RANT: Why is AMD card so bad?

[Zanovar]

Op is obviously pissed so i dont think trolling,currently using 670/7950 no driver prob with either*plays air guitar*.

 

[Akantus]

I consider AMD's driver uninstall horrible

This
I don't consider driver sweeping and reg cleaning good user experience.
With Nvidia, I just install new drivers over old ones, or if I need to, do a clean install via option in installer.
Installing AMD/ATI drivers always gave me headaches, since 9700.

Driver problems can be on both sides, but user experience is in my opinion better with Nvidia.

 

[MTDEW]

So, I just started using an old (but unused) HD 4870 1GB yesterday. Guess what the very first thing I had to do to make it stop flickering was?

That's right right, I had to underclock it. I had to underclock the memory from 925 (Powercolor stock) down to 900 to make it stable in Aero.

First thing I did was to mod and flash its BIOS to decrease performance.

WTF?
Lies I tell ya, all lies. :whiste:

On a more serious note....

Most of the AMD drivers issues i've seen can be solved by doing a "uninstall/clean/ install" of the drivers.
And most users dont need to go that far and have no issues.

But this having to downclock hardware for issues seems more hardware related than driver related to me.

 

[Akantus]

But this having to downclock hardware for issues seems more hardware related than driver related to me.

Definitely hardware issue. Either degradation or not stable from factory - not AMD's fault.

 

[-Slacker-]

I think people buy AMD cards because of marketing "ZOMG GHZ Edition". They don't actualy research the product to see all the problems.

Did you just insult the entire AMD gpu user community based on something that cannot happen in the real world?




Mods?

 

[MTDEW]

Switched from a GTX670 (ASUS TOP) to HD7970

Let me just say, it's definitely not worth it unless you need floating point computations.

Went through 2 AMD card without stability. XFX DD Black and Sapphire OC. None of those are stable at stock speed requiring me to downclock and up the voltage. Still crashes.

Really terrible drivers that I had to reinstall 10x (yes, I clean and reg clean and all that). Got so good at reinstalling their drivers that now I can do it super quick and efficient.

Crash all the time requiring hard reset during normal web browsing. Glitches in game. Flash freezes in streams requiring me to turn off hardware acceleration.

Word to the wise: Never ever use AMD beta driver. Nothing but trouble there. I mean, the catalyst control panel doesn't even work if you use the beta driver on a clean install. WTF?

Good thing I can still return these cards for full money back.

Back to my GTX 670 for 10x less headaches.

Definitely hardware issue. Either degradation or not stable from factory - not AMD's fault.

Exactly!
If the OP statements above are true, then he definitely had a hardware problem, not driver issues as he stated.
And he stated he had to downlclock the cards and still had crashes....then why the downclocks?
Either he was "unlucky" with two different cards, or had another hardware issue like overheating, clean power issue,.etc..etc.., not driver issues as he stated.
Or he was just trolling as mentioned, since he did do a "hit a run" as blackened23 cleverly put it. :biggrin:

EDIT:Seriously, if the OP is a member of this forum, where are his threads asking for help in solving any of the issues he stated?
Wouldnt this be one of the best places to ask?

 

[Jaydip]

Did you just insult the entire AMD gpu user community based on something that cannot happen in the real world?




Mods?

what Mods?is this a school?

 

[Gordon Freemen]

Did you just insult the entire AMD gpu user community based on something that cannot happen in the real world?




Mods?

Everyone is entitled to there own opinion and in the Country I live we have something called freedom of speech. Just because this member "Siberian" was way off base does not mean his Opinion is not valid however extremely incorrect it might have been.

 

[Gordon Freemen]

what Mods?is this a school?

This ^ LOL

 

[MrMuppet]

But this having to downclock hardware for issues seems more hardware related than driver related to me.

I wasn't aware when I bought it, but apparently it's a common issue. Memory's clocked too high, causing the screen to flicker.

I don't really care about 900 or 925 on an outdated card (in the performance sense), but you shouldn't have to do that. And it's annoying having to figure out the cause and voids your warranty to mod and flash the BIOS to even get it working properly.

Definitely hardware issue. Either degradation or not stable from factory - not AMD's fault.

I'm not sure whose fault it is, but it's an AMD card and, as I said, Powercolor's stock speeds aren't stable. Again, I had to downclock the memory from 925 to 900 to make it stable and stop flickering in Windows!

 

[-Slacker-]

what Mods?is this a school?

?

(filler)


...No, wait, I guess I should say something GPU related.

