Graphics

[zombi3killer]

RX 580 8GB
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 6-core
B350M Gaming MB
Patriot Viper 4 Series DDR4 16GB (2 x 8GB) 2400MHz Kit
PSU Corsair TX550MI bought this RX580 back in November 2017 for what is currently a very good price. I tried installing it on my former system and it worked for a little bit (like an hour) then the buzzing noise, blue screen, and total PC shut downs started. After a couple of days of T/S I had to revert back to my old Nvidia GT750 Ti 2GB card and was able to keep on playing games as before.

I ordered a new Corsair PSU having been told my old Seasonic was junk, it made no difference. After 9 straight hours of effort no change, PC wouldn't boot, no video signal. In the end I was no longer able to boot my system even with the Nvidia card. After more hours and hours of T/S I was told by MSI support that the MB was toast and needed RMA. The support rep insisted the RX580 was NOT the cause of any of this drama.I couldn't wait for 6-8 weeks to get another MB from MSI so I forked out $100's of dollars for my parts which you see above. It worked. Played for hours at highest settings. Meanwhile....I had decided to try out an SSD with my new build. I installed WIN10 but chose PRO instead of HOME so my activation would not work. I decided to go ahead and reinstall WIN10 HOME. Around 2 am the reinstall finished. All drivers updated. Back where I was before when it worked fine. Fired up XCOM 1 LW. Started mission, 10 minutes later....
BZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...BLUE SCREEN......CRASH.

I don't know what else to try except get rid of the card. The last thing I found to try was MSI Afterburner. I was told you can go in there and UNDERclock the card thus making it more stable. Others said RAISE some settings would fix it. I cannot seem to find a guide to UNDERCLOCK the RX580 and make it more stable (not crash). I have only tested it on XCOM 1 due to time limitations but that should not make a difference. I played XCOM with my Nvidia 2GB for over a year with never an issue, just lower graphics settings.

[elstaci]

Have you tried activating Wattman from the AMD driver set when you installed it. Wattman is the official feature for OCing your AMD GPU card.

Also 3rd Party software like MSI Afterburner has some compatibility issues with Wattman even if Wattman is not activated or installed.

Also your MSI Motherboard has a very new BIOS Update:

BIOS - 7A39v2F - 3/20/2018

[zombi3killer]

Hello. Okay I thought Wattman was part of the MSI Afterburner package? Not sure how to access it from the driver set as you suggest? I will check. What settings do you recommend for Wattman? I understand there are several fields that can be changed and I have no clue.

I will look into the Bios update as well tonight.

Thanks!

[elstaci]

Here is how to "enable" Wattman after you installed the AMD Driver set: How to Tune GPU Performance Using Radeon Wattman and Radeon Chill

Someone with experience with Wattman like kingfish or someone else can explain how to install and activate Wattman and make the correct configuration for your GPU card.

MSI Afterburner is MSI own Overclocking software (very popular) whereas AMD Wattman is strictly AMD's Overclocking software. But unfortunately, the two normally don't agree with each other when installed at the same time. In some computers it doesn't cause problems but in others it does. AMD Forum recommends to uninstall MSI Afterburner or any other 3rd party OC software to prevent conflicts with AMD's Wattman.

[zombi3killer]

Ok. So I uninstalled all the MSI Afterburner and anything else that looked like 3rd party SW. I updated the bios you pointed out. I accessed Wattman and selected the "AUTO" options I found since I cannot find any guidance on how to stabilize the damn card.

Went into XCOM settings and lowered effects, shadows, etc. Launched game. 2 seconds without even moving...Crash. Buzzing. Black screen. Had to push power button and restart.

It seems worse in fact then before. Just for the sake of trying I will install another game and see if it crashes. However, as I stated before my old Nvidia 750 Ti 2GB ran XCOM for a year without ever a glitch. I think this card is junk based on the hundreds of reports I have read of people having the same issues. And MSI support doesn't even bother to respond in their own forum. Shameful.

[cronien]

The buzzing sound usually means faulty condensers. You should return it to the seller, and if you have a warranty on it, they will send you another GPU.

And i almost forgot! You should get a 650W+ PSU, because you're on the edge of your PSU's capabilities with the RX 580.

[zombi3killer]

UPDATE:

I saw a suggestion from a user on a forum, I forget who and where, who said he lowered some GPU MHz settings to 1060 from states 3-7 and it helped him. I did the same:

I also increased the power limit to max (+50%). Went into XCOM again, lowered ALL graphics settings to LOW. Played for about 15 minutes and not one crash. Going to try raising some graphics settings a touch and see what happens.

[zombi3killer]

MSI support insisted it was a good card...but I hear you. Might be something wrong with it.

RE: the PSU requirement....where do you get that conclusion from? According to to the Tom's Hardware rec I have plenty of juice for this card. Explain what you mean by "on the edge of the PSU's capabilities." If you would. Thanks

[zombi3killer]

And by the way, I have been gradually increasing the graphics settings in XCOM and so far have not had one CTD.

[cronien]

Cooler Master: Power Supply Calculator

You can check here. Remember: Power supplies only have around 80% efficiency, so your PSU only works safely around 440W. Of course, you can use around 550W too, but it's not safe for your PSU. (MB, PCIE cards, Fans, DVD-writer, Sound cards, Leds, Storage drives consumes energy too.)