PC Graphics

[wcatesjr]

In Feb, I built the following system - White / Black ITX Build v2 by wcatesjr - Intel Core i5-13600KF, Radeon RX 7700 XT, Thermaltake The T...  I’m reaching out to see if anyone else has experienced similar issues with their Radeon RX 7700 XT graphics card. Here’s a summary of my situation:

Initial Setup

I’m not an overclocker, and I initially ran all GPU benchmarks without any problems using the default Adrenaline settings. Everything was stable.

Recent Problems

Over the past few months, I’ve noticed some concerning behavior while playing Final Fantasy XIV:

• My computer has been shutting off during cutscenes.
• I’ve experienced odd performance issues.
• My average gaming temperatures have been in the mid-90s°C.
• During FF14 cutscenes, hotspot temperatures have reached 110°C, which seems to be causing the crashes.
• Benchmarks that were previously stable are now crashing.

Troubleshooting Steps

I decided to RMA the card, but after 25 days, the replacement exhibited the same behavior. This prompted me to look into the Adrenaline settings more closely.

Findings and Adjustments

• Default Adrenaline Settings:
  • Max Clock: 2675 MHz
  • Voltage: 1150 mV
  • The default fan curve seemed inadequate.
• My Adjustments:
  • Reduced Clock Speed to 2350 MHz (which I believe is the baseline for the 7700 XT).
  • Undervolted to 1015 mV.
  • Adjusted the fan curve for better cooling.

After these changes, my hotspot temperatures are now consistently in the low 80s°C.

Questions

1. Has anyone else faced similar issues with their RX 7700 XT?
2. Why does Adrenaline default to 2675 MHz when ASRock specifies a game clock of 2276 MHz and a boost clock of 2599 MHz?
3. Am I on the right track with my adjustments, or is there something I’m missing?
4. I hope they don't expect average Joes to have the knowledge to make changes to the default just to  make their system stable.

I appreciate any insights or advice you can share!

[Dragokar]

Might sound stupid, but are you sure you got a new card as a replacement?

[wcatesjr]

New serial number - unless the scheme is elaborate I can only assume I did. 

[Dragokar]

Okay this sounds good, sometimes there are "bad batches" within a production run due to several reasons.

Just kindly ask ASRock and your point of sale. I really do mean kindly but also include this topic

[FunkZ]

What does GPU-Z report for GPU and Boost clock speeds? Does it match the ASRock advertised clocks?

What Adrenalin version are you using? Have you tried any other Adrenalin versions to see if the Default profile is different?

Does ASRock have a BIOS switch on the card to select between OC and some other option? (Silent, Normal, etc.) If so, have you tried running the card with OC disabled?

Have you asked ASRock support about the overclock/overvolt behavior?

[wcatesjr]

These are the specs using Adrenaline 24.8.1

I uninstalled 24.8.1 and downloaded 24.1.1 and had improved results.  [EDIT: now that I look again, not sure they improved] The defaults were still 2699 MHz and 1150 vM and the system crashed. When I changed to 2550 and 1015, the hot spot max temp was 96.9. 

ASRock specifies a game clock of 2276 MHz and a boost clock of 2599 MHz.

Does anyone know what an acceptable hot spot temp range is for the 7700 XT?

[FunkZ]

Does ASRock have a BIOS switch on the card to select between OC and some other option? (Silent, Normal, etc.) If so, have you tried running the card with OC disabled?

Have you asked ASRock support about the overclock/overvolt behavior?

[ConnOriginal]

I recently seemed to have horrible problems playing games w my ASRock 12gb Radeon xt 7700 GPU (games being able to play for a little while then crashing or crashing very soon into the game) on my first build since high school.

After trying troubleshooting for a month researching, trying to fix, and learning more about computers than I thought I would ever. My current hypothesis is that my adrenalin settings were , like yours set too high of a maximum mHz frequency for the GPU.

I am about to test it out right now. I tried the settings you decided on.

But what is the best way to adjust the fan curve for this GPU do you think?

Also, what is the best minnimum frequency you think?

I left the VRAM tuning alone at 2250.

I live in a pretty hot area and try to use my AC less than more. But I have found myself only using it to keep my computer cool to be honest. So I'm always a lil worried about thermals.

If this fixes my problems and I can play RDR2 I'd like to tip you 10$ lol

[wcatesjr]

Please let me know how your tests go - I am curious!

Below are my current settings, 2550 MHz / 980 Mv which give me an average hot spot temp of around 88 degrees, I have occasional pikes in the high 90s, but I can live with that. 

I have had a miserable time trying to find what temperature is acceptable for the 7700. You can find online some saying that 110 is acceptable, which I think is bologna! Like I said, I have no interest in overclocking, but I want to get my money's worth yet protect the longevity of my investment. 

At 2550, I kinda feel like I'm at the minimum expectation for what I bought. I do not feel that way at 2350. I think the average hot spot temp of 88, and occasional pikes in the high 90s is OK?? My case is not a very good design for thermals - I may be at the limit with how far I can push those numbers.

I haven't touched the memory settings nor the min frequency at all.

I personally like a slight curve to my fan speed and max it at 80%. One could argue, why not go 100% at top temperatures - but in my testing I saw min temperature impact with the slight offset I configured. A loud GPU fan can be kinda annoying - so I found that 20% difference at the top to be helpful. 

AI Chat says "The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is designed to handle higher temperatures, and your reported average hotspot temperature of 88°C with occasional spikes into the high 90s is within acceptable ranges for this GPU. The maximum operating temperature for the RX 7700 XT is approximately 97°C. However, it's generally advisable to keep temperatures well below this limit for optimal performance and longevity."

[ConnOriginal]

I am still running tests trying different games. RDR2 was crashing, and Last of us pt1. but RDR2 is known for crashing I have found out. and My copy of Last of us was uhh... *arrrgh matey*...

After trying your settings RDR2 can run for about 5-7 hours until always crash. But I am doing game specific fixes to help it run as well.

So I am currently downloading the *official* Last of us game and will test if that works with the adrenalin settings you provided. If it runs I am hoping that means that the Adrenalin setting change works.

I emailed Asrock and they offered to RMA my card. But I have never done that. If the new one I get is somehow worse would they RMA that one?

If it is not necessary I do not want to cost them money and myself time without a graphics card.

Hopefully I find out that my card is fine and I can play my games as intended.

[wcatesjr]

From the time I sent the RMA to the time I got it back was 25 days. Ugh!!  I had to pay shipping to them - $30. 

Asrock was nice enough to RMA the card. But, it didn't make any difference to me. You have to try playing around with those settings.  I regret sending them the card. 

Another thing I want to point out is that every game is different as well. In some games, I can run at an overclocked 2650 and get away with it, while others are cooler at 2450.  I've been paying Horizon Forbidden West and it's nowhere near as taxing on my GPU as FF14 is, which is surprising. 

I would bet - for you - its all about the settings.