Uh ... yeah, so I had a few AMD/ATI gpus and I can remember one instance that a card started freaking out and wasn't my own fault: I got a defective card from HIS which caused artifacts in games; After I rma'd it, the issues stopped (was using the same drivers I had been using before)

 

[Jaydip]

You didn't get my point.I was merely saying involving mods in each issue may not be a good idea

 

[MTDEW]

I wasn't aware when I bought it, but apparently it's a common issue. Memory's clocked too high, causing the screen to flicker.

I don't really care about 900 or 925 on an outdated card (in the performance sense), but you shouldn't have to do that. And it's annoying having to figure out the cause and voids your warranty to mod and flash the BIOS to even get it working properly.


I'm not sure whose fault it is, but it's an AMD card and, as I said, Powercolor's stock speeds aren't stable. Again, I had to downclock the memory from 925 to 900 to make it stable and stop flickering in Windows!

I'd blame Powercolor then, since the card obviously wasnt stability tested very well ...especially since you stated its a "known issue" with that particular Powercolor card.

 

[MrMuppet]

I'd blame Powercolor then, since the card obviously wasnt stability tested very well ...especially since you stated its a "known issue" with that particular Powercolor card.

My particular card is Powercolor, but others are having the same issue with 4870 cards from other brands like XFX.

 

[Akantus]

I'm not sure whose fault it is, but it's an AMD card and, as I said, Powercolor's stock speeds aren't stable. Again, I had to downclock the memory from 925 to 900 to make it stable and stop flickering in Windows!

I understand, but this is something that can (and has) happen to any card AMD or Nvidia. (I think it was ASUS's 680 top or something that was clocking too high and wasn't stable at stock - this was more widespread issue, but generally bad cards happen and you were just unlucky)
You have to take it with PowerColor and RMA the card.

If I remember correctly there is/was other issue where the card was downclocking too low and aero was flickering, or something. (Driver?) That was AMD's problem.

 

[Gordon Freemen]

My particular card is Powercolor, but others are having the same issue with 4870 cards from other brands like XFX.

Powercolor has a laundry list of unhappy customers because of there semingly high failure rate.

 

[MTDEW]

My particular card is Powercolor, but others are having the same issue with 4870 cards from other brands like XFX.

Oh, ok, i shouldn't have just assumed you meant just that particular Powercolor card.
That is odd that a measly 25mhz solves the problem, talk about releasing cards on the "edge" of stability!

Edit: But still, if a company is going to release a factory overclocked version of a card, then I still think it is the company who is selling the card's
responsibility to test for stability before selling the card at the advertised overclocked speeds.

 

[Zanovar]

You didn't get my point.I was merely saying involving mods in each issue may not be a good idea

haha,i got your point.what i find interesting is the report function is promoted as a good thing*laughs*.a group of snitches hahah.way off topic il zip it,hell i may get reported*coughs*.

 

[MrMuppet]

That is odd that a measly 25mhz solves the problem, talk about releasing cards on the "edge" of stabilty!

I think so too. I chose 900 Mhz because it's the default 2D frequency (I think).

Here's the stock BIOS:

edit: There:

I changed the two instances of 925 to 900 and now the problem is gone.

 

[Keysplayr]

Forum says 94 posts but only shows 70 including mine at this point. Methinks posts are being deleted without us knowing or being told about it.

 

[MrMuppet]

Forum says 94 posts but only shows 70 including mine at this point. Methinks posts are being deleted without us knowing or being told about it.

You may be right, but I would considering giving the benefit of the doubt as on another forum it says i have "8 Posts", even though I've only made 3. :\

After making my first post, I think it said I had made 4 lol.

 

[MTDEW]

You may be right, but I would give the benefit of the doubt as on another forum it says i have "8 Posts", even though I've only made 3. :\

After making my first post, I think it said I had made 4 lol.

Yeah, something is "off" I keep seeing a page 4 in this thread, yet i only have 3 pages, and if i click page 4 , it goes back to page 3.

 

[Gordon Freemen]

Forum says 94 posts but only shows 70 including mine at this point. Methinks posts are being deleted without us knowing or being told about it.

Would not surprise me cause some people think they are above the right to freedom of speech LOL. Censorship should have died with the Nazis. Oh crap I have said to much already :-O

 

[MrMuppet]

Yeah, something is "off" I keep seeing a page 4 in this thread, yet i only have 3 pages, and if i click page 4 , it goes back to page 3.

Me too actually, I thought something was up with the cookies, apparently not lol.

 

[Gordon Freemen]

Me too actually, I thought something was up with the cookies, apparently not lol.

Ya real strange LOL.