Exceptional Overclock Roman “der8auer” Hartung potentially found (opens in new tab) Causes of overheating issues on Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics cards. AMD’s RDNA 3 flagship, one of the best graphics cards out there, seems to have a flaw in the vapor chamber.
Hartung purchased four reference Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics cards to try to pinpoint the root cause of the problem. He found that horizontal installation contributed to improved temperature. Orientation improved to 20 degrees Celsius. But unfortunately the graphics card showed the same thermal throttling after 1 minute burn-in his test. So, while placing the Radeon RX 7900 XTX horizontally makes it cooler and quieter, the overheating problem was unavoidable. However, the mounting position is only one of the problems.
Unsatisfied with his initial findings, Hartung explored other theories, including the weight of the cooler and gravity as one of the factors influencing the orientation in which the graphics card is installed. Overclocker custom designed his stand to dispel both theories. Support from the graphics card He removed the bracket, chipped off a few millimeters of the standoff, and tested the mounting pressure. However, his efforts were fruitless.
The hypothesis that the Radeon RX 7900 XTX’s vapor chamber is defective makes more sense. In his tests, Hartung spun up the graphics card and observed a significant temperature increase. However, putting the graphics card back in place did not bring the temperature down.
As a result, Hartung believes the vapor chamber could be flawed, whether it’s a design issue or the choice of materials used in manufacturing. The liquid in the vapor chamber seems to face circulation problems after condensation. The root cause of the problem could be insufficient pressure or lack of liquid in the vapor chamber. Hartung didn’t have time to dissect the steam chamber, but he may follow up with a video.
AMD is aware of an overheating issue with some Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics cards, but the chip maker has not provided consumers with a suitable solution other than contacting support. Luckily, the overheating issue doesn’t affect every sample of the Radeon RX 7900 XTX, but the number of users affected is significantly higher, far more than the victims of Nvidia’s melting 16-pin power connector. more. This Radeon RX 7900 XTX overheating problem doesn’t seem to be a good thing for AMD after the chip maker teased Nvidia that he had a meltdown on his 16-pin power connector. However, AMD may have more important things in mind, especially if Hartung’s speculation proves valid. AMD may have to recall its reference Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics card when the push comes.
