Discussion AMD Radeon RX 6000 GPUs dying due to Driver issues or a defective batch ?

[Deleted member 2731765]

Hi guys/gals,

I just wanted to ask from those gamers using AMD's RX 6000-series GPUs, that whether have you experienced a dead card after the latest driver release ? I'm not sure whether this issue is related to a specific batch of chips, or it's a GPU driver issue.

Right now, I don't think this issue is widespread though, because only German users have so far reported on these issues. But how can this be a coincidence that 48 GPUs died suddenly ? Can GPU drivers really brick a card ?

Anyways, let me keep this short.

German Techtuber and repair shop, KrisFix-Germany, posted a video sharing how his shop has received several AMD Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards for repair. The shop got 61 cards in total which were a mix of Radeon RX 6900 and RX 6800 series flavors and out of 61, 48 cards had come with a cracked GPU. Kris states that this is the first time he has seen so many GPUs come to his shop with cracked GPUs.

But it's not just the GPU that has cracked, all 48 cards come with shorted SOC rail, shorted memory rail, or a shorted memory controller rail. Upon asking users what they were specifically doing with the cards, most of them responded differently. Some said they were gaming normally while others were watching YouTube or even had their PC on idle when the GPU died on them.

But one thing that matched across all affected GPUs was the driver version. It is stated that all GPUs were using the latest drivers which launched last year in December aka Adrenalin 22.11.2 (WHQL).

Also, KrisFix doesn't mention what AIBs came with the dead GPUs but the one shown in the video is an AMD MBA design which is used by the reference Radeon RX 6900 / RX 6800 graphics cards. Now we can't blame this on either the drivers or this particular variant yet without investigating further into the problem but it should definitely be taken seriously.

For now, Buildzoid states that it won't be the first time that a GPU manufacturer would accidentally disable the thermal protection in a new driver release. Some users have also reported hearing aggressive coil whine on the newer drivers which wasn't there before.

View: https://youtu.be/pQDnwpc_k4E

https://twitter.com/x/status/1612868725128019968

View: https://twitter.com/Buildzoid1/status/1612868725128019968

 

[Deleted member 14196]

Man, I am so glad to be out of the GPU buying business

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

Man, I am so glad to be out of the GPU buying business

So you won't be upgrading your Gaming rig anymore ? Even I'm not that much interested in buying new cards, but my good old AMD RX 480 is slowly showing its age.

Just fingers crossed that my GPU doesn't die so soon. But I will buy only an NVIDIA GPU this time. I was planning to get the RTX 3050/3060 SKU, but I still haven't decided yet. I think AMD still has issues with their drivers, unlike Nvidia, IMO.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

yes, I’ve been out of the GPU buying business for a few years. I went to console because the price was just going to high. Now they are creeping up on the $1000 mark soon I’m sure, if you can get your hands on one.

I don’t think my budget can withstand any more gaming lol. Gotta get my son through college first.

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

yes, I’ve been out of the GPU buying business for a few years. I went to console because the price was just going to high. Now they are creeping up on the $1000 mark soon I’m sure, if you can get your hands on one.

I don’t think my budget can withstand any more gaming lol. Gotta get my son through college first.

Yeah, family should always be the top priority.

Actually, honestly speaking, I'm also not able to afford such expensive GPUs just to play some so-called graphic demanding AAA games being released as of late. Doing a total system overhaul including the CPU, Mobo, and RAM would also cost me a fortune.

Not counting any monitor's price here, which would surely be on a higher side if I want a 2K or a 4K high refresh rate screen. Currently on 1080p.

I'm only interested in upgrading the GPU part though, since my old i7 4790 system is still more than enough for my gaming needs. Also, MOST importantly, I mostly play older PC games, since it's not worth buying AAA titles these days (just a few), given the sad state of affairs in the gaming industry. So my RX 480 is still fit for the job.

Seriously, if suppose I upgrade to a more powerful GPU just to play a game which is horribly optimized and buggy then my upgrade would be a waste. Only a few AAA/AA games released these days are worth playing/buying, at least in my opinion.

BTW, the recent increase in price of Nvidia and AMD GPUs is horrendous to say the least. 1K USD has become the norm these days. Even xx80-class GPUs carry the price tag of previous gen flagship models, meaning any xx80-class GPU is also getting more expensive, compared to the previous gen model's price tag.

Price and cost aside, the increase in TDP and power consumption is more of a concern. I never expected newer gen GPUs would be more power hungry than previous gen models, despite the use of an optimized process node like 4nm. And don't get me started on the (in)-famous 16-PIN Gen 5 power connector requirement.

 

[alceryes]

No issues with my 6900 XT reference.
If they're reference cards, AMD should offer this guy $$$ to buy every single one of those cards. As long as serial is intact they can trace its production.

I'm guessing bad batch, but how did this make it past QA??

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

Yeah, this issue is indeed related to a particular batch of chips, 'cause I don't think drivers can brick so many cards in a row. Else, the issue should have been widespread till now, instead of only Germany.

But it is indeed scary to witness so many cards dying.

