Radeon HD 7950 Owner's Thread

[Attic]

Didn't see if you stated you were running dual-screens or not. We're having roughly the same temps. 25.5C ambient, 54C idle (500/1250 clocks), and up to 77C on load...however...if I disable one of my two monitors, the card drops down to 40C idle (150/350 clocks), and only 71C under full load.

Yes similar thermals but i'm running one screen with clocks at desktop of 150/300. Your card 6+8pin build? 71C full load I could deal with based on the fan noise, it really starts to whine at 78C+ (3800-4000rpm if I remember).

 

[joe_H]

Yes similar thermals but i'm running one screen with clocks at desktop of 150/300. Your card 6+8pin build? 71C full load I could deal with based on the fan noise, it really starts to whine at 78C+ (3800-4000rpm if I remember).

Yep, I have the 7970 PCB (6+8 pin). MSI afterburner shows fans were about 60% at 71C.

 

[Attic]

K that sounds bout right though still a bit high from what i've read for this card.

I will check with open case to see if I can achieve that same level. But as previously noted I think i might be working with a bad heat transfer from GPU to HSF on my card.

 

[thujone]

so i decided to take the side panel off my case last night to see if that changed my temps much. i'm using a thermaltake Element G case right now... and the side panel fan (230mm) is kinda on the fritz. sometimes it won't spin up... or it will spin intermittently... or just slow. i've got a replacement coming soon.


in any event... running with my case open dropped my temps by about 10C


i'm now thinking about mounting a 120mm fan behind the card (in the hd cage) to blow over it towards the back... and possibly buying some silent 60mm fans for the mounts at the back of the case next to the pci brackets. also might look at replacing the 200mm exhaust fan on top. the fans that came with this case are pretty bad. i mean... they're pretty quiet and pretty colors... but... i feel like they're more for show than anything.

 

[Fire&Blood]

It fits! A "oh no" moment while I was trying to get it in, it seemed like I wouldn't be able to angle it enough to get it inside the case. 8 and 6 pins were juuuust long enough. Haven't tested anything yet, literally just installed it. Fans are inaudible at 30%.

 

[hyrule4927]

Card is stable on stock volts up to 1060/1375, but I'm having some weird issues with Afterburner. Any change I make in the voltage results in a huge drop in my 3DMark Vantage score (lower than at stock speeds) and then it would continue to perform just as badly even after I reset and quit Afterburner then restored stock speeds in CCC. Had to restart my PC to get normal performance again. Any ideas what's going on? I'm assuming it's throttling, but my temperatures haven't even gotten much past 60C.

Edit: Nevermind, I just had to throw the missing dll's into the Afterburner folder to fix it.

Edit 2: 1200/1375 at 1.140 volts. This is just fantastic!

 

[Fire&Blood]

I know there are plenty variables but what do you guys think my odds are to achieve 1080/1550 yet keep the fans below 60% and temps under 75C @ full load?

It's a poorly cooled, small cramped case with restricted air flow.
I get 72C in Max Payne 3 at all deafult settings.
ASIC quality rating is 87.2.
I was planning to add 2 120mm fans.

I put the SSD in lowest slot so that I can mount one 120mm as front intake fan:

Then I will mount the second 120mm on the side panel:

 

[Rvenger]

 

[technonaut]

I think I might have a bad card and hope to get some advice. I've tried this card in 3 different PC's with identical results.

I got the card specifically to do OPENCL 3d rendering with Lux, so I am running LuxRays to test it. It inconsistently bombs out with the dreaded amdkmdap driver failed to respond, Windows error 4101. Occasionally it works.

I'm using Windows 7 64-bit. Tried it with and without SP1. 3 different PC's with different hardware. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, in each of the various PC's. Wall voltage was consistent - monitored it with a multimeter. One PC only had a 650W PS and it worked sometimes, the newer one is a 750W Antec with the same inconsistent behavior.

100% stock settings on both the 7950 and my mobo. Temp runs up to and hovers around 95C under maximum load by LuxRays. I removed the case cover and blew a pretty serious floor fan directly on it, but with no drop in high temp.

Tried both MSI's included drivers, and AMD's 12.6, including clean installs on fresh OS of both, and still get the same problem.

Do I have bad hardware? Should the card be that hot?

 

[birthdaymonkey]

I think I might have a bad card and hope to get some advice. I've tried this card in 3 different PC's with identical results.

I got the card specifically to do OPENCL 3d rendering with Lux, so I am running LuxRays to test it. It inconsistently bombs out with the dreaded amdkmdap driver failed to respond, Windows error 4101. Occasionally it works.

I'm using Windows 7 64-bit. Tried it with and without SP1. 3 different PC's with different hardware. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, in each of the various PC's. Wall voltage was consistent - monitored it with a multimeter. One PC only had a 650W PS and it worked sometimes, the newer one is a 750W Antec with the same inconsistent behavior.

100% stock settings on both the 7950 and my mobo. Temp runs up to and hovers around 95C under maximum load by LuxRays. I removed the case cover and blew a pretty serious floor fan directly on it, but with no drop in high temp.

Tried both MSI's included drivers, and AMD's 12.6, including clean installs on fresh OS of both, and still get the same problem.

Do I have bad hardware? Should the card be that hot?

I'd say you have a problem with the contact between the heatsink and the GPU. Return it if it's not too much of a hassle (maybe consider a different brand instead), otherwise you can try remounting and reapplying TIM.

 

[Rvenger]

I know there are plenty variables but what do you guys think my odds are to achieve 1080/1550 yet keep the fans below 60% and temps under 75C @ full load?

