Question 3060 Ti unstable with stock clocks, have to underclock the memory. Is the GPU dying?

[agonydear]

Hey guys.

So basically, I've bought a used 3060 Ti today, but it has issues. When playing games, my screen is flashing and then the driver crashes. I reached out to the guy whom I purchased the GPU from and he says he knows an IT dude who suggested me to underclock the memory by -800 and claims that this is normal with some cards. This did actually fix the issue and now no crashes and everything seems to be working fine (FPS dipped a bit though). My question is, should I still insist on returning the card or is that IT guy right? Is it normal and will my GPU last long enough or does this mean the memory chip is dying?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Phaaze88]

That is NOT normal. Like, the card should become obsolete to you before you should ever have to touch memory clock.
I insist you get your money back, mate.

That card was most likely mined on. FYI:
-A card that was gamed on stresses gpu power delivery.
-A card that was mined on stresses gpu memory controller.
If the card isn't able to run at its default memory clock - 3060Ti hasn't even been out for several years, think about that - then the memory controller is worn down real good.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Yeah, I'd totally agree with @Phaaze88 .

This card seems like it's been mining. The artefacts tell a tale.

Your GPU 'should'be able to run flawlessly for years if it's for gaming only (natural failures aside)

A note for future reference: Two things never to buy second hand - 1. GPU, 2. PSU.

Edit: I'd be sending that back asap.

 

[agonydear]

That is NOT normal. Like, the card should become obsolete to you before you should ever have to touch memory clock.
I insist you get your money back, mate.

That card was most likely mined on. FYI:
-A card that was gamed on stresses gpu power delivery.
-A card that was mined on stresses gpu memory controller.
If the card isn't able to run at its default memory clock - 3060Ti hasn't even been out for several years, think about that - then the memory controller is worn down real good.

Yeah, I'd totally agree with @Phaaze88 .

This card seems like it's been mining. The artefacts tell a tale.

Your GPU 'should'be able to run flawlessly for years if it's for gaming only (natural failures aside)

A note for future reference: Two things never to buy second hand - 1. GPU, 2. PSU.

Edit: I'd be sending that back asap.

Thank you guys. Well, this is a Palit 3060 Ti which is an LHR version. The seller claims he only played CS GO, which isn't demanding so he didn't have these issues and his IT friend insists he builds PCs everyday and it's common for these cards to do that.

Idk man.

 

[logainofhades]

It is not normal. What is the make/model of your power supply?

 

[agonydear]

It is not normal. What is the make/model of your power supply?

Corsair RM750 is my PSU. Yeah, I agree this is not normal. Just texted the guy and waiting for his answer. I was testing this underclock and about 1-2 hours later I started getting very brief flickers again, which are very rare but still happen, so not acceptable. He seems like he is trying hard not to take it back though, so seems like this will be a long story, but I will push through it because clearly this GPU is having issues. 6600 XT that I owned previously did not do this.

 

[Phaaze88]

his IT friend insists he builds PCs everyday and it's common for these cards to do that.

Having to downclock memory clock on a almost 2 year old card(launch) because the default clock is no longer stable, is a common occurrence? Bull.
If the memory were overclocked, or OCed too high, and pushed too hard in that state, yeah I could see that. Downclock > later becomes unstable... you'll be rinsing and repeating, eventually no longer being able to downclock it any further.


Even if I didn't know that, just hearing, "Hey, if you downclock the memory 800mhz or so, it'll work just like new.", would set off red flags, but I'm a paranoid dude...

 

[dudio]

I'll let th3 more knowledgeable guys chime in on your PSU..I never can remember which Corsairs are not that good. It could be your card..it could be your PSU

 

[agonydear]

Having to downclock memory clock on a almost 2 year old card(launch) because the default clock is no longer stable, is a common occurrence? Bull.
If the memory were overclocked, or OCed too high, and pushed too hard in that state, yeah I could see that. Downclock > later becomes unstable... you'll be rinsing and repeating, eventually no longer being able to downclock it any further.


Even if I didn't know that, just hearing, "Hey, if you downclock the memory 800mhz or so, it'll work just like new.", would set off red flags, but I'm a paranoid dude...

Yeah hard to say what's going on. Apparently the dude who sold me the GPU is temporarily in a different country now for about 3-4 months and he says he is unable to accept the card back. I'm pissed.

