Radeon 7950 issues...

[PowerPie5000]

Ok, i've just spent over 4 hours playing BF3 today on ultra settings (the longest gaming session with my Radeon 7950 so far) and have a few issues/niggles that concern me a bit:


1. The GPU temp never goes over 61C no matter what i run and how long i run it for (sounds great, but could be a sensor fault as it's starting to seem a bit unrealistic now).

2. I left the room for a while and when i came back there was a slight electrical/plastic burning smell... I can only assume it's from the graphics card as it's the only new part aside from my i5 3570K.

3. The graphics card has started making a slight electrical buzz sound under load (a kind of fuzzy sound)... Not like the typical squealing coil whine found with some graphics cards.

4. My VRM temps are still stuck at 24C all the time and the GPU still runs at an insanely high 1.25V when gaming! BF3 started to get a bit glitchy towards the end of my session (textures flickering and some even disappearing!).

5. Why does the GPU fan run at 100% for 6-7 seconds when i switch on my PC? It's loud and no other card i've owned has done this!


... Is any of this a good enough reason to RMA the card? And do i do this through OCUK or the manufacturer (HIS)? I've had the card for just over 2 weeks now.

 

[PowerPie5000]

Temperature could just be good, what HIS card is it, i.e what cooler?

Did you remove all of the plastic bits that came stuck to the card before fitting?

Not sure on voltage or VRM temps so can't comment on that, try turning on V=sync to see if that eliminates/lessens the noise.

Could be what it does when it posts. My old 8800GT does it, all the new MSI Hawk cards do to remove dust.

RMA would be with OCUK.

It's the 'HIS 7950 IceQ Boost Clock' (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-065-HS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1673)... I just find it strange that the temp never exceeds 61C no matter how much it's stressed. The VRM temps should fluctuate during usage and they usually get very hot under load, but my VRM temp readings seem to be stuck at 24C all the time (when idle and under load).

This card had none of the 'peel away' plastic on it (like some do) and the full fan speed on boot lasts for about 6-7 seconds and stops when the motherboard post/boot screen shows (the mobo screen used to show up faster after switching on the PC with my Radeon 6870... It's as if the Radeon 7950 is delaying the post/boot screen).

 

[PowerPie5000]

Looking at a review it states that it's about 62 degrees full load, depending on the ambient temperature i'd say your 60 is correct. My 670 never hits over 60 and often sits below.

Maybe the GPU temp sensors are perfectly fine then... It just seems weird that it will hit 61C with BF3 or Crysis 2 and then stay the same with Furmark, 3Dmark 11 and Unigine (which stress the GPU more than typical gaming would). My case does have good cooling too (4 fans) and the room temp is 23C at the moment.

The first time i loaded up Crysis 2 with this card (which was just a little while ago), it emitted a horrible and loud squealing noise... The loudest coil whine i've heard from any card! But now it doesn't do it and i didn't even change anything

EDIT: i can't find any reviews for the 'Boost Clock' version, just the standard IceQ Turbo (without boost)... Mine spikes upto 1.25V when gaming (in boost mode) which i doubt the standard version does. Mine should theoretically have higher temps than the review card which would be running at a lower voltage.

 

[PowerPie5000]

Try uengine or furmark and download gpuz and monitor temps with that just click continue refreshing this screen whilst gpuz is in the background or log to txt file.

After running if you click where it shows the temps you can change to max which shall show you the load temp it reached if you cant be bothered to log to file.

You should be hitting at least 72c load as it's normally a good 10 c above gaming temps.

If it remains at 62c running furmark or uengine then I would say defo isn't reading correctly, I wouldn't get too worried though a lot of gpu's are built to withstand very high temps I'd only be concerned if say the vrm is going above say 85c.

Already done that and it still stays at 61C... seems a bit suspect to me along with the stuck VRM temps .

It just seems weird that it will hit 61C with BF3 or Crysis 2 and then stay the same with Furmark, 3Dmark 11 and Unigine (which stress the GPU more than typical gaming would).

 

[PowerPie5000]

I would be concerned with the burning smell and buzzing sound to be honest. Another user here blew his card and before it died he said it sounded a little like an Arc welcder. Is this what you are hearing?

It's hard to explain... kind of like a static sound, or similar to the fuzzy noise you get on an old TV when the channel isn't tuned (just not as loud). It emitted some very loud squealing when i first ran Crysis 2 on it a short while ago (after playing BF3), but now i can't reproduce that noise with the same game which is odd as i didn't change anything

 

[PowerPie5000]

it's defo not reading right if furmark is giving 62c but did you turn the fan to 100% when you ran furmark or change anything else ?

