[SOLVED] RX 6700 XT out-of-game GUI issues ?

M-S

Sep 10, 2021
3
1
15
Hi all, this might be a long post but I've got a bit of a nightmare on my hands here. I recently managed to get my hands on a pre-owned ASUS TUF RX 6700 XT from an eBay auction and ever since installation I have been experiencing issues which so far, strangely, are NOT occurring during gaming.

At completely random intervals my screen will sometimes cut to black for a split second and return, similar to what happens when GPU drivers are being installed. Some GUI elements of Windows 10 (such as the search bar) or any non-game programs that may be on screen (such as Firefox) will also sometimes "blank out". Sometimes these two issues accompany one another.

An "ohhhh dear" moment occurred last night which has lead me to write this post. Artifacts began to appear during an episode of the aforementioned issues 😞. These artifacts are picked up by screengrabs as seen here:

https://i.ibb.co/Bj7rmJR/Issue.png

As touched on briefly I haven't experienced any of these issues gaming, being able to happily play Grand Theft Auto V extensively on max settings without a hitch. The card has not been overclocked or underclocked. Temps are good when idle (around 35 celsius max) and under load (around 59 celsius max with GTA V). Since Monday I have:
  • Reinstalled GPU drivers via DDU three times, including rolling back to a couple of older versions
  • Updated monitor and motherboard drivers
  • Flashed my BIOS
  • Tried with FreeSync on and off
  • Turned energy saving settings off on monitor
  • Tried three different display cables (1 DisplayPort and 2 different HDMI); the DP cable is only about 3 months old
  • Ran two separate 8-pin PCI-E cables to the card instead of one daisy-chained cable
Nothing has fixed the problems. I am starting to get very concerned that I have been sold a failing card and need to make a decision soon in terms of continuing to troubleshoot or open an eBay/PayPal dispute. Any suggestions? Is the card dying? Is it driver/software? It's maybe worth noting that I initially uninstalled the Nvidia drivers of my old card through Windows' program manager instead of doing it properly via DDU. Any chance this has caused something to go haywire?

Thanks in advance.

Specs (it's a bit of a dog, I know):
  • i7 9700KF 3.6Ghz CPU
  • ASUS TUF RX 6700 XT GPU
  • Corsair RM650 80+ Gold PSU
  • Crucial Ballistix 16GB DDR4 3200Mhz RAM
  • Gigabyte Z390D Mobo
  • Seagate Barracuda M.2 NVMe SSD
  • LG Ultragear 144hz 1080p monitor
 
Solution
You'd need to underclock your GPU a lot more than the mere 2 Mhz it was over the factory clocks. Underclocking is the last ditch effort to get the failing GPU working somewhat, but depending what the issue may be, it may not work.

Your Asus GPU is factory OCd to 2622 Mhz but try lowering the clock to 2321 Mhz, which is the default clock of vanilla RX 6700 XT. Or 2424 Mhz (vanilla Game clocks) or 2581 Mhz (vanilla OC clocks). Lowering the memory clock may also help but don't go crazy with it, since if you lower the memory clock too much, it can sprung another set of issues.

boju

Titan
Ambassador
Impossible to know how it was treated by the previous owner, could try underclock it, especially vram.

Pcie4 cards have had auto issues on pcie3 boards where it helped forcing pcie3 when applicable. Obviously you don't have that option but maybe forcing pcie/peg instead of auto, if on auto, might do something. This was more to do with no display issues on pcie3 boards with pcie4 updates added though, not really artefacts that you're experiencing.
 
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Aeacus

Titan
Ambassador
Well, you've done almost all that can be done so, not much left to do.

Another thing, that i too suggest, is trying to underclock your GPU, since the artifacts you see, appear a lot like bad (dying) VRAM.

And a small note about used GPUs: it is always a gamble if your get DOA, "sort-of" working or good GPU on 2nd hand market. Another good question is; why the previous owner was selling the GPU in the first place? Nevertheless, if you buy used GPU, you will not get any manufacturer warranty with them. So, if something happens, best you can do is cut your losses and buy new GPU. On rare instances, seller may take it back and refund you, albeit they have no obligation to do so, since used items are sold "as is".
 

M-S

Sep 10, 2021
3
1
15
Thanks for the advice guys. I may be massively clutching at straws here but I just went into MSI Afterburner and discovered that the card's boost clock was 2Mhz over the manufacturer-stated value of 2622. I have reduced it and will see how things go. I'm highly dubious a couple of megahertz will be the cause of all this instability but hey, silicone lottery and all that.

Quick edit: Nope, still happening lol
 
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Aeacus

Titan
Ambassador
You'd need to underclock your GPU a lot more than the mere 2 Mhz it was over the factory clocks. Underclocking is the last ditch effort to get the failing GPU working somewhat, but depending what the issue may be, it may not work.

Your Asus GPU is factory OCd to 2622 Mhz but try lowering the clock to 2321 Mhz, which is the default clock of vanilla RX 6700 XT. Or 2424 Mhz (vanilla Game clocks) or 2581 Mhz (vanilla OC clocks). Lowering the memory clock may also help but don't go crazy with it, since if you lower the memory clock too much, it can sprung another set of issues.
 
Solution

HappyTrails

Upstanding
Oct 30, 2020
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If gpu is running game fine and crash no running games sounds like maybe possibly software. Would maybe suggest DDU any previous drivers out and any new ones you install since install card. Have heard of people having issue and doing it again until it worked.

For this gpu have set similar to you 2500-2600mhz and undervolted
 

M-S

Sep 10, 2021
3
1
15
Update - I have decided after everything that's went on that it's game over (no pun intended). Thankfully the seller has agreed to the return right away with no contest, which is actually kinda suspicious.

As a last-ditch effort I underclocked the card to AMD standard gaming clock but the problems persisted. I also tried a brand new DP 1.4 cable and yet another HDMI cable. The HDMI cable seemed to have been a success as nothing happened for a good 2-3 hours; the DP 1.4 cable started the problems all over again. My old card is currently installed and has no issues with the DP 1.4 cable at all. That's not normal. Not to mention Thursday night's artifacts were definitely not display-side.

3060 TI prices are relatively reasonable in the UK at the moment so I'm tempted to grab a brand new one to see me through the next 12-18 months.

Thanks guys
 
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