I'll let th3 more knowledgeable guys chime in on your PSU..I never can remember which Corsairs are not that good. It could be your card..it could be your PSU

I thought about that, but there is a known youtuber Kryzzp who uses the same PSU and he tests a lot of cards with this PSU and it's fine, so idk man. Maybe mine specifically has the issue or maybe it's definitely the card itself.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

I've a Pailt 3060ti 8gb OC Dual (not sure if exact same). Believe me, if I had have had to run my mem lower by 800mhz, you can better believe I'd be sending it back.

You expect the minimum, the mem should work as advertised with no downclocking just to get stability. In hindsight, not a great purchase. But, if you're only going on someone's word, then kinda expected in some ways it's possibly problematic. That's a pity vendor won't take it back. Where did you purchase it from. Is there no comeback like with ebay/paypal?

The Corsair RM are a very decent PSU, just a shade below the RMx (and that's only because the RMx has better capacitors). Both considered suitable for modern builds. The RM, maybe not for 3090/ti (with transient spikes), but for your system and GPU, should be ample.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Definitely need to return. Did you purchase locally? If you purchased it on ebay, I think they a money back guarantee if you submit the claim within 30 days. I've purchased used cards there before without issues. But having to downclock is NOT normal. I just bought a 6700xt a couple of months ago from ebay listed as refurbished and the card is basically like new.

 

[agonydear]

I've a Pailt 3060ti 8gb OC Dual (not sure if exact same). Believe me, if I had have had to run my mem lower by 800mhz, you can better believe I'd be sending it back.

You expect the minimum, the mem should work as advertised with no downclocking just to get stability. In hindsight, not a great purchase. But, if you're only going on someone's word, then kinda expected in some ways it's possibly problematic. That's a pity vendor won't take it back. Where did you purchase it from. Is there no comeback like with ebay/paypal?

The Corsair RM are a very decent PSU, just a shade below the RMx (and that's only because the RMx has better capacitors). Both considered suitable for modern builds. The RM, maybe not for 3090/ti (with transient spikes), but for your system and GPU, should be ample.

Definitely need to return. Did you purchase locally? If you purchased it on ebay, I think they a money back guarantee if you submit the claim within 30 days. I've purchased used cards there before without issues. But having to downclock is NOT normal. I just bought a 6700xt a couple of months ago from ebay listed as refurbished and the card is basically like new.

Agree with you guys. Unfortunately, it was bought from the guy itself, no ebay or stuff is involved, so money is lost.

I don't know, maybe it's my PSU, but I highly doubt it. Maybe I will buy one next month, we'll see. Right now I'm already getting used to this loss. Will probably sell this card for cheap, add a bit of money and buy another one, have no other choice. I've just got unlucky here, but it happens, there's nothing we can do sometimes.

 

[USAFRet]

Will probably sell this card for cheap

And you NEED to tell the theoretical new owner of its condition.

So that we don't have to answer HIS question on this card in a couple of months.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

I'd probably sell that card cheap, maybe look at an RX 6600xt or 6700xt as well. I don't necessarily have an issue buying used, but doing it through somewhere like ebay is a bit safer since they have the money back guarantee in my opinion. So at least if the item isn't as described you can money back. But fortunately gpu prices are coming down. The 3060ti you got was probably mined on pretty heavily, which doesn't always hurt them as the guys who know what they are doing tend to downclock them and try to cool them.

 

[agonydear]

And you NEED to tell the theoretical new owner of its condition.

So that we don't have to answer HIS question on this card in a couple of months.

Yes, I'm not gonna lie to anyone. Already selling it here locally and explained the issue fully, so the buyer knows what he is buying.

I'd probably sell that card cheap, maybe look at an RX 6600xt or 6700xt as well. I don't necessarily have an issue buying used, but doing it through somewhere like ebay is a bit safer since they have the money back guarantee in my opinion. So at least if the item isn't as described you can money back. But fortunately gpu prices are coming down. The 3060ti you got was probably mined on pretty heavily, which doesn't always hurt them as the guys who know what they are doing tend to downclock them and try to cool them.

Nah mate, here's what happened. The seller is basically a very busy dude, he flew to another country because of his job. The reason why he sold this card was because he basically had no time to play anymore and he said he doesn't need it. He used to play CS GO only and even then like once a week maybe. He also isn't that tech-savvy, so he needed his IT friend who suggested me to downclock and call it a day, claiming it's normal with some cards. The seller himself didn't know what he was talking about, it was visible he has no idea about all this overclocking/underclocking stuff, plus it wasn't mined because it's an LHR version and before I bought the GPU, he was like "I hope you aren't gonna mine on this card, it wasn't designed for it".