The card is running on stock settings with the fan on auto (it never goes above 48% which is around 1800rpm).

 

[PowerPie5000]

what is temp #3 in gpuz thats more likely to be the vrm temp vrm should probably be anywhere from 70c to 90c

GPU-Z displays the VRM temps as:

VRM Temperature 1 = 24C
VRM Temperature 2 = 24C

... I get the same results with AIDA64 and HWINFO64 too. HWMonitor doesn't even detect the VRM sensors.

 

[PowerPie5000]

there's just no way furmark wouldn't be higher temps than gaming load can you test gaming load set the fan to manual 40% then compare with furmark with fan at 40% obviously watch temps closely so you dont overheat

Result! Ok, i set the fan manually to 30% (1040rpm) and the temps soared upto 80C during the Unigine Heaven benchmark (all maxed out)... At least i know the GPU temp sensor is fine and the card actually has damn good cooling when the fan is set to auto . It still made that strange electrical buzzing/static noise and it does have a smell to it (maybe it's because it's new and hasn't been used extensively until today ).

Those VRM temps are still stuck at 24C though (at idle and under load ).

 

[PowerPie5000]

When I built this system couple months back and after couple use I had this burning smell, even made topics about it on here but has time passed day or two it went away.
If you have a good cooler on the card temps should be low on theses cards I never go over 62C on BF3, But Heaven Bench I reach 67C.
The Start up is normal dont worry about that its a good way on getting dust of the fans.

That's put my mind at ease about the odd burning smell... I'm guessing it's because it's still new and i've not stressed it much until today (full day off work and the other half is keeping our daughter busy downstairs ).

 

[PowerPie5000]

Make sure it is not the PSU. Maybe a spider climbed into it and this is the burning smell (hopefully). People have been confused before thinking it was the GPU when infact it was the PSU making lots of noise.

A burning spider would probably smell pretty rough... I know it's not the PSU as i had it running outside the case when i was trying to find where the noise and smell were coming from. It's definitely the GPU. My PSU runs very quiet (It's a 600W Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold Modular - a very good unit ).

 

[PowerPie5000]

Just been playing STALKER: Call of Pripyat and exprerienced some nasty and erratic squealing in the menu's and that annoying electrical buzzing noise during gameplay ... The game also stuttered frequently and the graphics started glitching! The biggest shock was the GPU's voltage which reached a massive 1.438V during gameplay !! (i checked the max readings in GPU-Z)... I wonder if the VRM's are a bit iffy (which could explain why i can't get a proper temp reading from them).

I've had this card for about 2 weeks and thought it was absolutely brilliant until using it a bit more these last few days... Why are some cards still having this whining issue in 2012? It can't actually be coil whine as i thought all (or most) modern cards used solid chokes these days. And surely the caps can't be 'singing' as they're solid too! What exactly is making this racket? The mosfets?

My XFX Radeon 6870 was always silent and could run STALKER perfectly without squealing, stuttering or corrupted graphics!

Maybe i should RMA it for a replacement, or maybe get a different brand Radeon 7950? What do you guys think?

 

[PowerPie5000]

the voltage reading capability of gpuz is not to be taken seriously what is gpu temp #3 getting to maybe if thats say 60-80 that is in fact the vrm temp ? on my 6970 I dont even get a voltage temp so i go by gpu temp #3 as being the vrm ?

There isn't a #3 reading in GPU-Z... The VRM temps are listed as 'VRM Temperature 1 & 2' which are both stuck at 24C.

I'd stick with it as you are past the DSR limit of 7 working days ? have you got access to another power supply / pc to test the card in ? also try different drivers try the 12.9 beta btw i didnt mean stick the fan at 30% and just let it run i meant stop the app when it goes past 62c but 80c isn't a damaging temp at all i think damage can be done at 100c

The card has a 2 year warranty and then there's the SOGA... the 7 day DSR doesn't really mean much. I'll test the GPU in my partners PC, but my PSU is more than capable and is one of the best 600W units available (Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold modular). I'll give the beta drivers a go

 

[PowerPie5000]

Yea but you run the risk of having to pay postage and hassle of not having a card for them to send it back saying nothing wrong with it

There's definitely something wrong with it... Long gaming sessions result in glitchy graphics, faint burning smell, squealing/buzzing and dangerously high voltages. I'm sure they'll find the same issues if tested thoroughly. I'll try it in my girlfriends PC, but i can't see it being any different to be honest (might just be a waste of time).

