’ Vanguard anti-cheat system. The ban, reportedly issued in August due to the previous owner’s cheating in Valorant, prevented the new owner from playing the game. While the user claimed the ban affected other PC components, Riot Games stated that hardware bans are typically limited to a maximum of four months and that their support team is instructed to provide transparency regarding remaining ban durations.

Separately, ongoing stability concerns persist regarding Intel’s 13th and 14th generation Core processors. A user reported experiencing continuous system crashes and blue screens even after replacing an Intel Core i9-14900K four times and applying the latest BIOS microcode updates. The user encountered error code 0xC0000005, a symptom frequently associated with the Raptor Lake instability issues.