Warning: Do Not Buy RX 480 (ongoing discussion)

[TechguyMaxC 516]

AMD's new budget $200-$240 graphics card (essentially equivalent in performance to the Geforce GTX 970) has some serious design flaws which could kill your motherboard.  There are lots of tech sites doing analysis of this issue and lots of discussion forums with in-depth discussions.  I feel like this discussion is the best I've come across thus far, with an explanation in the first post.  http://techreport.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=118144

 

Note: it is possible that this issue will be corrected by AMD at some point either through manufacturing changes or via software updates but no solution has been identified at this point in time.  

[neucoas 82]

Better to wait for 3rd party manufacturers, like ASUS, MSI, XFX... Theoretically the problem is solved when using more than a 6 PCI connector (like an 8 pin or dual 6 pins)

[TechguyMaxC 516]

Better to wait for 3rd party manufacturers, like ASUS, MSI, XFX... Theoretically the problem is solved when using more than a 6 PCI connector (like an 8 pin or dual 6 pins)

 

This is one option.  At this point in time, there are no 3rd party "non-reference" design RX 480s available, so indeed, one must still wait in order to pursue this option and should not buy currently.

[neucoas 82]

This is one option.  At this point in time, there are no 3rd party "non-reference" design RX 480s available, so indeed, one must still wait in order to pursue this option and should not buy currently.

 

Can't agree more.

[hhbrbg 136]

Hi,

Maybe it would be wise to formulate in less dramatic words as "Warning: Don't buy..."
Yes, this is a great info and we should know that there is a problem with this piece of hardware, this aircraft....
But the words should not harm the business of a hard- or software producer. I think, most of us agree we urgently need competition in the gpu market.

No offence! :smile:

Kind regards

Tom

[Luke 782]

IIRC the 750 Ti could pull up to 140W through the PCIe slots.

 

I agree we probably should wait (AMD suggests they have a driver update that fixes/mitigates this) but it's hardly the first.

 

Cheers!

 

Luke

[TechguyMaxC 516]

IIRC the 750 Ti could pull up to 140W through the PCIe slots.

 

I agree we probably should wait (AMD suggests they have a driver update that fixes/mitigates this) but it's hardly the first.

 

Cheers!

 

Luke

 

I can't find a single reference to this anywhere on the internet.

 

Chances are you're confusing total board power draw and power draw from the PCI-e slot exclusively, which is the issue at hand.  The bottom line is that at this point in time, several samples of RX 480 in the wild have been shown to draw potentially dangerous amounts of power via the PCI-e slot, outside of the standardized maximum allowable power draw (75W = 12V * 6.25A).

[Luke 782]

 

 

I can't find a single reference to this anywhere on the internet.

 

Look here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-750-ti-review,3750-20.html

 

 

 

Chances are you're confusing total board power draw and power draw from the PCI-e slot exclusively

 

If I recall correctly, the 750Ti has no PCI-e power plug, and draws all of its power through the slot. The 750 certainly didn't have power connector.

 

Cheers!

Luke

[TechguyMaxC 516]

Look here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-750-ti-review,3750-20.html

 

 

 

 

If I recall correctly, the 750Ti has no PCI-e power plug, and draws all of its power through the slot. The 750 certainly didn't have power connector.

 

Cheers!

 

Luke

 

The reference design for the 750 Ti did not feature a 6-pin because the board was designed properly not to pull more power than the PCI-e slot could safely provide, unlike the RX 480.  However, overclocked cards from AIB partners could and did feature 6-pin power connectors which were able to provide the additional power needed.  You'll notice the Gigabyte card featured in that review does indeed have a 6-pin connector.  Also, the power consumption page of the THG review doesn't mention which of the 3 cards they had on hand was used for testing.  In fact, on the very next page featuring GPGPU testing they show a maximum power draw of only 68W so I question whether or not they truly showed results for a reference card on the previous page.  Transient spikes above 75W aren't going to kill a PCI-e slot, as you can see from that THG review the average power draw still remains below 75W.  It is sustained power draw above 75W that can kill a PCI-e slot.  

 

Anyway, it's all a moot point because 750 Ti cards were not cited for killing motherboards, RX 480s have already been shown to do so.  

 

https://community.amd.com/thread/202410

 

Read the following for more information on why RX 480's power draw is an issue:

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/Power-Consumption-Concerns-Radeon-RX-480

 

Pay particular attention to the video featured at that link, it actually contains additional information that is not in the written article.  

[Luke 782]

 

 

Anyway, it's all a moot point because 750 Ti cards were not cited for killing motherboards, RX 480s have already been shown to do so.

 

Look at the thread, around post 40-49. Looks like the owner previously had a 750Ti in that machine.

 

I'm not disagreeing with you - I would not get an RX480 because out of spec is out of spec, no matter what the results. I'm just pointing out that it's not the first card to exhibit this behavior.

 

Cheers!

Luke

[TechguyMaxC 516]

Look at the thread, around post 40-49. Looks like the owner previously had a 750Ti in that machine.

 

I'm not disagreeing with you - I would not get an RX480 because out of spec is out of spec, no matter what the results. I'm just pointing out that it's not the first card to exhibit this behavior.

 

Cheers!

 

Luke

 

Quote from post 49:

 

 

My 750ti has a 6 pin connector, so it's getting it's juice from the PSU. The 750ti was running in there for over a year with no problems. Only after putting in the RX 480 did the slot die.

 

I don't think you're reading that correctly.