XFX 7970 DD Black Edition wont behave...

S

Soyo13

Gawd
Joined
Mar 18, 2006
Messages
643
Just received my new XFX HD 7970 DD Black Edition and I immediately put it to test running my favorite games... I'm left dumbfounded and disappointed. Seems my clock speed stays at idle speed even when I'm playing graphic insensitive games. I checked my clock speed and it remains at 500/150. When I play EVE Online the FPS in game stays around 20 FPS and occasionally the screen would flicker and my FPS soar to 120-130 then flickers again dropping down to ~20... And crashes.

I've uninstalled my drivers, and used driver cleaner, reinstalled the 12-10_vista_win7_win8_64_dd_ccc_whql driver but with same result. Redid the process and used AMD_Catalyst_12.11_Beta11 instead... Nothing changed.

I don't use any ATI tools or overclocking software. I've disabled the AMD Overdrive.

At this point my 6870 is performing better than my 7970. :( I'm on the verge of calling Newegg and returning it.

Help me out?
 
Have you tried any benchmarking programs (3DMark, PCVantage, etc) Or any stress test type application (ie Furmark)

If you think the card is not performing well, then test it and don't assume it's broken because of just one game.

If you just bought it, then you have plenty of time to test it out before deciding to exchange/return.
 
SOSE? ULPS? (edited: ok i see what ULPS I'd and I will give that a shot.)

Yeah I did try various stress test but all have similar results.

I don't have time to deal with problems like this. All my previous card works fine out of this box until this one.
 
No change even after disabling ULPS. It keep defaulting back to 500/150. Searched the internet for potential solution but I'm not having much luck. :(
 
try changeing AA mode to Super sample in CCC, and change the filter to edge detect.
 
I didn't touch the 3D settings in CCC, and all settings are at default.. I tend to do this when I first get my card to ensure its stable before I start messing with it.

I tried multiple stress test and benchmark, and they keep hard crashing.. Some application crashed so hard I could end the application so I had to log out to quit all applications.
 
After fighting it for past 12 hours.. I give up! I've tried everything I can think of and new things I've never tried before... None of them worked. Crashed and locked up all day long. Tried this card with multiple games (Deus EX, Eve Online, Team Fortress, Metro 2033, Crysis, and bunch other games) Tried it with Furmark, 3DMark, Heaven, and it even stopped working during F@H.

It's not overclocked or using altered 3d settings in CCC, It's not overheating and my chassis have sufficient cooling, I've double checked the power plugs, Video card is properly seated in the PCI-E slot,I have sufficient power with my high quality SeaSonic 750w PSU, I've tried turning off ULPS, I've tried using MSI Afterburnner UnofficalOverclockingMode, I've tried multiple drivers both official and beta. I even did a fresh reinstall of my O/S.

I doubt anything else I could possibly try would make any difference.

Time to RMA this card.... Not looking forward to the restocking fee. *Facepalm* I'll probably go with GTX 680 this time around.
 
where did you get this card? why would you get a restocking fee? the card is obviously defective.... so you shouldn't pay shit for a restocking fee.
 
Rattle said:
where did you get this card? why would you get a restocking fee? the card is obviously defective.... so you shouldn't pay shit for a restocking fee.
Click to expand...

Newegg, wouldn't they charge me the restocking fee if I wanted to get a different card instead?
 
Why would you get a restocking fee for a defective card? why do you want a 680 just because you had bad luck with your first 7970? what if your 680 is also defective? I have had both cards, 680 is not worth the extra money.
 
Hmm I've never bought a video card in this price range and had to return it so I don't know what to expect. I just want a solid card that will give me the FPS I want, without being problematic. It seems the 7970 is ridden with problems based on what I read online. I don't want to deal with another 7970 having the same issue. :-\
 
I have had 2 7970's, my current one since may and it has been the best card I have ever owned, I don't have "ridden with problems"
 
Soyo13 said:
Hmm I've never bought a video card in this price range and had to return it so I don't know what to expect. I just want a solid card that will give me the FPS I want, without being problematic. It seems the 7970 is ridden with problems based on what I read online. I don't want to deal with another 7970 having the same issue. :-\
Click to expand...

Vocal minority, people with no problems don't complain, its just a perception issue, they arent riddled with problems at all.
 
Get onto Newegg Live Chat or get on the phone. It's defective, it's obviously a problem, and if you don't trust this brand/model, tell them to give you a refund. Chances are, they won't give you a problem since it's actually defective and not a user-caused return. They should give you a return label and a full refund without a problem... although make sure they refund you for any bundle items (the system overlooks this) before you actually ship back the RMA.

That being said, I never had any issues when I had my 7970. I only got rid of my 7970 because it was overkill for me. You just happened to draw the defective one. I would give 7970s another try, although I hear XFX is known for QA issues lately. Try another brand, or try a 670/680. It is completely possible that a Kepler might work better for your games, not all games will run the same on one brand.
 
Returned the 7970 back to Newegg few hours ago for an replacement of another 7970 and see how it goes.

Thanks for the responses everyone.
 
Figured I would post a update. Got back my card two weeks ago but was unable to install/use it until yesterday. It have been running stable flawlessly ever since. The amount of FPS gain from 6870 to 7970 is really surprising for me. I don't feel the need to overclock further than what already been done by out of the box yet as the FPS always hover well beyond 60 FPS.

Glad I didn't have to go with 680 and saved myself couple bucks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top