Check if the issue is with the ASRock 7900 XTX Aqua itself or if it's a broader problem.
Check if the issue is with the ASRock 7900 XTX Aqua itself or if it's a broader problem.
This is my second ASRock 7900 XTX Aqua. The first I returned within a week because even in relatively light games like Deep Rock Galactic it would quickly start showing random lines of corrupted pixels. It's an odd effect to try and describe, and I seem to have lost the video I caught of it happening. It's was like every 3rd pixel would show a random colour instead of what it was meant to, arranged in thin lines, which would flicker on then disappear. Since getting the replacement, I thought I saw more of this but after upgrading to the latest driver it stopped happening. I thought everything was good for a few weeks/months. However, lately I've started to have concerns again. When the new Ratchet & Clank game came to Steam I had a lot of crash issues with that game, of the type where the GPU driver crashes and the game dies after it. This is something I've experienced with other games with my previous graphics card, in a completely different PC. I've also had crashes in DRG when in DX12 mode, and War Thunder likewise. Turning both those games back to DX11 made them more or less stable, but R&C I wasn't able to complete until they released a patch for 7900 series cards. I've heard other people complaining about DX12 games on these cards so I figure perhaps it's just the drivers and will get fixed eventually. Then again, I've also noticed another issue where a THICK band (say 2cm / about an inch tall) of ALL random pixels will flicker onto the screen for a split second. This usually happens when tabbing out of games. I run everything borderless window rather than true fullscreen, but this still happens occasionally. And, worryingly, I've started to notice it occasionally happen while watching youtube, or out of the corner of my eye on a different monitor when either gaming or doing nothing at all. Interestingly, this also happens on the side monitor that is connected to my 7950x CPU's onboard graphics, so... maybe a driver issue again? Edit: I was wrong, both monitors I've seen this issue on are on the 7900 XTX. Lastly, last night while playing War Thunder with a friend, the game just... died on me 3 separate times. No crash handler, no freezing beforehand. Just disappeared as if I'd hit Alt+F4. I had been watching the GPU temp and saw that while the GPU was showing 65 C, the hotspot was hitting 110 C, which is worrying to say the least. I had considered taking the thing apart to repaste it, but that'll definitely void my warranty, and that got me thinking about all these odd symptoms. Which is why I'm now asking: Is all this normal for a 7900 XTX? Or should I try and get it replaced under warranty again? The issues are basically impossible to intentionally reproduce so I am wary of wasting my time trying to send it off.
To address major and random issues, provide complete system details. The 110°C hotspot reading is unusual for a 7900xtx, especially a water-cooled model. After a few hours of Starfield with HWinfo active, my GPU hotspot stays around 80-85°C on an air-cooled MSI 7900xtx. Verify the water pump is functioning and isn’t obstructed from airflow. Then examine your case fan setup—some images would be useful.
You're right to point that out. It does need a tailored water loop, pump, and reservoir for passive cooling.
CPU performance is solid at 7950x. Mobo setup uses ASUS ROG Strix x670E-E with Wi-Fi connectivity. RAM is GSKill Trident Z5 Neo 32x2gb DDR5 at 6000 CL32-38-38-96 with 1.4v speed. Storage includes two Seagate FireCuda drives: one 1TB and another 4TB. System monitoring shows stable operation, bandwidth managed properly. Water pump features an Aquacomputer D5 NXT with leak shield; I track performance via monitoring tools. Temperatures are normal—38°C during load, 29.5°C idle, GPU at 33°C with a 36°C hotspot, CPU around 45°C. I’ve attached photos of the configuration.
Looking back, that could have been a smart move. I experience frequent pressure changes due to water heating in the res. I believe it shouldn't really affect things as long as the flow direction is correct. Concerning the temperature difference, others have complained about it, and I think someone on this forum recently reset their Red Devil, causing a significant drop in the hotspot by around 30 degrees (measurement system unclear). I'm leaning toward disassembling it and adding cryo-components, but... honestly, I'm unsure. If my card is acting odd, I should probably attempt a repair before canceling the warranty. Provided I haven't already done so by updating the vBIOS.