Is it true AMD cards don't support 60hz at 4K?

[Zii]

I have a 4K TV that has an ARC HDMI port.

For about 6 months, I've been using an r9 270x and the highest option I'm getting on refresh rates for the display is 30hz. If I pixel patch it any higher, 31 for example, black screen.

So I get my hands on this old alienware alpha, which has an 860m (by nvidia) and to my surprise, I hook it up and immediately get 3840x2160 at 60hz! Didn't even have Nvidia drivers installed yet.

Switched the display back to the other comp with the 270x, and played around with CRU and PP. After about 90 reboots later, still nothing higher than 30hz at 4K. I know it's not the cable, because I'm swapping the same one.

That brings me to one of two conclusions:
1. There is absolutely no way to get 60hz 3841x2160 on an AMD R9 270X
2. There is a way to get it working, but I need to mess around with software

Strange, because the 270x is more powerful than the 860m, and has 4GB vs only 2GB on the 860m.

I came across this post as well, and want to make sure it's possible to get 60hz before I go reinstalling drivers again. Can anyone confirm? Because a friend told me that some AMD cards just can't support 60hz @ 4K no matter what, as it's a hardware thing.

 

[Tolis_GR]

Hmmm i think many amd cards, and also nvidia eitherway have a maximum pixel clock limit at 165 hz, which has to be overrided. There is pixel clock patcher for amd. You can find some info at CRU software. Cable also matters. Dual link DVI i think is the best way to go

 

[rgd1101]

Using the same cable/connection on both the 270x and 860m?

 

[gasaraki]

The R9 270 is an older card so the HDMI port only supports 4K @ 30fps per HDMI 1.4 specs.

To maybe get 4K @ 60fps, you'll need to drop the color to 4:2:0 YCbCr in the driver.

 

[Zii]

Hmmm i think many amd cards, and also nvidia eitherway have a maximum pixel clock limit at 165 hz, which has to be overrided. There is pixel clock patcher for amd. You can find some info at CRU software. Cable also matters. Dual link DVI i think is the best way to go

The TV only has HDMI ports, so DVI isn't really an option. My 270x has both HDMI and DP ports, so I could either go HDMI>HDMI or DP>HDMI, but neither has shown 60hz. This post says I need to use DP>HDMI because the HDMI port on the card is limited at 1.4, whereas if I can find a DP>HDMI2.0 adapter it should work. But do those even exist?

 

[Zii]

Using the same cable/connection on both the 270x and 860m?

Yes, same cable, same ARC port of the TV. Just switching the cable from one card to the other.

 

[gasaraki]

Hmmm i think many amd cards, and also nvidia eitherway have a maximum pixel clock limit at 165 hz, which has to be overrided. There is pixel clock patcher for amd. You can find some info at CRU software. Cable also matters. Dual link DVI i think is the best way to go

The TV only has HDMI ports, so DVI isn't really an option. My 270x has both HDMI and DP ports, so I could either go HDMI>HDMI or DP>HDMI, but neither has shown 60hz. This post says I need to use DP>HDMI because the HDMI port on the card is limited at 1.4, whereas if I can find a DP>HDMI2.0 adapter it should work. But do those even exist?

 

[SkyNetRising]

What is manufacturer/model name of your r9 270x ?
Generally r9 270x supports 4k60Hz mode, but supported resolution varies by GPU model and board design.
You have to confirm specifications with manufacturer.

For example MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming 2G supports HDMI version 1.4a - Max Resolution: 3840x2160 @30 Hz.

 

[Zii]

What is manufacturer/model name of your r9 270x ?
Generally r9 270x supports 4k60Hz mode, but supported resolution varies by GPU model and board design.
You have to confirm specifications with manufacturer.

For example MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming 2G supports HDMI version 1.4a - Max Resolution: 3840x2160 @30 Hz.

Found it!

It doesn't specify the version of DP the card has, any way to find out?

 

[Zii]

gasaraki, this is definitely DP to HDMI 2.0? I bought an adapter like this before, and it didn't work at 60hz. But I guess it could have just been DP to HDMI 1.4

In theory, this adapter should solve my problem though, right?

 

[SkyNetRising]

Dual Link DVI: 2560 x 1600 @60Hz
DisplayPort: 4096 x 2160 @60Hz
HDMI: 4096 x 2160 @24Hz, 3840×2160 @30 Hz

https://www.gigabyte.com/Support/FAQ/2759

 

[Tolis_GR]

gasaraki, this is definitely DP to HDMI 2.0? I bought an adapter like this before, and it didn't work at 60hz. But I guess it could have just been DP to HDMI 1.4

In theory, this adapter should solve my problem though, right?

https://www.amazon.com/Club3D-Displayport-1-2-HDMI-CAC-1070/dp/B017BQ8I54

 

[ko888]

What is manufacturer/model name of your r9 270x ?
Generally r9 270x supports 4k60Hz mode, but supported resolution varies by GPU model and board design.
You have to confirm specifications with manufacturer.

For example MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming 2G supports HDMI version 1.4a - Max Resolution: 3840x2160 @30 Hz.

Found it!

It doesn't specify the version of DP the card has, any way to find out?

The Radeon R9 270X was launched on October 08, 2013 so it would be DisplayPort version 1.2.

 

[Zii]

ko888, so it's just high enough for 3840, but not 4096 at 60hz? That's interesting.

Alright, I'm going to buy the adapter again. I'll update this post if I have any luck or not. So for the time being we can safely say that there's nothing that can be done software-wise to get the card to work at 60hz @ 4k, correct?

 

[SkyNetRising]

So for the time being we can safely say that there's nothing that can be done software-wise to get the card to work at 60hz @ 4k, correct?

That's right. By using HDMI port on the graphics card, this is not achievable.
Only by using DisplayPort output, you can do this.