The Radeon VII Owners Thread

Chud_Jenny · 25 Apr 2019 at 16:59

I've had the email too from Alphacool.
I've done some investigation this afternoon. The reference cooler doesn't have a pad over "R47 1833" but the alphacool pads are 1mm thick. The reference pads are thicker and the EKWB block doesn't use a pad either.

This is my block removed and as you can see the pad hasn't even been crushed like the rest with the imprints of the vrm. Mines a Sapphire card.
Just to give a easy measure of 2mm, a 2p coin is 2mm thick so the "r47 1833" should be just slightly less.

MeddlE · 25 Apr 2019 at 17:10

Chud_Jenny said:
I've had the email too from Alphacool.
I've done some investigation this afternoon. The reference cooler doesn't have a pad over "R47 1833" but the alphacool pads are 1mm thick. The reference pads are thicker and the EKWB block doesn't use a pad either.
This is my block removed and as you can see the pad hasn't even been crushed like the rest with the imprints of the vrm. Mines a Sapphire card.
Just to give a easy measure of 2mm, a 2p coin is 2mm thick so the "r47 1833" should be just slightly less.

The one that is at issue doesn't have a pad over it in your picture. It would sit in the area of the black rivet on the lower right-hand side of your picture.

vapor matt · 25 Apr 2019 at 17:18

I checked my bykski block when fitting it and had contact on every pad, my card was a gigabyte card from launch, so I would imagine a reference card. any manufacturer selling the VII should state reference design or non reference design clearly.
by the above picture it looks like you have no contact on that pad at all, so your component is shallower than the block, if alphacool is saying it could damage that component by crushing it then it seems some touch the pad, which alphacool doesn't.
and some do which bykski did on mine. EK we have no idea yet. but what worries me is the fact the reference air cooler? is this subject to the same issue of components being different heights offering poor contact on some cards causing higher temps.

I cant see all manufacturers making the own reference style cooler to fit there card alone, I thought they just stuck the stickers on the fans only. A little concerning for people even with the standard air cooler. a lower component you can use a thicker pad, but higher and crushing it or holding off the heat plate from GPU is not good.

or could this just be alphacool made a mistake in manufacture?

sits in recess in block marked in green. doesn't look like a thermal pad even sits on it, just a cut away in block.

Chud_Jenny · 25 Apr 2019 at 17:31

MeddlE said:
The one that is at issue doesn't have a pad over it in your picture. It would sit in the area of the black rivet on the lower right-hand side of your picture.

You're right, getting the picture mixed up lol. I think its going to be referring to the black screw that holds the RGB strip in place that will crush the component if its too tall!

Chud_Jenny · 25 Apr 2019 at 18:45

I'VE JUST GOT MINE OUT AND IT IS THE BLACK SCREW HEAD TOUCHING "r47 1833"!!!
AND ITS DAMAGED IT!!!!

MeddlE · 25 Apr 2019 at 19:10

Chud_Jenny said:
I'VE JUST GOT MINE OUT AND IT IS THE BLACK SCREW HEAD TOUCHING "r47 1833"!!!
AND ITS DAMAGED IT!!!!

****!

Mine should be ok for two reasons.

1) I've measured and mine is 1.77mm tall

2) I'm removing the rgb strip.

vapor matt · 25 Apr 2019 at 19:43

Chud_Jenny said:
I'VE JUST GOT MINE OUT AND IT IS THE BLACK SCREW HEAD TOUCHING "r47 1833"!!!
AND ITS DAMAGED IT!!!!

The black screw head isn't sitting inline with the r47 1833, looking at the pic on the page before it sits directly beneath the coils with thermal pads on, unless on your card r47 is not in the same place as Pic.

this pic

Chud_Jenny · 25 Apr 2019 at 19:48

MeddlE said:
****!

Mine should be ok for two reasons.

1) I've measured and mine is 1.77mm tall

2) I'm removing the rgb strip.

I've been very lucky. "R82 1833" at the other side has been marked too!
I've also removed the RGB strip to get rid of the screws and its solved the issue.

Chud_Jenny · 25 Apr 2019 at 19:53

vapor matt said:
The black screw head isn't sitting inline with the r47 1833, looking at the pic on the page before it sits directly beneath the coils with thermal pads on, unless on your card r47 is not in the same place as Pic on previous page.

this pic

You are getting the chokes mixed up.

vapor matt · 25 Apr 2019 at 19:59

Dam I see now :rolleyes:

hope your card is ok mate, if not contact alphacool there over sight.

Dicehunter · 25 Apr 2019 at 20:10

Building a system for a friend with an R7 and anytime junction temp reaches 110'c the whole system freezes, Black screen and then eventually goes back to the desktop with the driver recovering itself, This happened to mine constantly before I lapped my heatsink, Whoever at AMD is in charge of cooler design needs to be fired.

