Which vendors support flicking the AUSUM switch on the HD6990 (besides XFX)?

[96Firebird]

I have been searching for an answer to this, but all I see are the articles about XFX keeping its warranty if the AUSUM switch is switched over... I've seen members post that Gigabyte and ASUS also cover it in their warranty, but I haven't seen any confirmation of this. I would imagine 2 weeks is enough time for the vendors to speak out about this, is XFX the only one to do so? Is that why it is more expensive when compared to the other vendor's 6990s?

If that is the case, I'll have to come up with some creative, AMD-hating title to catch reader's attention! :thumbsup:

 

[bryanW1995]

xfx also has the double lifetime warranty, they are typically more expensive than other amd board partners but they can get away with it.

 

[Phynaz]

If that is the case, I'll have to come up with some creative, AMD-hating title to catch reader's attention! :thumbsup:

You admit this is a troll post.

 

[96Firebird]

You admit this is a troll post.

bryan, good point. I supposed the double-lifetime warranty adds to the value of the card. Any word on other vendors following XFX's lead?

 

[bryanW1995]

bryan, good point. I supposed the double-lifetime warranty adds to the value of the card. Any word on other vendors following XFX's lead?

double lifetime is a lot of it, but remember that xfx was one of nvidia's big 3 (with bfg and evga) a few years ago so they have a strong cadre of supporters who aren't necessarily amd loyalists. switching sides can be pretty traumatic for loyalists of either camp, and imho xfx is in a very good position to take advantage of those opportunities.

I wouldn't look too hard if I were you, after GB and asus nobody else will be willing to take on the risk imho. And asus will probably be a bit more cautious after what we've seen on some of their gtx 590's already.

 

[Elfear]

According to this post at XS, Sapphire and Powercolor also cover the switch under warranty. And like the poster says, I imagine Asus will follow as well if they haven't already.

 

[Dark Shroud]

Yeah hopefully we'll see Sapphire & Asus come out with their Toxic (possibly Atomic) & DirectCU models of HD 6990s.

 

[notty22]

According to this post at XS, Sapphire and Powercolor also cover the switch under warranty. And like the poster says, I imagine Asus will follow as well if they haven't already.

This carries the same weight as any post on the internet does without links from those vendors site.

Here is the information at AMD's site by the way

They repeat and underline at least 2x that your voiding your warranty.
http://www.amd.com/us/products/desk...eon-hd-6990-overview.aspx?lid=HP|Premier|Hero

Caution:

Do not use the 450W setting unless you are familiar with overclocking and are using high-quality system components to ensure maximum system stability. If you encounter system instability or other unexpected system performance while using the 450W setting, return the graphics card to the factory-supported 375W setting, as your system may not be properly equipped to handle the increased demands of the 450W setting.
The following procedure describes how to switch between BIOS settings using the Unlocking Switch on your AMD Radeon™ HD 6990 graphics card.

1. Locate the yellow caution sticker adjacent to the AMD CrossFireX™ connector on your AMD Radeon™ HD 6990 graphics card. This sticker covers the Unlocking Switch and must be removed to access and change dual-BIOS switch positions.
2. WARNING: Before proceeding, thoroughly review the documentation for your AMD Radeon™ HD 6990 graphics card and assure that your computer meets all minimum system requirements.
3. Remove the sticker and set the Unlocking Switch to the desired setting:
   • Position 1 — 450W Extreme Performance BIOS (BIOS2).
   • Position 2 (shipping position) — 375W factory-supported Performance BIOS (BIOS1).

WARNING: AMD graphics cards are intended to be operated only within their associated specifications and factory settings. Operating your AMD graphics card outside of specification or in excess of factory settings, including but not limited to overclocking, may damage your graphics card and/or lead to other problems, including but not limited to, damage to your system components (including your motherboard and components thereon (e.g. memory)); system instabilities (e.g. data loss and corrupted images); shortened graphics card, system component and/or system life; and in extreme cases, total system failure. AMD does not provide support or service for issues or damages related to use of an AMD graphics card outside of specifications or in excess of factory settings. You may also not receive support or service from your system manufacturer.
DAMAGES CAUSED BY USE OF YOUR AMD GRAPHICS PROCESSOR OUTSIDE OF SPECIFICATION OR IN EXCESS OF FACTORY SETTINGS ARE NOT COVERED UNDER YOUR AMD PRODUCT WARRANTY AND MAY NOT BE COVERED BY YOUR SYSTEM MANUFACTURER’S WARRANTY.

 

[GaiaHunter]

This carries the same weight as any post on the internet does without links from those vendors site.