Idk, it can be all acting from his side, but I kinda see it being genuine. What happened here is that I've just got unlucky, we couldn't test the card because he is always busy and basically was never available until very late, so I couldn't go to his house and test the GPU with him, so I've got the GPU without testing hoping that everything will be fine, as always (been buying GPUs second hand for like 10 years now). This time, the luck wasn't on my side and I've got a bad card. He says since this card is just second hand, there is no warranty on it and he won't take it back, especially because he isn't even in this country anymore. He has his reasons, most people don't give a warranty when selling second hand stuff, so I just have to take it. Although, as you've said, GPU prices are indeed going down, so it's not that big of an issue, next salary will be basically enough for me to buy another 3060 Ti, it's this situation which is unfortunate.

As for AMD cards, I'm not buying them again dude. I've actually had 6600 XT before which had all sorts of issues. Even though no artifacting or stuff was present, I had huge stutters/FPS drops in games (been trying clean Windows installs and different drivers, some made it better, some drivers made it worse, but never 100% good). Buying 3060 Ti fixed it, when no artifacts or crashes are present here (with -800 or -1000 downclock), gaming is really smooth, night and day difference between 3060 Ti and 6600 XT I've had, no FPS drops or stutters at all. Had similar issues with my old RX 580 8GB, so I'm all Nvidia now. There was even a guy selling 6700 XT for cheaper than this 3060 Ti, but I chose Nvidia so I can at least test if stutters/FPS drops will be fixed, which they were, thankfully.

 

[USAFRet]

The seller is basically a very busy dude, he flew to another country because of his job.

yeah, right.

and before I bought the GPU, he was like "I hope you aren't gonna mine on this card, it wasn't designed for it".

If he is not tech savvy, how does he know this?

 

[agonydear]

yeah, right.


If he is not tech savvy, how does he know this?

Well I mean most people here know about mining, even kids or elderly people. Hell, even my GF have heard about it, just doesn't know how exactly it works. Anyways, doesn't matter, I'm screwed anyways. Thank you guys.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

I get it. I've owned Nvidia cards before as well. I did have a 6600xt before my 6700xt that had issues and I had to return it, but the 6700xt has been a great card so far.

 

[agonydear]

I get it. I've owned Nvidia cards before as well. I did have a 6600xt before my 6700xt that had issues and I had to return it, but the 6700xt has been a great card so far.

Well I'm thinking about it again now*. That 6700 XT is still selling apparently and it's quite a lot cheaper than 3060 Ti, so might give it another try and sell it if AMD will fail me again. It's a great card on paper, being even more powerful than 3060 Ti in most titles, so it's a good deal. But I'm still so into Nvidia right now though, dunno what to do lol.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Right now they are close to the same price, but when I purchased, the AMD cards were a good deal cheaper than the nvidia cards a couple of months ago. I'd been using an old gtx 970 because I'd sold the 6600xt I had for close to 500 when everyone was mining.

If you are looking brand new they will be close, for example though, I was looking around ebay and saw this.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1551453144...h1XBU1KuOyVhWF8Q=|tkp:Bk9SR9SVlvjfYA&LH_BIN=1


It's quite a bit less than new, but the guy says it's only 2 months old and has good feedback. Even though it says he doesn't accept returns, you should be covered if it would break within a certain time frame because you could say the item was not as described.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/...licy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy?id=4210

That link kind of breaks down their policy.

For another option here's a plain 6700. Anyway, after your recent experience, I definitely understand if you are purchasing new only. Just saw the deal above and that's a decent price.

https://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-113...id=1662144452&sprefix=rx+6700,aps,116&sr=8-19



You may also check the EVGA b stock site, it appears they have a couple of 3060 ti cards for $419.00 on there.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Agree with you guys. Unfortunately, it was bought from the guy itself, no ebay or stuff is involved, so money is lost.

I don't know, maybe it's my PSU, but I highly doubt it. Maybe I will buy one next month, we'll see. Right now I'm already getting used to this loss. Will probably sell this card for cheap, add a bit of money and buy another one, have no other choice. I've just got unlucky here, but it happens, there's nothing we can do sometimes.

