PC Graphics

[CaptNoFun]

Hello AMD Forum, 

I purchased the AMD store bundle of the 5800X3D and 6950xt back in December.  I just finally got around to refreshing my system.  Here's my specs: Gigabyte B450 Wi-Fi pro itx, Gskill 32gb 3600 (XMP on), EVGA 1000watt PSU, 2TB intel 660 SSD, 240 cooler master AIO and the 2 new add ons.  I was originally running a Ryzen 7 3800 and 2070 Super.  So here the issue, it overheats, I know, you haven't heard this one before.  110c hotspot and 70c gpu temp.  What I've ended up doing is running the card on a custom fan curve, no overclocking just fast memory timing and vsyncing games to lower the demand on the card netting me about a 95 hot spot.  Running 1440p at 144hz with SAM enabled.  The card is fast but the hot spot temp has me freaking out.  If I even touch the power limit slider it's like a nuclear thermal run away.  I've even adjusted the case fans, all 5 of them to ramp higher than normal to help feed the card more fresh air.  I've come to the conclusion that AMD doesn't seem to give a **** about this issue and states that smoker grill temps are normal.  The question I have is has anyone tried to repaste and pad this card and has it made any difference?  Or is the cooler just to small for the card?  I understand it would void the warranty and thats why I'm trying to research if its worth it.  But at these temps I might want to keep the warranty, I'm sure I'll be using it.  Thanks for reading and any advise.

[digipointer0]

It is not uncommon for high-end graphics cards like the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT to run hot, especially under heavy loads. However, the temperatures you are mention here particularly the 110°C hotspot temperature, are indeed concerning and may cause performance issues or even hardware damage over time. Before considering repasting or padding the card, it is important to ensure that it is properly seated in the PCIe slot and that the cooler is mounted securely and making good contact with the GPU die. Also, check that your case has adequate airflow and that there are no obstructions to the intake or exhaust fans.

If you have already verified that everything is properly installed and your case has good airflow, then repasting and padding the card may be worth a try. This can potentially improve the heat dissipation from the GPU die to the cooler, which may help lower the hotspot temperature.

However, as you mentioned, doing so will void the warranty, so it is important to weigh the potential benefits against the risks. It is also important to note that improper application of thermal paste or pads can cause more harm than good, so it may be best to seek the assistance of a professional if you are not experienced in this type of work.

Ultimately, if you are still experiencing overheating issues after trying these solutions, you may want to consider reaching out to AMD customer support for further assistance or possibly even returning the card for a replacement.

[CaptNoFun]

I did a little more tinkering and after some undervolting was able to get the card to run at high 90% utilization with around 85 to 95 degree temps.  It seems to like 1.2v anything above that and temp climbs pretty quick.  I was also able for the most part to get a locked in 2550mhz on the core.  I wasn't very happy with my choice to move all AMD at first but after spending some time with it, all seems to be coming around nicely.  

[u_drew330work]

Hey man I have the Radeon 6950xt and have done A LOT of testing on it and here's what I have to help you out. 1890 to 2310 Mhz on min-max and 2310 Mhz on vram. That's the clock speeds for this card. I honestly recommend using them. I'll tell you about that in a sec. Power, POWER is the cause of the heat. So, IDK if you remember but you use to be able to control the mV more precise in previous editions of cards, but anyway, you have the voltage and the power limit. The power limit, anything more than 0 is + more than, I'd say required, people with argue but if you look at it like that it's easier to understand. AMD cards do have power spikes sometimes, so my recommendation is never going over 10 ok, and that is more for if you go over the 2310 boost clock speed, understand? Ok so the voltage. There is no need to go over 1.1 or 1100 mV for the boost clock, honestly you can as low as 1060, 1040, BUT every build is different so 1.1/ 1100 mV is money. I NEVER go over 70c. So, my question is, how high is your Max freq set at? The other thing if you are the type of person that runs at default or one of the performance options then custom is the way to go but from reading what you wrote, your obviously not. If you are gaming, there is no reason to go over the recommended boost clock of 2310. This card is powerful and 2310 is good clock. Now, if you wanna go higher, I don't recommend going over 2500. Anything about that, you WILL have problems, it might be something small here and there, but you might overlook it as something else, but it's the clock speed, understand. Here is my fan setup, at times that I game, NOT default. Fan 25/ T 30+Fan 31/ T 45+Fan 43/ T54+Fan 64/ T 60+Fan 100/ T 78. If you have any issue's, hit me up. Drew

[echlon36]

Hello drew I'm Copying these settings now is there anything i should know about this preset is it stable still and how does the preformance compare to a partner card my default ram is set to 2248 and my core is set to 26** something for the max turbo also set a fan curve and havent touched the power limit as the 6950 is already heavily overclocked an power hungry lol. the voltaeg is dropped substantially though to 1.1 like stated but my base speed was 1.32 thats on a gigabyte 6950xt oc. Im more interested to see what else you think shoul cange as this is an itx build in a meshroom s thank 

[u_drew330work]

Well It really depends on the game. BUT the voltage most certainly be adjusted. If you dont adjust it, it will go way over what's necessary. The voltage should be anywhere from 1090 to 1120mv, and the power consumption can be from 0 to 20-25 depending on the card but say your running 1090 on volt the power consumption could be like 5-8% then if you're running 1120mv anywhere from 10-20%. But honestly that's if you're really into getting temps even more critiqued, what you can do is just put the power consumption to the highest 20-25% again depending on the card then just tune the volt based on what clock speed you run. But the 1090mv for lower clocks and up to 1120mv for the highest of clock speeds, BUT whatever speed, highest clock speeds you will NEVER have to go over 1120mv, understand, because if you really monitor #'s like I do that card usually won't go over 1.010mv but the 1120mv will give you some play if you get a spike in voltage. My reference card is now blocked with the AlphaCool server edition block, so it doesn't even know what heat it and with being able to keep the temps super low this card is stable up to 2700 MHz with vram at 2400mhz so far. I just honestly haven't tried to go higher because it's just not necessary and that was just some testing to see but still stable at that higher clock speed. But let me give you an example of higher clock speeds depending on the game can make the game crash, artificing, etc. Ghost of Tsushima my settings are min1990-max2090mhz and stock vram clock, ok. If I move the vram up ANY the game will crash and if I go higher than 2090mhz gpu clock speed it will have visual defects and eventually crash. The card is powerful at them numbers with Ghost of Tsushima I get 90 fps which is more than enough also I have Radeon chill on with min fps at 60 and max fps at 90. But say I play Greyzone Warfare Ill run min 2550- max 2650, vram set at 2300mhz. Again, could go higher but just don't need to. Another important tip I'll give ya is the min and max clock speed always 100 MHz different, say minimum is 2450mhz well max will be 2550mhz, understand? A lot of people will do 200 MHz difference but I perfer the 100mhz difference because it does not fluctuate speed as much. It's better in my opinion. But I promise you use the voltage and power consumption tips I gave you. It will help the temps and you can run even clock speeds. Another thing in the graphics tuning part put Anti-Aliasing Method to Super Sampling. It's the best version for visual's, the card can more than handle it and it seems to like it more than the adaptive and multisampling. If I were you, like me there is only one game I overclock with and that's Greyzone Warfare the rest of my games I run them at min at 2220 and max at 2320mmhz. Listen if you wanna talk some more, ask whatever. I'll help you out. Take care man. Drew.