WARNING! xfx 6970's no longer have a bios switch, and are still using a REF model #

[Gloomy]

ye gods, this thread

Anyway, I think the most pertinent question here is: is it just XFX? Or did buying AMD just become a little trickier. :hmm:

 

[3DVagabond]

Just an FYI, there are non reference models that have the bios switch. Seems like the original reference models might be running out and it's going to be a feature reserved for the "premium models".
The Sapphire 6950 Flex has the bios switch, for example. Maybe we need a thread to list the models that have the switch?

 

[happy medium]

Just an FYI, there are non reference models that have the bios switch. Seems like the original reference models might be running out and it's going to be a feature reserved for the "premium models".
The Sapphire 6950 Flex has the bios switch, for example. Maybe we need a thread to list the models that have the switch?

I think thats a great idea. Mabe when the dust settles some and we know for sure what cards will be discontinued and what ones won't. :thumbsup:

 

[hdfxst]

ye gods, this thread

Anyway, I think the most pertinent question here is: is it just XFX? Or did buying AMD just become a little trickier. :hmm:

This was discussed 4 months ago http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2131643&highlight=6900.But i would be pissed if i bought a card that was listed as a reference card and a non reference showed up

 

[Red Storm]

Almost all my AMD cards are XFX simply for the double lifetime warranty, so as long as these changes don't result in GPUs dying on me (never had one yet!) I'll continue buying XFX. Sucks to see the bios switch go, even if I never used it...

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

And here you go.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-530-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ImageG...th%20Eyefinity

6950 2GB version without bios switch!!

thats exactly what i was reffering to

^dunno why someone always have to spoil something with dragging personal issues into hardware discussions

 

[CFP]

Wait are all models of 69xx getting worse or is it just XFX?

 

[GaiaHunter]

thats exactly what i was reffering to

^dunno why someone always have to spoil something with dragging personal issues into hardware discussions

Only reference models are guaranteed to have bios switch - non-reference model is up to the AIB.

As it was said before there are non-reference with the bios switch.

The problem presented in the OP is a card that was sold as being a reference model and in fact it isn't.

There is no new AMD policy, at least that we know about, that calls for partners to change their reference models and/or remove the bios switch.

 

[3DVagabond]

thats exactly what i was reffering to

^dunno why someone always have to spoil something with dragging personal issues into hardware discussions

Sorry, I often have a hard time understanding you.

What exactly are you referring to, and what personal issues?

All I see in the quote by Keysplayr are 2 links to the same non reference card that he mistakenly thought should have BIOS switches because they were 2Gb cards.

(I can understand this. He only claims expertise with nVidia hardware.)

 

[Keysplayr]

Sorry, I often have a hard time understanding you.

What exactly are you referring to, and what personal issues?

All I see in the quote by Keysplayr are 2 links to the same non reference card that he mistakenly thought should have BIOS switches because they were 2Gb cards.

(I can understand this. He only claims expertise with nVidia hardware.)

Were there always non-reference 6950 and 6970's without the BIOS switch? Since launch?

 

[yacoub]

Time for me to grab another 6950 before only unlockable ones are available.

Plenty of folks are unlocking them just fine even without the BIOS switch. The switch is not necessary for it to unlock.
(You just don't do something stupid like flash a 6970 BIOS onto it since you have no extra failsafe BIOS to boot from. You simply extract the BIOS that is on it, run the program that flips the bit that enables the extra shaders, and then write that same BIOS back onto the card.)

 

[3DVagabond]

Were there always non-reference 6950 and 6970's without the BIOS switch? Since launch?

There are only reference cards at launch. The custom AIB cards come sometime later. Some are designed to be better then the reference, some are designed to be cheaper.

 

[1h4x4s3x]

Good to know. :thumbsup:
Let's hope XFX fixes this.

 

[railven]

I steered away from XFX when picking my 5 series based on lots of complaints. The only XFX I've owned personally was the GF's 9800 GTX+ and that thing is a rock (still working fine.)

My opinon on XFX as a brand/vendor will be low from this point on. Very shady, I get companies have to make money, but damn.

 

[Dean]

What is strange about this is my XFX 6950 XXX 1gb has a dual bios switch, when it does not even need one.

 

[Avalon]

What is strange about this is my XFX 6950 XXX 1gb has a dual bios switch, when it does not even need one.

Maybe that comes back to the thing where premium versions will include a BIOS switch. I know XFX's XXX series is definitely on the high end.

 

[bryanW1995]

@3dvagabon, Russian has pretty much answered your question for me.
If you want a 6950 with a bios switch, it seems NOW is the time to get them before they are all gone.

About the hardforum post, I find it in really bad taste that a XFX rep. tried to bribe the Guy (OP) over at hard forum. They tried to satisfy him only after the RMA department turned him down to help keep his mouth shut. Shady indeed. .

Either that, or XFX actually cares about customer service and he was the "squeaky wheel" that got attention. Most likely if he would have been more insistent with the cust service dept they would have taken care of him then and there. This happens in any retail business, often a retailer is better off taking care of a customer who doesn't have any reason to be upset than sticking to the letter of their warranty/agreement.

 

[bryanW1995]

In his original post he quotes the rep quite differently. He didn't tell him to shut up about it. He asked him not to tell others that he had helped him out. There are other reasons besides bribery and collusion to not want it to get out to contact him personally, the xfx rep, if you have problems. That really is what the retailer's for.

I can't put people in direct contact with any of the reps that I deal with (Well, I could, but they'd be very unlikely to ever do anything for me afterwards.). They don't have the time to deal with every single whiny customer out there. The world is full of incompetent consumers and professional complainers. It's the retailer's job to filter those out before the manufacturer's rep gets involved. I take the details and contact the rep. The rep then either contacts the customer or authorizes me to do something to sort it. With the good reps, it's usually the former. With the lazyass crap reps, it's usually the latter, after I badger them on the customer's behalf.

