ROG Strix X670E-E Gaming Wifi – BIOS does not retain date/time (RTC), even after battery/PSU/BIOS checks
Board: ROG Strix X670E-E
BIOS: 3304 (latest available at this time)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
RAM: 128 GB Corsair Vengeance RGB Series
PSU: Corsair RM 850X Series
OS: Windows 10
Summary of the fault
The motherboard consistently loses the BIOS date and time and appears to reset some settings after power cycles/restarts. On POST I get a message asking me to enter Setup because settings were reset (date/time are wrong). After I correct the clock and apply my usual BIOS settings, the problem reappears on the next reboot/cold boot. This is not caused by the CMOS battery, PSU, or a corrupted BIOS.
- Detailed timeline / steps taken
System powered on and immediately showed a POST message to re-enter BIOS (settings lost/date & time incorrect). - Entered BIOS, adjusted my usual settings, saved, and let Windows boot.
- Launched a game; the PC powered off unexpectedly.
- On the next boot the same POST message appeared again (settings/date reset).
- Re-applied settings in BIOS and booted to Windows.
- Updated GPU drivers and AMD chipset drivers.
- Rebooted; driver updates applied successfully.
- Monitored temperatures; all readings were normal.
- During light use the system rebooted again by itself.
- Decided to update the BIOS to the latest available version. Flash completed successfully.
- Issue persisted: after reboot/cold boot, BIOS clock and settings are lost again.
- Suspected CMOS battery; opened the PC and replaced the CR2032.
- Problem persisted (date/time still not retained).
- Swapped the power supply with a known-good unit; no change. Reverted to the original PSU; no change.
- Tried booting with all USB devices disconnected; same behavior.
At this point I stopped troubleshooting; the behavior is consistent and reproducible.
Current behavior:
- Any reboot or cold boot can trigger a POST prompt to enter BIOS with the date/time reset.
- Windows loads normally after correcting the clock, temperatures remain normal, but random shutdowns/restarts may occur, after which the BIOS again forgets the clock.
The behavior is identical with a new CMOS battery, with a different PSU, after a successful BIOS update, and with no USB devices attached.
What I’m looking for:
- Is this a known RTC/NVRAM issue on the X670E-E?
-Any additional diagnostics I should run (specific RTC/NVRAM tests, EC/ME reset procedure, jumper-based clear vs. long battery-out discharge, etc.)?
-If this pattern points to a hardware fault on the board (RTC/NVRAM/EC), should I proceed with RMA?
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