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

UPDATE:

KrisFix posted the following photos of the card shown in the video. The card’s GPU has visibly cracked die. Such defects are not related to the driver.

 

[zx128k]

I posted this at least a day ago, seems its gone viral. Nice to see it getting interest from ppl.

 

[RodroX]

How old are this cards?
Were the 48 gpus brand new cards from reputable stores?, Did any of them came from ebay or similar. Is any of them a refurbished product?
Youtuber got ~60 card in 3 weeks. That may, or not show that something similar may have changed around that time for at least 48 of those 60 gpus.
Did all those 48 customers had AMD Noise Supression enable?, or Did the new driver enable it by default? (I read someone talking about this somewhere, can't remember, sorry).
Is this the only incident in the world?, Are there any other similar reports from the US, Canada, Spain, UK, France?

I really don't know whats going. Probably no one knows for sure (yet). Those are only a few of the questions I have.

 

[zx128k]

Reports like this have happened for both nvidia and amd. The difference have is the source is a little better. Its not reddit for example or amd's forums. AMD have reported as overclocking their CPUs when a AMD GPU is installed for example via their drivers. Those GPU die pictures are end of days bad. Like the die had far to much voltage and heat. With zero LN2.

This is no more than an observation at this point.

 

[Tac 25]

So you won't be upgrading your Gaming rig anymore ? Even I'm not that much interested in buying new cards, but my good old AMD RX 480 is slowly showing its age.

Just fingers crossed that my GPU doesn't die so soon. But I will buy only an NVIDIA GPU this time. I was planning to get the RTX 3050/3060 SKU, but I still haven't decided yet. I think AMD still has issues with their drivers, unlike Nvidia, IMO.

an RX 480. That's a decent card, stronger than a 1050ti.
I have a friend in discord who plan to use his RX 480 for 2 years more.

but is your gpu dying? Well, if that's what's happening.. indeed it's time to buy a new one.
Upgrading to Nvidia would be a decent choice. I have 3 pc here in the house, all with Nvidia gpu, none had driver problems. Actually, I just finished updating the 3050 to driver 528.02

 

[zx128k]

I would add nVidia also had a rumored killer driver update in the past. These reports hit reddit all the time. So wait until more is known.

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

an RX 480. That's a decent card, stronger than a 1050ti.
I have a friend in discord who plan to use his RX 480 for 2 years more.

but is your gpu dying? Well, if that's what's happening.. indeed it's time to buy a new one.
Upgrading to Nvidia would be a decent choice. I have 3 pc here in the house, all with Nvidia gpu, none had driver problems. Actually, I just finished updating the 3050 to driver 528.02

Yes, I have the AMD RX 480. It's not fully dead yet, but I have a feeling the GPU is is slowly starting to show signs of prolonged use. Sometimes my monitor loses signal, and sometimes my PC restarts, even in light gaming workloads.

Already tried a new PSU, but the problem persists. Yeah, actually the RX 480 is a pretty good 1080p performer. Much faster than other mainstream GPUs, be it from AMD or Nvidia. I will definitely buy an Nvidia card this time though.

No matter what others say, Nvidia has got less problems with it's drivers. But driver issues aside, I want to switch the camp and go for the green team this time, as I have already used AMD cards for a long time. Want to try the new RTX features, including the DLSS tech feature.

Both the RTX 3050 and 3060 cards are heaps faster than my RX 480. So the performance jump is going to high, regardless of the screen resolution.

EDIT:

BTW, how is your RTX 3050 preforming in games ? I assume you play on 1080p resolution ?

 

[CountMike]

Just 3 month ago I switched my trusty Rx 570 for Rx 6600 made by Gigabyte to go with Ryzen 5800x. 22..11.2 WHlQ drivers with no ill effects. Nothing changed, still cool with 1.125 undervolt. no abnormalities observed. Temps up to 62c in Furmark, much less in games.

 

[Tac 25]

Yes, I have the AMD RX 480. It's not fully dead yet, but I have a feeling the GPU is is slowly starting to show signs of prolonged use. Sometimes my monitor loses signal, and sometimes my PC restarts, even in light gaming workloads.

Already tried a new PSU, but the problem persists. Yeah, actually the RX 480 is a pretty good 1080p performer. Much faster than other mainstream GPUs, be it from AMD or Nvidia. I will definitely buy an Nvidia card this time though.

No matter what others say, Nvidia has got less problems with it's drivers. But driver issues aside, I want to switch the camp and go for the green team this time, as I have already used AMD cards for a long time. Want to try the new RTX features, including the DLSS tech feature.

Both the RTX 3050 and 3060 cards are heaps faster than my RX 480. So the performance jump is going to high, regardless of the screen resolution.

EDIT:

BTW, how is your RTX 3050 preforming in games ? I assume you play on 1080p resolution ?

have you already tried updating Windows and gpu drivers, the restart still persist?

well, to be able to Ray Trace with King of Fighters XV is the reason I purchased a 3050.
yeah, my monitor is 1080p. Here's KoF XV, ray traced.

