One of my graphics cards can't retain stock clocks.

[TheMorningStar]

One of my MSI rx480 can't retain its stock clock of 1303mhz, its fan profile is also totally different to the other card. it also draws around 10-20 watts more than the other card at the same clocks. The setup has always been a bit flakey but I was able to unify the clocks by playing around with vcore and power limit but it seems to be degrading and it's getting harder to find a balance.

I've tested the two cards independently now and I'm seeing the same behaviour from just this card.

Both cards also seem to have an issue with the heatsinks and are looser than should be expected. I haven't seen a heatsink slip around like this since the 9800 pro days. I think this is probably adding to the situation. I was going to try and fix this myself with high-end thermal products like kryonaught or liquid metal pads but I haven't found the washers I would need as yet and I'm not convinced it would make a difference to this one, and I don't want to complicate an RMA with broken seals and replacement TIM even though we are supposed to be able to change these things.

I'm guessing this is an RMA situation and it should be able to retain stock clocks at default vcore/pwr settings?

 

[ZeroG]

If it can't retain a stock clock then yeah send it back as it's clearly faulty, don't even try to fix it.

 

[JTrickle]

What do you mean by heat sink slip? I've never heard of such a thing.

 

[TheMorningStar]

If it can't retain a stock clock then yeah send it back as it's clearly faulty, don't even try to fix it.

Yeah, thought as much, wasn't sure about the 480 and stock speeds vs boost clocks but I'm pretty sure the MSI cards are supposed to run at 1303mhz and not slip below this.

What do you mean by heat sink slip? I've never heard of such a thing.

It's hard to explain, it looks like the mounting holes for the heatsink haven't been milled out enough.. or the screws themselves are to long.. or they forgot to add some washers and the heatsinks then have as much play in them as the mounting holes allow, which equates to about a few millimetres. More important is the fact that this means a tight seal isn't achieved over the GPU core which is stopping me replacing the TIM, as there is no point until I get a tight fitment. I'd show you a video of me wiggling the heatsink if I can host it on youtube or something.

 

[nashathedog]

I'll never again trust MSI for AMD cards, This gen it's been XFX that seem to have the best aftermarket models, I usually go with Sapphire.
Both MSI and Asus can go and take a hike.
They try and cut corners when it comes to cooler development for AMD cards,
As exampled by their Hawaii models and the recycled kepler heatsinks they used.
It's not worth the risk.

 

[TheMorningStar]

I'll never again trust MSI for AMD cards, This gen it's been XFX that seem to have the best aftermarket models, I usually go Sapphire while both MSI and Asus can go and take a hike.
They try and cut corners when it comes to cooler development for AMD cards,
As exampled by their Hawaii models and the recycled kepler heatsinks they used.
It's not worth the risk.

Well, I'm disappointed with these, they aren't the silent cards advertised unless you run them in the open or with the front of the case off with fans blowing on them, good heatsink contact would have probably resolved this.

Here's a video of the movement.

 

[nashathedog]

Is it the heatsink and cooler that's loose?

To me that looks like the backplate that's moving but obviously I'm not the one that's hands on, either way it's not fit for sale if it can't hold it's clocks.

If it's inside the 14 day return window I'd send both back and go for one or two of the XFX GTR models.

That said if you can refund just the one wait for Vega to avoid the crossfire woes.

 

[TheMorningStar]

Is it the heatsink and cooler that's loose?

To me that looks like the backplate that's moving but obviously I'm not the one that's hands on, either way it's not fit for sale if it can't hold its clocks.

If it's inside the 14 day return window I'd send both back and go for one or two of the XFX GTR models.

The backplate is solid and unmoving, what you're actually seeing are the screw heads moving about, they are fully tightened here, bar the security seal and they still don't grip the PCB tightly. Some people report heatsinks are rock solid, which I would expect from a modern graphics card of this nature. Sadly, I have had these for 6 months or more and they have always been a ballache in terms of thermals/acoustics, I actually pretty much gave up gaming because they were that loud but I have more time to sort some of this shiz out. I had a lot of problems to deal with on this build, this, while annoying was by no means the worst, that honour goes to the mobo, also from MSI.

 

[JTrickle]

Here's a video of the movement.

Thats not normal. Ask them for an RMA auth. Link that vid in your message to them. {assuming its not <14 as stated}

 

[ED209]

Looks like the cooler has not been tightened up enough, there is four screws that hold it in place.

I would RMA it and get a replacement!

 

[Phixsator]

I've had similar a issue in regards to the clocks not sticking where my asus strix rx 480 would not be able to hold factory overclock at all. But then all the similarities between your issue and mine stops. My problem was the huge overvolt put on the card on a bios level causing it to overheat. Removing that through wattman and the clock is now solid at 1310 and never dips and the card is also a bit quieter.

I would certainly RMA your card OP, a heatsink is not supposed to be moving around that easy.

 

[TheMorningStar]

Looks like the cooler has not been tightened up enough, there is four screws that hold it in place.

I would RMA it and get a replacement!

Yeah, they can't be tightened more than they are in the video, I've said above it's either, screws are too long, heatsink not milled out enough to accommodate length of screw or it's missing washers of some kind. Must have been a bad batch as both are like this, I think I'm only noticing as I wanted a very quiet system.

Thats not normal. Ask them for an RMA auth. Link that vid in your message to them. {assuming its not <14 as stated}

<14? sorry man, lost me there. (?) Wait, got it, days, ha!

 

[r7slayer]

Yea that's the cooler as the backplate has other screws. That's too loose. The cooler should not give like that. Means not enough pressure is given on the core. Especially when you have your card inserted and the weight of the cooler is hanging meaning there is a slight gap.