Did you purchase an AMD Ryzen or AMD Athlon CPU or an HP PC equipped with an AMD Ryzen or AMD Athlon CPU since March 10, 2021? You may be entitled to compensation. Fill out the form to find out your rights »

Case Status
Active
Court
U.S. District Court Northern District of California
Case Number
3:22-cv-04305-VC, 3:22-cv-04273-CRB
Defendant(S)
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
HP, Inc.
File Date

WHAT’S THE ISSUE?

Hagens Berman and co-counsel filed a lawsuit against Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) accusing it of making, marketing and selling defective central processing units (CPUs) that cause invasive stuttering of audiovisual playback and render consumers’ computers vulnerable to catastrophic firmware attacks. Hagens Berman has also filed a related lawsuit against HP for selling and distributing PCs equipped with AMD’s defective CPUs.

WHO IS AFFECTED?

If you purchased an AMD Ryzen or AMD Athlon CPU with an fTPM module or an HP PC equipped with an AMD Ryzen or AMD Athlon CPU on or after March 10, 2021, you may be impacted. Fill out the form to find out your rights.

ABOUT THE ALLEGED DESIGN FLAW IN AMD CPUS

According to the lawsuit, AMD Ryzen and Athlon processors are equipped with defective firmware Trusted Platform Modules (fTPMs). Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs) are a piece of hardware designed to separate sensitive cryptographic and other security-related resources from the main CPU and system memory to protect them in the event of a cyberattack. Starting in June 2021, in response to an increase in cyberattacks, Microsoft required computers to have TPMs as a precondition for running the Windows 11 operating system.

Allegedly, instead of adhering to this new requirement and including a TPM in its CPU design, AMD implemented what was essentially a defeat device for Microsoft’s new TPM requirement: an fTPM. An fTPM is not hardware like a TPM, rather it is simply a piece of code that announces itself to the Windows 11 operating system as a TPM. According to the lawsuit, the fTPM that AMD implemented in its Ryzon and Athlon CPUs not only flouts Microsoft’s security requirements — it actually makes the device more vulnerable to cyberattacks. It also allegedly puts a strain on the computer’s processing power that causes the entire system to stutter during media playback, video conferencing, gameplay and other audiovisual activities.

WHAT CONSUMERS ARE SAYING ABOUT DEFECTIVE AMD PROCESSORS

Attorneys say AMD has not fixed or replaced its defective CPUs, despite widespread consumer complaints:

  • “The whole time playing I had pretty bad buyers remorse because this isn't how the game played on my 3060… I think I have tried everything under the sun and absolutely nothing helps.”
  • “Experiencing these annoying stutters that just make the game unplayable.”
  • “When the stutters happen, they are system wide. Anything I’m doing at the time freaks out. Usually I have YouTube open on a second monitor and the video stutters, the audio stutters, mouse cursor, everything.”

YOUR CONSUMER RIGHTS

According to the lawsuits, AMD marketed its Ryzen and Athlon CPUs as having high quality, speed, performance and security and as particularly well-suited for video streaming, videoconferencing and gaming. HP similarly marketed its Ryzen and Athlon CPU-equipped PC’s as ideal for video streaming, videoconferencing, and gaming. The lawsuits bring claims of fraud and violation of various state consumer protection laws against AMD and HP, and seeks compensation for those impacted by the allegedly defective CPUs.

EXPERIENCED HIGH-TECH LAW FIRM

Hagens Berman is one of the most prominent plaintiffs’ litigation law firms in the U.S. and has achieved settlements valued at more than $320 billion in lawsuits across its practice areas. The firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits against some of the most powerful players in Big Tech, including Apple, Google and Samsung.

NO COST TO YOU

In no case will any class member be asked to pay any out-of-pocket sum. In the event Hagens Berman or any other firm obtains a settlement that provides benefits to class members, the court will decide a reasonable fee to be awarded to the class's legal team.

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