I can live without a card for a while as long as i get a replacement, although OCUK don't seem to offer much in the 7950 department (an 880Mhz MSI TFIII or 900Mhz Gigabyte Windforce would be nice - NOT the boost versions ). HIS are usually quite decent, so maybe i've just had bad luck with this one.

you sure you got no readings like gpu #2 or anything that is always higher than gpu #1 (under load)? if there is I'd say that's probably the vrm or at least something to go by on mine my gpu #3 hits 80c so i presume thats the vrm as they are known to get pretty toasty

There are no readings like that... This is the sensor list i get in GPU-Z:

GPU Core Clock
GPU Memory Clock
Fan Speed (%)
Fan Speed (RPM)
GPU Load
Memory Usage (Dedicated)
Memory Usage (Dynamic)
12V
VDDC
VDDC Current
VDDC Current In
VRM Temperature 1
VRM Temperature 2

 

[PowerPie5000]

I've just returned the same card to OcUK. It was a good card, had a great cooler on it. But I couldn't deal with the sound the fan made at idle, it really was just cheap tat.

I didn't get any whine or buzzing from it though.

I'd also advise not getting the TFIII, it's loud and hot compared to the HIS IceQ and Windforce.

I always thought HIS was a decent brand? The cooler on mine was pretty much silent when idling (it's loud for around 6-7 seconds when i first power up the PC). The squealing and buzzing noises are very off-putting with certain games... I even tried it in my girlfriends PC and had the same results (the buzzing was not as noticeable because her case fans are a bit louder than mine, but the squealing with STALKER and Crysis soon drowned them out!). The cards default voltage of 1.25V is asking for trouble anyway and is probably the cause of the buzzing/squealing as the VRM's will be under too much stress! VRM temp sensors on this card are stuck, so i couldn't even tell how hot they were getting during gameplay . The voltage actually hit 1.438V at one point when playing Stalker: Call of Pripyat .

All this squealing and buzzing shouldn't be happening in 2012 with solid chokes and caps etc... It's not acceptable when it's noticeably audible.

Don't forgot OcUK have a 14 day DSR (I presume 14 working days, excluding the delivery day). So if you want to return I'd get it raised asap.

I ordered the graphics card along with all the parts for my girlfriends build (which is all perfectly fine) on the 7th of September, but i didn't actually receive them until the 12th... It's been over 14 days since purchase which shouldn't matter as the card comes with a 2 year warranty (and there's also the SOGA of course ).

Got my RMA number today and will be posting it out tomorrow morning (wonder how much that's going to cost me, as it needs to be insured for over £250?). I'm going to be stuck with the crappy Intel HD 4000 graphics for the time being .

I also noticed the solder work on the back of the card looked a bit shoddy (around the VRM/power phase area)... The solder looks a bit blistered/bubbled .

 

[PowerPie5000]

The couple of seconds at 100% are normal for this card (mine did it too).

Mine does it for about 6 seconds until the motherboards post/boot screen shows up (the motherboard boots to the post screen much faster with the integrated HD 4000 GPU)... Count to 6 and it actually seems a long time for the screen to be blank with GPU fans running at 100%.

You can return it for a replacement/fix (as you said) for the whole warranty period.

I think i'd prefer a replacement seeing as it's still new... There's no way i'd accept a refurb and i really don't trust anyone other than the manufacturer when it comes to repair jobs (as long as it's not Acer as they trashed a monitor of mine that went in for repair ).

What I was meaning is if you don't like the card, you can return it for a refund (minus your postage costs)
You've had 12 working days. So you could return it under the 14 day extended DSR thing OcUK have.

I'm not sure if i should risk getting another HIS 7950 (i could have just been unlucky though)... It seems there are quite a few Radeon 7950/7970 cards that have bad coil whine (despite supposedly having 'all solid' designs ). Maybe i should spend a little more and get a GTX 670? My girlfriends 660Ti is silent and a very good performer

If it's confirmed broken OcUK should refund your postage cost - as long as you can scan the receipt/email the invoice (do it in the customer service section of the forum).

There's definitely something wrong with it (buzzing/squealing, high default voltages, duff VRM sensors and glitches after long periods of play). I'll get it posted via Royal Mail in the morning

 

[PowerPie5000]

It'll cost you about £9-10 from the post office - as it's under 2 kg.
A courier will do it for about £11-12 insured for £300. Collected from your doorstep.

