The AMD 7900 XTX, more precisely the MBA design ("Made by AMD") is getting hot. Occasionally even too hot, as the manufacturer now has to admit after the first denials. Both individual graphics cards in the reference design and partner cards based on the layout designed by AMD are affected.
High hotspot temperatures (yet) call AMD into action
Shortly before the Christmas holidays, the first reports of excessive temperatures of the Radeon RX 7900 XTX increased in the subreddit r/AMD . Up to 110 degrees Celsius were measured at the GPU hotspot, which led to a temperature-related clock reduction, also known as (thermal) throttling , of the affected graphics cards. This in turn not only resulted in a reduced performance, but is also reflected in an increased fan speed and thus a higher volume. Ultimately, permanent operation in this state cannot rule out negative effects on the service life of the graphics card.
In the meantime, the reports have meanwhile also called the manufacturer into action, who now wants to investigate. Initially, however, AMD did not see any warranty claims justifying sending in the affected graphics cards, as the manufacturer's support had informed the Reddit user u/nero1338 .
Thank you for your email. The temperatures are normal if you there is any issue please, contact us back. [sic] Thanks for contacting AMD. AMD Customer Support
After the request for a repair or an exchange was initially rejected as part of the liability for defects, the manufacturer later approached the user and allowed the RDNA 3 graphics card to be sent in after the post on the AMD subreddit gained traction. An employee of the lowest support department who was unfamiliar with the matter was presumably responsible for the hasty cancellation, which would also explain the broken English.
After the Radeon RX 7900 XTX has now been sent from Germany to Canada, AMD will then investigate further, as reported by u/nero1338 .
We are aware that a limited number of users are experiencing unexpected thermal throttling on AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics cards (reference models made by AMD). Users experiencing unexpected thermal throttling of an AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX should contact AMD Support. AMD
The sometimes very large delta between edge and hotspot temperature of up to more than 50 Kelvin is particularly noticeable in the affected graphics cards - the peak temperature of individual areas of the GPU of mostly 110 °C is apparently well above the average temperature.
Temperatures unremarkable in editorial tests
The temperatures were unremarkable in the test on ComputerBase, in the sample of the Radeon RX 7900 XTX reference design available to the editor, the Navi 30 graphics processor reached an edge temperature of 73 °C, while the hotspot at 88 °C and the GDDR6 memory at 92 °C. During the course of the measurements, the card was repeatedly exposed to high loads in various positions, but showed no abnormalities.
Is the community also affected?
Is your AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX affected by temperature issues?
Yes, my reference design is affected (vertical)
Yes, my reference design is affected (horizontal)
Yes, my partner card (MBA design) is affected (vertical)
Yes, my partner card (MBA design) is affected (horizontal)
Vapor chamber is suspected to be the cause
The extreme overclocker Roman Hartung aka der8auer , who had already investigated the hotspot problem around the Christmas holidays and initially assumed that the problem could be solved with a simple reassembly and new thermal paste, has since corrected himself and the evaporator chamber (Vapor Chamber) identified as the cause. This is basically a large, flat heat pipe that can cover an entire GPU die and sometimes also the built-in graphics memory and other components and dissipate the heat that is generated. Corresponding constructions are usually considered superior to a simple metal base plate, for example made of copper.
The overclocker bought an affected AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX reference design from a user who was complaining about temperature problems and was able to measure an unusually high hotspot temperature of 110 °C at a usual average temperature of 67 °C.
The installation direction also plays a role
As part of his tests, Hartung looked at a total of four graphics cards with (too) high hotspot temperatures and was able to identify one constant when problems occurred: the installation direction. While vertical installation, which is still unusual in cases, only average temperatures of 62 °C and 90 °C could be measured at the hotspot, the temperatures rose to an average of 75 °C and 110 °C respectively with horizontal installation with the fans downwards. What was amazing was that the temperatures rose when the graphics cards were laid down from the vertical to the horizontal position, but did not fall again when they were set up again in the vertical orientation. Hartung was able to verify this fact with several graphics cards.
The hypothesis: A design or material defect in the vapor chamber prevents an even distribution of the working medium, which is liquid at room temperature, inside the chamber. Complex and asymmetrical shapes of the vapor chamber, an unsuitable internal pressure or an insufficient amount of working medium inside could also play a role - but due to time constraints, Hartung has not yet been able to open the cooler and investigate further.
In principle, all MBA designs are affected, but not all cards exhibit the problem to the same extent. According to the current state of knowledge, custom designs with the board partners' own layout are not affected, as they have a different cooling design.
AMD is under fire and under pressure
On Reddit , the situation is now causing plenty of ridicule and malice. On the one hand, it is incomprehensible how such a suspected design or material defect of such a high-priced flagship graphics card could not be noticed during development or at the latest during quality assurance. On the other hand, AMD's smug exploitation of the 12VHPWR melting connector controversy for marketing purposes has drawn plenty of sarcastic comments. Figures from Nvidia and GamersNexusat that time calculated the number of affected users to be 0.04 percent, with an application error ultimately causing the problems. In the case of the heat problems of the Radeon RX 7900 XTX, there are still no reliable numbers - but the extent of the problem is sometimes much larger.
It remains to be seen how AMD will ultimately deal with this. The fact that the topic came up at the beginning of the Christmas holidays and developed further over the years is extremely unfavorable for the manufacturer: there were virtually no opportunities to react appropriately. It should now be correspondingly difficult for AMD to regain information sovereignty and to catch any false assumptions that are circulating. Roman Hartung has already speculated about a broad-based recall campaign, but such a step should ultimately be off the table for the time being. Such an approach would be the extremely expensive and ultimately reputation-damaging ultima ratio for AMD, which the manufacturer will probably avoid at all costs.
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