Here is the information at AMD's site by the way

They repeat and underline at least 2x that your voiding your warranty.
http://www.amd.com/us/products/desk...eon-hd-6990-overview.aspx?lid=HP|Premier|Hero

Don't forget to forward that to XFX and Powercolor.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Powe...t-for-the-Radeon-HD-6990-OC-Mode-190079.shtml

Soon after AMD said that the Radeon HD 6990 warranty wouldn't cover the cards that were damaged when the special OC switch was activated, XFX has announced that it will offer its customers full support no matter what mode the cards were run in. Now, just two days after this news was made public, PowerColor has issued a similar announcement.

The AMD Radeon HD 6990 was launched just the other week, and, unlike other AMD graphics cards, it features a dual BIOS switch that allows users to improve the card's performance by increasing the operating frequencies of the dual Cayman XT GPUs.

When activated, the card will enter into a special AUSUM mode that raises the clock speed of the two cores to 880MHz, from the standard 830MHz, while also increasing their operating voltage from 1.12V to 1.175V.

This theoretically accounts for a 7% increase in performance and enables the HD 6990 to work at the same clock speeds as the single-GPU Radeon HD 6970.

Tempting as it may sound, AMD has decided to cover the switch with a label that clearly states its removal will void the warranty of the video card.

According to AMD, this decision was taken so that the card won't be damaged by using an inappropriate power supply unit, as its power draw in the AUSUM mode exceeds the PCI Express regulations and could require much more juice than the system's PSU can supply.

 

[96Firebird]

I saw the softpedia article, but checked both Sapphire and Powercolor's websites for warranty information and couldn't find anything. I either suck at looking for it, or they suck at putting it somewhere easy to find. I don't even see anything on XFX's site about it, but I know they had a press release or something stating they would cover it. Anyone with time on their hands want to help me look for links?

 

[GaiaHunter]

I saw the softpedia article, but checked both Sapphire and Powercolor's websites for warranty information and couldn't find anything. I either suck at looking for it, or they suck at putting it somewhere easy to find. I don't even see anything on XFX's site about it, but I know they had a press release or something stating they would cover it. Anyone with time on their hands want to help me look for links?

Sincerely I think all the AIB will warranty this regardless of what AMD says - I believe that in the EU would be illegal for it to not be covered.

If the AIBs don't want to cover for it they can simply disable the AUSUM switch.

For example Sapphire.

From their Faq http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/support/?cid=2&psn=000202

Question: What is Overdrive ?
Answer: Overdrive is a driver integrated tool for optimising the performance of your graphics board. Overdrive has to be activated in the driver panel (checkbox) and is a temperature dependent overclocking of the graphics chip. This overclocking is covered by the guarantee. Should this feature not be available use ATI Tools instead.

While this isn't about the AUSUM, when Sapphire has a stance like this about Overdrive and then says http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/media/?psn=0004&articleID=3323

New Architecture – new features

The new SAPPHIRE HD 6990 is a dual GPU card featuring the latest architecture from AMD providing massively parallel computing power for graphics and other accelerated applications. It is fitted with 4GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 1250MHz (5.0GHz effective). A key feature of this card is a switch selectable dual BIOS, which allows the user to chose a core clock speed of 830MHz for Performance or 880MHz for Extreme use.

AMD PowerTune – a dynamic power management feature first introduced on the HD 6970 - enables the HD 6990 to deliver maximum performance whilst operating within a power envelope of 375W (Performance) or 450W (Extreme). Dual 8-pin PCI Express power connectors are fitted to support the Extreme setting, and users are advised to ensure the system is fitted with an adequately rated power supply to support this mode.

Just doesn't seem to make sense Sapphire not covering AUSUM.

But I guess the best (and definitive) option is to send some emails asking the companies directly (or even better convince someone like apoppin to do the dirty work).

 

[96Firebird]

Sincerely I think all the AIB will warranty this regardless of what AMD says - I believe that in the EU would be illegal for it to not be covered.

If the AIBs don't want to cover for it they can simply disable the AUSUM switch.

I guess the best option is to send some emails asking the companies directly (or even better convince someone like apoppin to do the dirty work).

I would like to think that they would cover it, would they even know if the switch was flicked back? Thankfully, we haven't been hearing about any problems with the card run in the AUSUM position.

apoppin, wanna do me a favor? ()

 

[apoppin]

This carries the same weight as any post on the internet does without links from those vendors site.

Here is the information at AMD's site by the way

They repeat and underline at least 2x that your voiding your warranty.
http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/amd-radeon-hd-6000/hd-6990/Pages/amd-radeon-hd-6990-overview.aspx?lid=HP|Premier|Hero

Look at what they *really* say and tell me if it is clear. Is BIOS setting No 2 a "factory setting" - or not?