Spoiler

in terms of strength. My 1050ti and 1650 cannot play Dead or Alive VI at max resolution (the game will lag and become unplayable), but the 3050 can do it without any lag.

Spoiler

the 3050 has served well in 1080p gaming. Most games I have here are playstation 4 titles, and a few ps5 games as well.

anyway, if you can get a 3060, then go for that. It's stronger than a 3050.

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

the 3050 has served well in 1080p gaming. Most games I have here are playstation 4 titles, and a few ps5 games as well.

anyway, if you can get a 3060, then go for that. It's stronger than a 3050.

Glad to know the 3050 is doing well in 1080p. If my RX 480 can handle most of the games easily, then the RTX 3050 would be a decent upgrade, despite it's narrow 128-bit memory bus interface.

Yes, the RTX 3060 is even faster. There is one shop selling the RTX 3060 from PALIT brand, and the price difference between this model and Palit's 3050 model is not very huge. So I might get the 3060 instead from the same company. More future proof card for gaming, even at 1440p.

PALIT might not be a very good GPU vendor/brand, but they are not THAT bad either. In fact some of the models have excellent build quality, like the GameRock and JetStream series.

 

[Tac 25]

There is one shop selling the RTX 3060 from PALIT brand, and the price difference between this model and Palit's 3050 model is not very huge. So I might get the 3060 instead from the same company. More future proof card for gaming, even at 1440p.

yeah, going for the 3060 is the better choice in your situation. I don't own a 3060, and also don't own a 1440p monitor, so can't comment on how it will perform at 1440p.

you're lucky the gap in price between the 3050 and 3060 is now small.
Feb 2022, when I purchased a 3050.. the gap in price is large. 3050 = 18,000 pesos, while the 3060 at the same store 29,000 pesos.

here is the 3050. Far from being the best, but it's my treasure.

Spoiler

goodluck then in getting the 3060. I hope your gpu holds out until you can get one.

 

[Deleted member 2731765]

yeah, going for the 3060 is the better choice in your situation. I don't own a 3060, and also don't own a 1440p monitor, so can't comment on how it will perform at 1440p.

you're lucky the gap in price between the 3050 and 3060 is now small.
Feb 2022, when I purchased a 3050.. the gap in price is large. 3050 = 18,000 pesos, while the 3060 at the same store 29,000 pesos.

here is the 3050. Far from being the best, but it's my treasure.

Spoiler

goodluck then in getting the 3060. I hope your gpu holds out until you can get one.

Awesome.. That ASUS DUAL Phoenix Model is also good. Anything related ASUS, and I can buy it blindly. ASUS cards are expensive though. Other AIBs are also good, but I prefer ASUS and MSI for GPUs and Motherboards, if I can afford one that is.

I will definitely get the RTX 3060 ! This card is damn powerful than my RX 480 for sure.

 

[JayGau]

I think AMD still has issues with their drivers, unlike Nvidia, IMO.

They all have issues no matter it's AMD, Nvidia or Intel. And I would be very interested to compare the number of issues Nvidia drivers got in the last 12 months as compared to AMD. We might be surprised. You mentioned yourself that the damages on those cards couldn't be caused by a driver issue but people will still falsely remember that AMD drivers are toasting cards. The same way they are convinced that AMD drivers are making games crashing all the time.

I got a 7900 XTX a month ago and had no crashes beside The Wicther 3 (DX12), but several Nvidia users are also experiencing similar problems with the new version of that game. And before to get my 7900 XTX, I was running a RTX 2080 that has crashed for 3 weeks on COD MW2 (both Nvidia and Infinity Ward had to release several patches to fix the problem). So no drivers are perfect, they all have their issues time to time but I don't think AMD's ones have a lot more than Nvidia's (at least in the last couple of years).

 

[zx128k]

Freezing in games is a nVidia favourite.

 

[zx128k]

Update.

 

[Kona45primo]

Looks like they found the cause.

Old mining cards stored improperly in a humid environment for a long period. They were not allowed to dry and used shortly after purchasing. This humid air trapped in the GPU core either expanded or trapped more heat, or both and led to the issues. Hence the reason why it was an isolated incident in Europe rather than being widespread across the globe.

The Adrenalin 22.11.2 drivers are safe, running humidity soaked cards is not.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

That's what they say, but if the cards dried sufficiently wouldn't you think they'd be ok? I mean come on, they had a mining craze a few years back and used gpus came out for sale and I don't remember reports like this. Plus the reports seemed to mainly be from 1 place.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not mining or power washing my electronics, but wouldn't that have come up by now you think?

 

[Kona45primo]

If the cards were dry, yes. No issues. But they weren't. Does it not make sense that someone in our around Germany had or received a shipment of exceptionally poorly stored cards and sold them locally?

No other reports anywhere, the affected cards all came from the same source. They ended up at the same repair shop as that is the regional repair business.

This isn't a wide spread incident, just one initial source. It just happens to be a lot of cards and one repair facility. It's widely known that cards used for mining can have issues, plenty of first hand accounts from the first round of mining. Those cards were just distributed to a larger area.