Sapphire RX 9070/9070 XT graphics cards have hard-to-spot foam

mickyflinn · 14 Mar 2025 at 07:19

Some Sapphire RX 9070/9070 XT graphics cards have hard-to-spot foam inside that must be removed or it 'may result in a decrease in cooling capacity or product failure'

You might want to give it a quick check to make sure there's no foam tucked between the shroud and heatsink fins. At least, you should do so if you have a Sapphire Pure Radeon RX 9070 XT Gaming OC, Pulse Radeon RX 9070 XT Gaming, or Pure Radeon RX 9070 Gaming OC.

Article.

Some Sapphire RX 9070/9070 XT graphics cards have hard-to-spot foam inside that must be removed or it 'may result in a decrease in cooling capacity or product failure'

No logo on the foam.

www.pcgamer.com

Grim5 · 14 Mar 2025 at 07:50

Don't think it will result in failure but probably have couple degrees increase in temps

Chopasaurus · 14 Mar 2025 at 07:50

There's a massive yellow sticker on the Pulse telling you to remove it. If that's hard to spot ..

Troezar · 14 Mar 2025 at 07:59

Chopasaurus said:
There's a massive yellow sticker on the Pulse telling you to remove it. If that's hard to spot ..

Never underestimate the average consumer :cry:

ICDP · 14 Mar 2025 at 08:01

Troezar said:
Never underestimate the average consumer

Spoken like a true average consumer

new boy · 14 Mar 2025 at 08:29

Hard to spot no.

Hard to remove (gently) yes.

mickyflinn · 14 Mar 2025 at 08:51

No mention of the easy to spot yellow sticker in the article, I don't believe you.

adidan · 14 Mar 2025 at 08:53

I think the see through plastic tabs on the shroud and on the middle of the fans were a harder spot tbh.

E: But, yeah, this did make me look in my case :cry:

Troezar · 14 Mar 2025 at 17:15

ICDP said:
Spoken like a true average consumer

If only you knew

Fizz · 14 Mar 2025 at 21:50

"Hard to spot"

The ones I saw had huge warning stickers saying remove before use lol.

I think it was maninly 9070 XT models but also I think one of the 3 fan 9070's did, can't remember which...Pure maybe?

Gerard · 15 Mar 2025 at 10:08

If you happen to be MrMagoo they might be hard to spot.

alexp999 · 15 Mar 2025 at 10:10

News outlets making a bigger deal out of something than it really is?? :eek:

Venares · 15 Mar 2025 at 16:20

I mean if you miss the GIANT yellow sticker on the card that's on you :rolleyes:

Fire_fly · 15 Mar 2025 at 17:09

I spotted the foam in mine before spotting the sticker so it's placement is not that obvious. It would have been better one either the backplate or stuck on the side of the card that faces out from the motherboard.

Did anyone else have to take the backplate partially off the card to get the foam out? Mine wouldn't budge until I took out the three screws.

Fizz · 16 Mar 2025 at 10:54

Fire_fly said:
I spotted the foam in mine before spotting the sticker so it's placement is not that obvious. It would have been better one either the backplate or stuck on the side of the card that faces out from the motherboard.

Did anyone else have to take the backplate partially off the card to get the foam out? Mine wouldn't budge until I took out the three screws.

Damn, that's the last thing I want to be doing with my day old GPU :cry:

Which model do you have?

new boy · 16 Mar 2025 at 20:00

adidan said:
I think the see through plastic tabs on the shroud and on the middle of the fans were a harder spot tbh.

E: But, yeah, this did make me look in my case

I read this a couple of days ago and thought uh oh.

Just took my GPU out and I'd left the plastic in the middle of all of the fans so thanks for the heads up lol

adidan · 16 Mar 2025 at 20:25

new boy said:
I read this a couple of days ago and thought uh oh.

Just took my GPU out and I'd left the plastic in the middle of all of the fans so thanks for the heads up lol

I only found out one time I was replacing a GPU with a new one and saw them on the one that I'd been using for a couple of years :cry:

Rogueywon · 16 Mar 2025 at 20:50

I once left a bit of plastic covering in by accident and didn't notice it for 6 months or so... at which point it came slightly loose and brushed up against one of the fans. I'm in the middle of a game and my GPU suddenly starts making a noise like a hippopotamus being fed into a giant food liquidiser.

It was a bit of a brown-trousers moment, but no lasting damage was done.

Fire_fly · 17 Mar 2025 at 08:40

Fizz said:
Damn, that's the last thing I want to be doing with my day old GPU

Which model do you have?

Sapphire Pulse - It's wasn't a major issue. But it would have been nice not to have to partially take the backplate off. There must be better way of securing the heatsink during shipping than a piece of foam wedged between it and the backplate.

Bluebozzy · 17 Mar 2025 at 08:45

Chopasaurus said:
There's a massive yellow sticker on the Pulse telling you to remove it. If that's hard to spot ..

To be honest I glanced at the sticker, saw the word "remove" and figured it was telling me about the plastic cover...

...but the foam was still a long way from being "hard to spot". I have no idea how you could install it and not notice the bloody thing.

Wonder how many pre-builts were shipped to customer without the foam being removed