Glad you have a positive attitude on it. Yeah, not nice to happen. I can feel your pain.

Good luck with next purchase. Hope it works out for you.

 

[agonydear]

Right now they are close to the same price, but when I purchased, the AMD cards were a good deal cheaper than the nvidia cards a couple of months ago. I'd been using an old gtx 970 because I'd sold the 6600xt I had for close to 500 when everyone was mining.

If you are looking brand new they will be close, for example though, I was looking around ebay and saw this.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/155145314491?epid=24045656538&hash=item241f61a0bb:g:shMAAOSwscZjEjb8&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAAoN5WoCohojVRK2aZ/3vaDqoVFSiqmghMhDkMdEWF7EuwdElei9tAobh50tu9t1y/aiPDLLpZt4sxKW5BsAUpnVInStlSPcnaiFwQFpxw6AU0bJH65IieZQobOwrj138Eb8HpHSVaMGkmJ7drfOhDOis6+atkmjh6T1ysONq8/bWWgOTvOsoSL0C2ertBr18HsKFP7Kth1XBU1KuOyVhWF8Q=|tkp:Bk9SR9SVlvjfYA&LH_BIN=1


It's quite a bit less than new, but the guy says it's only 2 months old and has good feedback. Even though it says he doesn't accept returns, you should be covered if it would break within a certain time frame because you could say the item was not as described.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/...licy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy?id=4210

That link kind of breaks down their policy.

For another option here's a plain 6700. Anyway, after your recent experience, I definitely understand if you are purchasing new only. Just saw the deal above and that's a decent price.

https://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-11321-02-20G-Radeon-Gaming-Graphics/dp/B0B95LX4JG/ref=sr_1_19?crid=7T813WG9MI63&keywords=rx+6700&qid=1662144452&sprefix=rx+6700,aps,116&sr=8-19



You may also check the EVGA b stock site, it appears they have a couple of 3060 ti cards for $419.00 on there.

Thank you for the suggestions dude, but I live in country Georgia and eBay and Amazon are mostly not suitable for me, plus I don’t like waiting because I’m impatient lol.

Glad you have a positive attitude on it. Yeah, not nice to happen. I can feel your pain.

Good luck with next purchase. Hope it works out for you.

Thank you.

Consulted some people here, got a confirmation that this is indeed common with 3060 Ti cards which have Hynix memory chips specifically (guess which ones I have) and underclocking those can indeed make it work for years, but this is definitely not normal, because these chips are basically defective. Found a guy who changed those chips to Samsung ones and his GPU is working fine since then, he gave the number of the technician who did it, I contacted him and he offered me to change to Samsung chips too and surprisingly, it’s very cheap. I might as well go for it in the coming days, since they say it all gets fixed and perfect after changing them, guess I gotta risk it.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Thank you for the suggestions dude, but I live in country Georgia and eBay and Amazon are mostly not suitable for me, plus I don’t like waiting because I’m impatient lol.



Thank you.

Consulted some people here, got a confirmation that this is indeed common with 3060 Ti cards which have Hynix memory chips specifically (guess which ones I have) and underclocking those can indeed make it work for years, but this is definitely not normal, because these chips are basically defective. Found a guy who changed those chips to Samsung ones and his GPU is working fine since then, he gave the number of the technician who did it, I contacted him and he offered me to change to Samsung chips too and surprisingly, it’s very cheap. I might as well go for it in the coming days, since they say it all gets fixed and perfect after changing them, guess I gotta risk it.

Oh, that's a bit of a result! Hopefully it works as intended.

That's very odd that some cards with Hynix IC have issues like that. Surely that would have been caught in QA. I can't imagine a board partner or customers putting up with that. Must have been a bad batch.

 

[agonydear]

Oh, that's a bit of a result! Hopefully it works as intended.

That's very odd that some cards with Hynix IC have issues like that. Surely that would have been caught in QA. I can't imagine a board partner or customers putting up with that. Must have been a bad batch.

Indeed, but I’ve watched many videos and everyone says they basically still ship and sell these cards with these defective chips, very strange. You basically have to pray to not get a defective one at this point or get one which has a warranty. They’ve released a new batch with Hynix v2 which is supposed to fix these issues, but people say it’s mostly all the same lol. Pretty bad.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Yeah, bad alright. I guess through the last year or two they would still make their money back selilng defective GPU's whilst there's a shortage.

But like you say, kinda hit and hope. Not good for the consumer.