It's a poorly cooled, small cramped case with restricted air flow.
I get 72C in Max Payne 3 at all deafult settings.
ASIC quality rating is 87.2.
I was planning to add 2 120mm fans.

I put the SSD in lowest slot so that I can mount one 120mm as front intake fan:

Then I will mount the second 120mm on the side panel:

Get a 120mm exhaust for your case. That small 80mm will struggle once that 7950 starts dumping heat into a closed case.

 

[Binky]

I think I might have a bad card and hope to get some advice. I've tried this card in 3 different PC's with identical results.

I got the card specifically to do OPENCL 3d rendering with Lux, so I am running LuxRays to test it. It inconsistently bombs out with the dreaded amdkmdap driver failed to respond, Windows error 4101. Occasionally it works.

I'm using Windows 7 64-bit. Tried it with and without SP1. 3 different PC's with different hardware. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, in each of the various PC's. Wall voltage was consistent - monitored it with a multimeter. One PC only had a 650W PS and it worked sometimes, the newer one is a 750W Antec with the same inconsistent behavior.

100% stock settings on both the 7950 and my mobo. Temp runs up to and hovers around 95C under maximum load by LuxRays. I removed the case cover and blew a pretty serious floor fan directly on it, but with no drop in high temp.

Tried both MSI's included drivers, and AMD's 12.6, including clean installs on fresh OS of both, and still get the same problem.

Do I have bad hardware? Should the card be that hot?

My first 7950 was faulty. It caused random crashes and glitches that I almost believed were a botched driver install. I gave up troubleshooting it quickly and got a replacement. The second one is a beauty - 1100mhz or more at stock voltage, and it rarely goes above 73C while mining.

You should return the card. Don't risk taking it apart and breaking something.

 

[Binky]

Get a 120mm exhaust for your case. That small 80mm will struggle once that 7950 starts dumping heat into a closed case.

Agreed. I have my case open, and this thing dumps a crapload of heat onto my legs. If leaving the case open is an option, fans aren't required (not recommended with kids/pets!).

 

[technonaut]

Thanks guys - I will RMA and advise once I'm back up and running with the new one in case somebody else finds themselves chasing this same problem.

 

[Rvenger]

I get some texture popping in BF3 after the first match is finished using the 12.x unofficial beta drivers. Anyone notice this? Once the 2nd match starts is when I see the textures popping. This happens at stock speeds too.

 

[Fire&Blood]

So I added one 120mm, put it as exhaust fan and took the 80mm and placed it between the side panel and the GPU. I'll get 2 more, think I can mount them to be pretty effective.

I then started to OC and it doesn't heat up as bad as I thought it would. With a bump to 1.05v, the card will run with the sliders maxed out in AB, 1100/1575, load temps never exceeded 75C. At 1.175v, the card is stable @1204/1635. Load temp 78C, forced the fan in idle to cool the card down to 34C before the run.

Also ran 3dmark 11, P score 8300:
http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/4092346

 

[hyrule4927]

Does anyone know what kind of memory voltage tweaks are safe? On stock my memory maxes out at 1375 before I start to get reduced performance.

 

[thujone]

meh so reading everyone's voltages here is kind of disheartening. to hit 1100 core on my card i have to use 1100mv. i almost suspect it has something to do with me using a 6 to 8 pin adapter. older psu but still 700w

 

[hyrule4927]

meh so reading everyone's voltages here is kind of disheartening. to hit 1100 core on my card i have to use 1100mv. i almost suspect it has something to do with me using a 6 to 8 pin adapter. older psu but still 700w

That's not that far off from mine. Needed roughly the same to hit 1100 with my card.

 

[Binky]

I can run almost stable at 1100 with as low as 1.018 but I get a glitch in games every day or two. The default of 1.031 is stable at 1100. With the heatwave around Los Angeles I've been running 1050mhz at 1.018V 24/7 for bitcoin mining to keep the temps below 74C.

 

[Fire&Blood]

Think I found the ceiling on this one. 1240/1750 @1.187v. It will complete benchmarks at 1254 but tons of artifacts. Pushing the voltage higher has no effect.

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/4098714

 

[Rvenger]

Rick, how many volts are you pumping into yours to get to 1100 stable and 1000 stable?


I need 1.05v for 1000 and 1.12 for 1100.

 

[Binky]

Rick, how many volts are you pumping into yours to get to 1100 stable and 1000 stable?


I need 1.05v for 1000 and 1.12 for 1100.

My asic quality is reading lower than your (85.9 vs 87+), yet yours seems to OC much less. If your temps are oK, its probably not a problem at all. You've still got a card that runs 14% higher than stock at default voltage. I'm running an antec 750 power supply.

 

[Fire&Blood]

Rick, how many volts are you pumping into yours to get to 1100 stable and 1000 stable?


I need 1.05v for 1000 and 1.12 for 1100.

At stock 1031v, I can complete benchmarks and play games but with some artifacts @1100/1575. At 1049v, it appears perfectly stable, I haven't done extensive runs so I may need more but I doubt it since I was able to push even higher clocks @1049v. I ran this bench and few others without any artifacts too:

I can push 1225 at ridiculous low voltage, haven't bothered to find the lowest one since I want to run 1100/1575 24/7.

I was really worried about temps in my case when I was trying to find the ceiling so I did this LOL:

I'm happy with the card so far. It helped transform a ok HTPC to a decent gaming rig.

 

[Rvenger]

I was really worried about temps in my case when I was trying to find the ceiling so I did this LOL:

The heat seems to bellow up in the corner of the room so I do this

My card is a worse overclocker than yours though. I might have to change drivers to see if that may be the issue. I might go back to 12.6. I can say that I never saw this card get any hotter than 72c load though.