AMD Gigabyte 7950 WF3 Windforce Overclocking Problems – Frequently resets to 900/1250
AMD Gigabyte 7950 WF3 Windforce Overclocking Problems – Frequently resets to 900/1250
Hello, I recently attempted a light overclock on my Gigabyte 7950 WF3 Windforce without adjusting the voltage. At the end of this post, I’ll share my specifications and the methods I tried.
The Card’s Normal Performance
Typically, it runs at a GPU core clock of 900/1250. A default overclock setting is 1000/1250. When I try to push it higher—say 1100/1375 with a +20% power increase—I see stable results in Heaven Benchmark, showing a solid FPS boost. Voltage climbs up to 1.25V, temperatures stay around 60-65°C, and the fans operate efficiently.
Gameplay Behavior
However, when I launch games (especially those with ultra settings demanding 1100/1375), it reverts back to 900/1250. Even after restarting the PC, the benchmark remains unchanged. It seems the default overclock isn’t being applied, or perhaps an underclock is occurring. I noticed this inconsistency when attempting overclock myself; previously I never monitored frequencies, but now I see they consistently reset to 900/1250.
Heaven Benchmark Performance
After restarting, I could see the overclock in action within Heaven Benchmark (even with multiple tests without closing other apps). Stress tests in Furmark also showed acceptable results. However, once a game is opened, the performance drops back to 900/1250, and it never recovers.
What I Observed
It appears that even when starting the PC with default settings (OC 1000/1250) or my custom settings (1100/1375), the benchmark works well. I can run multiple benchmarks without issues. But opening a game causes the frequencies to settle at 900/1250, and reopening Heaven Benchmark doesn’t change that.
If you have any advice on resolving this, I’d really appreciate it!
Here’s what I attempted:
- Reduced overclock slightly and even tried underclocking to 800/1200, but it always returned to 900/1250.
- Disabled AMD drivers via DDU and reinstalled the latest version from scratch.
- Updated GPU BIOS to the latest available.
- Removed integrated Intel HD4000 GPU and the Multi Monitor IGPU option (now using the card directly).
- Used Amd Overdrive in Radeon Settings, MSI Afterburner, and Sapphire Trixx Overclock.
- Disabled ULPs via MSI Afterburner.
A major update:
I removed Afterburner, Rivatuner, and performed a clean uninstall of all AMD drivers. Then I reinstalled the AMD drivers from late 2015, just before the Crimson and “Radeon Settings” update. The overclock worked initially, but unfortunately, the new drivers didn’t support it.
My Current Specs
- OS: Windows 10 x64
- Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Pro 4
- CPU: i7 3770
- GPU: Gigabyte Windforce 7950 GV-R795WF3-3GD
- PSU: TX650M
- RAM: 16 GB DDR3
- Cooling: Good ventilation with 4 fans and a CPU cooler.
VERY BIG UPDATE
I removed Afterburner, removed Rivatuner, performed a clean uninstall of all AMD drivers once more, and reinstalled the amd drivers 15.11.1 from the end of 2015, right before the Crimson and "Radeon Settings" update. Used Amd Catalyst Control AMD Overdrive for overclocking, and it functioned properly in every game. Sad that the new drivers didn't work for me after that.
EDIT
: it seems to work well with 16.7.2 drivers
It's not exactly Steam, but the overclock functioned well in Heaven and No Man's Sky, which are direct-to-game engine implementations. It didn't work in Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor, Evolve, Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon, or Mortal Kombat 10, which were my other attempts (all except v sync off). The issue is that after launching an app, the overclock only activates when the PC restarts.
It's not just Steam, but the overclock performed well in Heaven and No Man's Sky, which are direct-to-game engine applications. It didn't work in Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor, Evolve, or Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon, or Mortal Kombat 10, which were my other attempts (v sync off all max). The issue is that after launching an app where it doesn't function even in Heaven Benchmark or NMS, the overclock won't activate until I restart the PC.
VERY BIG UPDATE
I removed Afterburner, removed Rivatuner, performed a clean uninstall of all AMD drivers once more, and reinstalled the amd drivers 15.11.1 from the end of 2015, just before the Crimson and "Radeon Settings" update. It worked for every game.
Sad that the new drivers aren't compatible with me anymore.