diff --git a/ethereum/referencetests/src/reference-test/external-resources b/ethereum/referencetests/src/reference-test/external-resources
index 69c4c2a98dc..638da7ca7b2 160000
--- a/ethereum/referencetests/src/reference-test/external-resources
+++ b/ethereum/referencetests/src/reference-test/external-resources
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 69c4c2a98dc8a712d4c6f5a817da4f21ff719006
+Subproject commit 638da7ca7b2ca371ebb33d7d7d2562981aafd9b2
diff --git a/evm/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/evm/operation/AbstractCreateOperation.java b/evm/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/evm/operation/AbstractCreateOperation.java
index ca28eecdb62..a2ebcf472df 100644
--- a/evm/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/evm/operation/AbstractCreateOperation.java
+++ b/evm/src/main/java/org/hyperledger/besu/evm/operation/AbstractCreateOperation.java
@@ -80,6 +80,12 @@ public OperationResult execute(final MessageFrame frame, final EVM evm) {
     final MutableAccount account = frame.getWorldUpdater().getAccount(address).getMutable();
 
     frame.clearReturnData();
+    final long inputOffset = clampedToLong(frame.getStackItem(1));
+    final long inputSize = clampedToLong(frame.getStackItem(2));
+    if (inputSize > maxInitcodeSize) {
+      frame.popStackItems(getStackItemsConsumed());
+      return new OperationResult(cost, ExceptionalHaltReason.CODE_TOO_LARGE);
+    }
 
     if (value.compareTo(account.getBalance()) > 0
         || frame.getMessageStackDepth() >= 1024
@@ -88,12 +94,6 @@ public OperationResult execute(final MessageFrame frame, final EVM evm) {
     } else {
       account.incrementNonce();
 
-      final long inputOffset = clampedToLong(frame.getStackItem(1));
-      final long inputSize = clampedToLong(frame.getStackItem(2));
-      if (inputSize > maxInitcodeSize) {
-        frame.popStackItems(getStackItemsConsumed());
-        return new OperationResult(cost, ExceptionalHaltReason.CODE_TOO_LARGE);
-      }
       final Bytes inputData = frame.readMemory(inputOffset, inputSize);
       // Never cache CREATEx initcode. The amount of reuse is very low, and caching mostly
       // addresses disk loading delay, and we already have the code.