I use parcelmonkey.co.uk - it's usually the cheapest (via city link or parcel force)

If it's confirmed broken OcUK should refund your postage cost - as long as you can scan the receipt/email the invoice (do it in the customer service section of the forum).

Royal Mail wanted £25 for special delivery as the package weighs 2.22KG . I sent it using Parcelforce in the end for £13.

I usually use Parcel2go.com, but i don't want to be kept waiting .

 

[PowerPie5000]

sorry to hear your having 7950 issues mate i know how u feel im in the same boat im on my second msi twin frozr 7950 now and it has the samne issue as the first! looks like memory corruption or something...

here is the story so far:

i purchased a msi twin frozr 7950 and when it arrived did a full reinstall including drivers obviously!lol

i then decided to play the free game sleeping dogs and i noticed i had faint scrolling lines over the screen so
i have tried it on sleeping dogs,gw2,dead island,stalker: clear sky,blacklight retribution and then i removed the card and tried it with my 6850 with no issues put the 7950 in again tried the games again with the same issue.

it doesnt do it on skyrim or bastion

i have posted in the customer services section so hopefully should get some feedback from there.

im gutted got a card with a great vidic and low volts which ran cool now im gonna be without a card back to my 6850 then......

yeah its not like join lines its just suttle lines going across the screen generally in the middle portion of the screen that move about the same colour if not a little faded than the colour at the time sometimes there very visible others more sutle and its always there. i didnt realise how much it was spoiling the games untill i plugged in my 6850.
what is it when u get these suttle scrolling lines anyway?

i have ccc installed and msi afterburner and ive kept afterburner closed,all tests have been done on stock clocks it does it when oc'd too but i havent played with it much ocd as i didnt need to was just finding the clocks for future use.

so after all that i rma'd the card and got the new one today plugged it in and same problem again this time i have tried 12.8 and 12.9 beta drivers with the same issues i thought i would see if doing a small oc would remove this problem but no it just made it worse there where more lines and they moved faster (scrolling) around the screen.

is this another card problem or?

any help would be much appreciated

What PSU are you using? I know i wouldn't put up with lines and i'd RMA it again as it's obviously a hardware quality issue (maybe try another brand?). I know there's a new revision of the MSI Twin Frozr III (V2/OC), but i'm not sure what the difference is?

Anyway, i hope i get a better quality replacement card.

 

[PowerPie5000]

i have a ocz 650w.

well had some strange results today decided to bring the computer down stairs and link it to the tv (same res as monitor) i tried it through hdmi and the standard cable (dvi adapter to vga cable)

i had none of these lines on the tv with same settings regarding graphic settings and 1920x1080p settings on the tv and the monitor i normally use!

i got to a area (wall) which showed off the lines well and swapped the cable from tv to monitor to see if they where still there on the tv which they where not back into the monitor and the lines apear again! so tv no lines monitor lines so is it looking like my monitor is on the way out or is it a compatability issue?

i have completely removed the drivers on about 5 occasions now and reinstalled including trying 12.8 and 12.9 with no difference (back to 12.8 now)
i can't stand these lines and have to get this sorted

any help would be much appreciated.

I don't think it's going to be a driver issue and your PSU is more than enough... Check the refresh rate for your monitor (should be set to either 60hz or 120hz depending on the screen). Are you using a VGA cable with your monitor? Some graphics cards have poor output quality through VGA (DVI and HDMI are much better).

 

[PowerPie5000]

i found this:
http://support.acer.com/product/default.aspx?modelId=3411

would it be worth installing these drivers?

I don't think a monitor driver will make any difference to be honest. I think using a proper DVI cable is your best bet (as it will be fully digital instead of using a VGA/DVI adapter).

 

[PowerPie5000]

is it worth atleast trying or could it screw something up?

what i dont understand though is this cable is fine with my tv so surely its fine with my monitor i have also used my 6850 with this monitor with no lines and same game but when the 7950 is used i get these lines.
thanks for all the help

Installing monitor drivers should be safe, but usually there's really no need to. There must be some interference coming from somewhere (analog cables are susceptible to this)... Many modern LCD/Plasma TV's also have ways to hide or clean up 'noise'.

My old XFX Radeon 6870 looked pretty crap when outputting through VGA (not tried the VGA output with a Radeon 7950).