Chud_Jenny · 25 Apr 2019 at 20:11

vapor matt said:
isn't R47 in the same place on your pic and the pic supplied? does R47 sit in a cut out directly below the thermal pads, is the cut out not big enough and clamps on the edge of R47? I can see the mark on R82 as well. was not well thought out the alphacool block.

No its crap in a word. They aren't sat in a cut out. If the screw heads where flat it wouldn't of been an issue. Its a deadly RGB strip!

vapor matt · 25 Apr 2019 at 20:16

Chud_Jenny said:
No its crap in a word. They aren't sat in a cut out. If the screw heads where flat it wouldn't of been an issue. Its a deadly RGB strip!

yea I see what you mean now, been a long day mate, and yes it is crap as alphacool should have used flat head screws. hope your card is ok.

Chud_Jenny · 25 Apr 2019 at 20:26

vapor matt said:
yea I see what you mean now, been a long day mate, and yes it is crap as alphacool should have used flat head screws. hope your card is ok.

Its been a long few weeks with this BS lol. Its always the most simple stuff that causes issues. I've done a quick post test with the loop in pieces and the vii was 22c in HWinfo. Not bad for passive lol. I've been changing my loop as the xspc d5 dual 5.25 bay I was using had to go. It was dragging all the air back into the loop, another very poor design. I was fine with my vega running on speed 2 but any more and it turns into a sloshing disaster! Got a "EK-DBAY D5 MX - Acetal" to fit when I get 5 mins lol. And a 2nd Powercolor vii to ek block for my brother next week. (good card too 1054mv)

Vince · 25 Apr 2019 at 20:32

Chud_Jenny said:
No its crap in a word. They aren't sat in a cut out. If the screw heads where flat it wouldn't of been an issue. Its a deadly RGB strip!

Mate sorry to hear about your card. looks like you might just get away with it though! This is the last straw on alphacool stuff for me. I think it was you I was telling a few pages back about the shoddy build quality and non existent quality control on the eiswolf.

vapor matt · 25 Apr 2019 at 20:33

Chud_Jenny said:
Its been a long few weeks with this BS lol. Its always the most simple stuff that causes issues. I've done a quick post test with the loop in pieces and the vii was 22c in HWinfo. Not bad for passive lol. I've been changing my loop as the xspc d5 dual 5.25 bay I was using had to go. It was dragging all the air back into the loop, another very poor design. I was fine with my vega running on speed 2 but any more and it turns into a sloshing disaster! Got a "EK-DBAY D5 MX - Acetal" to fit when I get 5 mins lol. And a 2nd Powercolor vii to ek block for my brother next week. (good card too 1054mv)

blimey you have had a bad few weeks mate, never used the xspc dual 5.25 but have always liked the vertical res with D5 at bottom, I had problems getting the air out of the 2080ti DK block, good thing I use flexi hoses so I could take card out and twist it around
to remove the air trap, with solid tubes it would have been much more difficult. and looks like your bro got a good low 1054mv card. very nice, it should clock quite nicely.

Chud_Jenny · 25 Apr 2019 at 20:39

vapor matt said:
blimey you have had a bad few weeks mate, never used the xspc dual 5.25 but have always liked the vertical res with D5 at bottom, I had problems getting the air out of the 2080ti DK block, good thing I use flexi hoses so I could take card out and twist it around
to remove the air trap, with solid tubes it would have been much more difficult. and looks like your bro got a good low 1054mv card. very nice, it should clock quite nicely.

Ye, its going on its own slim 360mm loop. This CPU is staying on a 240 aio to keep it simple. I think XSPC seem to be dying. I know I've spoken on the phone to the guys a ocuk and they struggle to get hold of there stock now.

Chud_Jenny · 25 Apr 2019 at 20:40

Vince said:
Mate sorry to hear about your card. looks like you might just get away with it though! This is the last straw on alphacool stuff for me. I think it was you I was telling a few pages back about the shoddy build quality and non existent quality control on the eiswolf.

Not me on the eiswolf, I do remember reading that too though.

Illuminist · 25 Apr 2019 at 20:47

Vince said:
Mate sorry to hear about your card. looks like you might just get away with it though! This is the last straw on alphacool stuff for me. I think it was you I was telling a few pages back about the shoddy build quality and non existent quality control on the eiswolf.

Second that, one dead vega and 2 dead alpha cool blocks late

Vince · 25 Apr 2019 at 21:28

Illuminist said:
Second that, one dead vega and 2 dead alpha cool blocks late

Chud_Jenny said:
Not me on the eiswolf, I do remember reading that too though.

I think they need to put a lot more into the stuff that they produce. In my house the name alphacool goes hand in hand with ghetto cooling, some of my little mining cards have some properly ghetto cooling solutions on them which almost always involve zip ties. Some of these solutions I rate as better thought out than some of the alphacool stuff.