See, while I'm not disagreeing at all that their should be a revised model number on the later models, there is a level of service that you loose by circumventing the full service retailer. For some reason the OP keeps the people he paid his money to, who are just as guilty of not updating their information, anonymous. Why is that? He is their customer. They are XFX's customer. They sold him the board that his waterblock wouldn't fit. They should have either offered to replace the card with the card he had originally purchased, or offered him compensation to make up for the cost/inconvenience he had suffered. Instead he apparently happily lets them keep his money after getting something different than what he ordered and completely lets them off of the hook for any responsibility. Why? That part seems fishy.

I find it humorous that he tried to call XFX out about trying to help him out instead of being satisfied that they resolved the issue (when his retailer clearly didn't). It could be somebody with an agenda, though there are times when people get so pissed about something that there's nothing you can do to make them happy. Most likely his retailer was extremely effective in shifting the blame instead of fixing his problem.

 

[busydude]

Either that, or XFX actually cares about customer service and he was the "squeaky wheel" that got attention.

LOL.. true. I remember a thread created by a pissed off user who did not properly install a WC block on the GPU.. when the card died and XFX told him that his warranty is void.. he created a rant thread.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=207476

 

[tigersty1e]

Only reference models are guaranteed to have bios switch - non-reference model is up to the AIB.

As it was said before there are non-reference with the bios switch.

The problem presented in the OP is a card that was sold as being a reference model and in fact it isn't.

There is no new AMD policy, at least that we know about, that calls for partners to change their reference models and/or remove the bios switch.

depends. if the card is straight from amd, with xfx only slappimg the sticker, then it is reference.

the original reference model called for a specific type of vrm, but was changed because of availability, so it may be that now they are going back to the original model.

 

[Seero]

LOL.. true. I remember a thread created by a pissed off user who did not properly install a WC block on the GPU.. when the card died and XFX told him that his warranty is void.. he created a rant thread.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=207476

Did you read the thread? The Rep stated that the card is damped when it is in his/her hand and poster are questioning the abuse on the sticker!

So say i cover you warranty with aftermarket cooling but put a sticker on top of all screws that are required to be removed to remove the stock HS, how will you remove the stock HS? Clearly and logically, the OP was trying to peel off the sticker, but the plastic layer came off, but the sticker (paper) is still intact. Will you be frustrated? So the OP pick up a screw driver trying to completely remove the sticker as the surface of the sticker is already damaged when the plastic layer is removed.

In short, the warranty is a bull, at least on that particular card about aftermarket HS. OP wouldn't even post if it is stated that replacing HS will void warranty, at which it is clearly stated otherwise. That is through those forum rages, not the real issue.

The real issue is water damage. The rep stated that the pic shows water damage. Can you find it? I can't. Remember, the REP clearly stated that the card was damped and are visible on the pic, not inside of the card. I can neither see the water damage claimed by REP, or understand how is it possible to have the card still wet after being shipped to their warehouse.

It is iffy bussiness practice. On one hand they put multiple protection on screws so user can't remove them, then on the other hand states that replacing HS doesn't void warranty. The only possible way to RMA the card is somehow a user can remove the HS without unscrewing the screws holding the HS in place. That is not a joke. If you can do it, then teach me how.

It wasn't the rejection of RMA that upset the OP, but the reason they gave. If the reason was "badly damaged sticker/HS" than the OP won't be so upset. The reason was water damage, and many poster automatically assumed it was water from water cooling. WATER COOLING DOESN'T USE WATER!!! The OP could have used a air aftermarket HS and still end up with the same water damage reject, which was what the OP tried to say.

 

[GaiaHunter]

depends. if the card is straight from amd, with xfx only slappimg the sticker, then it is reference.

the original reference model called for a specific type of vrm, but was changed because of availability, so it may be that now they are going back to the original model.

This is the picture (pcb only) of the card the guy received.

As you can see there is no AMD logo on the PCI-E connector (or whatever is the correct designation).

This one is a reference design and you can see the AMD logo.

 

[Artista]

So what 6950 2Gb cards are reference with the bios switch?

I was looking at the HIS cards. Funny there are two of them with the only difference I can see if the placement of the fan. One has it in the middle and the other on the end. HIS any good? Its either HIS or MSI for me. They are the cheapest 6950 2Gb on newegg.

 

[GaiaHunter]

So what 6950 2Gb cards are reference with the bios switch?

I was looking at the HIS cards. Funny there are two of them with the only difference I can see if the placement of the fan. One has it in the middle and the other on the end. HIS any good? Its either HIS or MSI for me. They are the cheapest 6950 2Gb on newegg.

These 2 are reference.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-555-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-355-_-Product

This following HIS isn't.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-368-_-Product

 

[3DVagabond]

This is the picture (pcb only) of the card the guy received.

As you can see there is no AMD logo on the PCI-E connector (or whatever is the correct designation).

This one is a reference design and you can see the AMD logo.

Those two cards aren't even close to being the same. While I realize there are always disclaimers stating that specs are subject to change at any time without notice, I wouldn't be happy if XFX changed the card this much and didn't make it an obvious different model. It's not even an AMD board. Specs subject to change is to cover them if they have to buy components from a different supplier. Sometimes supplies dry up and you have the choice of getting a different company's capacitor or stop making the product, for example. While legally they'd be covered by the disclaimer, in an instance like this they would be abusing the intent of the law. I would be curious to know whether this card came through proper channels from XFX. If so, it's a shame. Could be Gray market, or direct import by the retailer, as well.

The RMA dept. doesn't seem like the correct people to handle this though. They are there for returning defective merchandise to under warranty.