Boiling hot RX 7900 XTX denied RMA as AMD calls 110 °C junction temperature "normal"

AMD launched the RX 7900 XTX on December 13 with the promise of up to 70% better performance vs the RX 6950 XT. Third-party reviews proved that, although the card performs quite well, the final numbers of the RX 7900 XTX fall short of the 70% target. Some have suggested that the lower-than-expected performance may be the result of faulty drivers and hardware problems. Adding to these controversies, users on Reddit are now reporting that the RX 7900 XTX’s junction temperature can hit 110 °C, resulting in thermal throttling and performance reduction.

For the uninitiated, the junction temperature of a GPU is the temperature of the hottest point on the silicon die. The junction temperature is considerably more than the GPU temperature that we usually measure. For AMD Radeon boards, the max junction temperature is 110 °C. Once the die reaches this temperature, the GPU throttles down impacting performance.

Reddit user u/nero1338 posted on r/Amd that the junction temperature on their RX 7900 XTX was reaching 110 °C causing the board to downclock even when the fans were going full throttle. Upon reaching out to AMD to get an RMA approved, the company initially denied the request stating, “The temperatures are normal. If there is any issue, please contact us back.” The user also tried to get some help from r/AMDHelp where other Redditors also reported having experienced similar behavior from their cards.

Some users on r/AMDHelp suggested op to lower power targets/max boost clocks or undervolting to keep the junction temps from rising. While others advised flipping the PC case to a different orientation.

AMD has since approached the op and has asked them to send the faulty GPU for testing. It remains to be seen whether the issue is a rare occurrence or is widespread. Hopefully, AMD’s investigation will shed more light on the problem.

Furthermore, Andreas Schilling, an editor at hardwareLuxx, claimed on Twitter that “A 110 °C hot-spot with thermal throttling should not be normal”. He also analyzed some RX 7900 XTX models and found out that the issue only seems to affect Made by AMD (MBA) designs. AMD responded to Andreas with “Our GPU team is currently looking into the issue.”

Interestingly, this is not the first time that high junction temperatures on Radeon cards have become controversial, as some RX 5700 XTs were reportedly hitting 110 °C igniting debate around the subject a few years back.

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