DAMAGES CAUSED BY USE OF YOUR AMD GRAPHICS PROCESSOR OUTSIDE OF SPECIFICATION OR IN EXCESS OF FACTORY SETTINGS ARE NOT COVERED UNDER YOUR AMD PRODUCT WARRANTY AND MAY NOT BE COVERED BY YOUR SYSTEM MANUFACTURER’S WARRANTY.

And Diamond ignored my request for clarification
-- the last i heard, "its the same as AMD's"
. . . well, AMD's wording is confusing

 

[notty22]

Look at what they *really* say and tell me if it is clear. Is BIOS setting No 2 a "factory setting" - or not?

And Diamond ignored my request for clarification
-- the last i heard, "its the same as AMD's"
. . . well, AMD's wording is confusing

Actually I don't think they consider position 2 a factory setting. I read every review (like most here), and one reviewer broke it down, I can't find the quote, but this is what I remember his take.
(it made sense to me at the time, but also cautioned)
AMD tests those bios settings ('they work'), but does not guarantee even 'normal' functionality at those levels. Your on your own.
You got there by flipping the switch, under the yellow 'void' tape.
I take this to mean, some people may have over heating, freezing or other troubles from overclocking.

edit: of course that reviewers opinion or take could be incorrect or partially incorrect. There maybe more grey areas here from both companies. These are the Halo cards.

 

[Kenmitch]

Look at what they *really* say and tell me if it is clear. Is BIOS setting No 2 a "factory setting" - or not?

And Diamond ignored my request for clarification
-- the last i heard, "its the same as AMD's"
. . . well, AMD's wording is confusing

I would consider both setting's to be a factory setting. I would also think that if it did void the warranty it would say warranty void if removed. If I was to purchase a 6990 I wouldn't worry about the sticker....After all how would a person put a water block on it without removing the sticker.

 

[sandorski]

AMD spake to Man, "Of all the features in the Card you may partake, except the AUSUM. Flick it and ye shalt surely die"...

The XFX came upon Man and spake, "Flick the switch of AUSUM".

"Nay" saith the Man, "The AMD saith that if I flick it I shalt surely die!"

"Nay, the AMD knows that if ye shall flick the switch that ye would gain the full power of AMD and become likened unto the AMD!"

The Man doth flicketh the switch and later that day the AMD came upon the Card and called out to the Man, "Why doest though RMA?"

Meekly the Man replied, "The Card cease to worketh"

"You have flicketh the switch, havest you not?" retorted the AMD.

"Yes, I havest, the XFX told me that it wouldst make me liketh unto you"

The AMD /facepalmest, "Then ye shallst deal with the XFX RMA for all eternity henceforth!"

The Man, noweth alone, hung his head in shame and thus spake, "Mother******* ****eth!!"

 

[Phynaz]

Here is the information at AMD's site by the way

They repeat and underline at least 2x that your voiding your warranty.
http://www.amd.com/us/products/desk...eon-hd-6990-overview.aspx?lid=HP|Premier|Hero

You realize that is for AMD branded cards, right?

Partners can provide any warranty they want.

 

[happy medium]

The answer is "none at this time" except for the XFX version.

 

[WelshBloke]

On a similar subject what manufacturers cover overclocking/overvolting?

 

[96Firebird]

Still no updates from the other AIBs?

 

[GaiaHunter]

No AIB said they wouldn't warranty the AUSUM switch either.

 

[insurgent]

Isn't this more of a moral dilemma? How hard is it to flick the switch back if the card dies after AUSUM mode? The same can be said to everyone who overclocks, if your card dies because of overclocking and overvolting, will you send it back to RMA even if most warranties don't cover it? AMD made it easier for the 6990, it's up to the end-user to decide how to go about it, at least they're given a choice it's not like they're forcing you to flick that switch.

 

[OCGuy]

No AIB said they wouldn't warranty the AUSUM switch either.

That is not a gamble I would take with that expensive of a card, personally. XFX or nuthin'.

 

[GaiaHunter]

That is not a gamble I would take with that expensive of a card, personally. XFX or nuthin'.

Just ask when you buy.

Although again, according to links posted in here, powercolor also said it covers it.

If you look at the XFX site I don't see anything saying "6990 AUSUM is warrantied" either. Maybe I have to dig deeper.

Most brands advertise 830 and 880 modes with no disclaimer of breaking warranty.

So, before you buy, ask them.

 

[notty22]

The card you buy, from Neweggs pictures, show the 6990 have the yellow sticker over the switch. It tells you to read the owner's manual and directs you to AMD' 6990 warranty.
I guess some will treat this like the Mattress or pillow tag :
"do not remove"