AMD promises quick replacements for embarrassing GPU cooling fail
Contrary to rumors, there’s plenty of replacement 7900 XTX stock on hand, ready to send out
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AMDhas confirmed that the issue withRX 7900 XTXgraphics cards overheating is down to the vapor chamber specifically, but has assured us that only small numbers of theseRDNA 3flagship GPUs have been affected, and that any necessary replacements will be shipped swiftly.
AMD’s Scott Herkelman, Senior VP & GM of the Graphics division, furnished us with the fresh details in an interview onYouTubewithPC World(flagged up byVideoCardz).
Herkelman told us that the situation is, in fact, just as overclockingexpert Der8auer previously contended, namely that the root cause of spiking temperature hotspots with the GPU is down to not enough water being put inside the vapor chamber (meaning there’s an insufficient amount to actually cool all of the chip effectively).
This short-changing applies to just a “small batch” of graphics cards, Herkelman explains, and a very small percentage of the reference boards out there. Remember, this issue only pertains to RX 7900 XTXgraphics cardsbuilt on AMD’s reference design, because custom third-party boards have their own cooling systems, of course.
As for replacement 7900 XTX GPUs, AMD won’t hang around in sending them out to affected customers, with Herkelman asserting that “we’ll ship it to you right away”.
If you’re one of those folks experiencing trouble with overheating hotspots on your RX 7900 XTX, you need to contact AMD support, or the third-party graphics card maker you purchased your reference design product from, and they’ll arrange for a replacement.
Analysis: Extinguishing the rumor flames
As we’ve seen this week,rumors have abounded about this being a major problemfor AMD in terms of the number of RX 7900 XTX GPUs which are affected. So it’s interesting to hear AMD clarify that it’s actually only a small percentage of the reference cards out there that are hit. (Herkelman underlines at a second point in the video that “very few people experience this”).
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It would appear, then, that the estimations of thousands of graphics cards being hit – indeed, an almost five-figure total was another theory we saw aired – are off the mark. Although that said, depending on how many 7900 XTX cards have been shipped, a very small percentage (1-2%, maybe?) could be a thousand, or maybe a bit more even (but certainly not approaching 10,000).
A further rumor that Herkelman counters is the theory that AMD is struggling to cope with having enough stock of replacement graphics cards to send to those who are returning affected boards. Clearly, the comment about shipping replacement GPUs “right away” is aimed at defusing this chatter on the grapevine.
Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - ‘I Know What You Did Last Supper’ - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).
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