An AMD Radeon Pro W7600 just tested by Igor’sLab, a professional graphics card based on the RDNA 3 architecture and the Navi 33 graphics processor, already had some problems with isolated dropouts in the form of black screens in the delivery state. These easily reproducible “blackouts” could only be “cured” thanks to the appropriate modifications to the cooling system. Better thermal paste and thin pads for the memory helped.
The problem can be “fixed” within 15 minutes
According to Igor Wallosek, editor-in-chief and founder of Igor’sLab, the conversion work and modifications took “less than 15 minutes” and were not particularly material-intensive.
Better thermal paste, high-performance and somewhat softer or thinner pads for the memory (and thus more contact pressure on the GPU) as well as the thermal connection of the vapor chamber to the frame.
In addition, I had added two more pads for a better edition. It’s all done in less than 15 minutes and it took longer to write the whole thing down for you afterwards.
Igor WallossekIgor’s Lab
Comparing the GPU temperatures before and after the modification shows how effective the modification was. The Radeon Pro W7600 then no longer got out in the scenarios in which failures in the form of black screens were easily reproducible. It could and should(!) be that easy.
AMD Radeon Pro W7600 GPU temperatures
Quality control at the contract manufacturer fails
Why AMD is selling one of its current professional RDNA 3 graphics cards in this way remains both unclear and incomprehensible for the time being. Especially since graphics cards from the Radeon and Radeon Pro series always have minor defects ex works, as Igor Wallossek knows from personal experience.
It’s a complete mystery to me why AMD lets the quality control at the contract manufacturer run so smoothly. The trouble with the vapor chamber of the RTX 7900XTX should have been a final warning shot. Apart from this Radeon Pro W7600 with the blackout from the factory, there is certainly more in trouble.
In my sample of the Radeon Pro W7900, for example, the vapor chamber’s clamping cross was only loosely screwed on, so there were still a few turns to be done later on two screws.
In addition, screws are often missing, like here on the slot panel of the W7900 above the mini-DP socket:
Igor WallossekIgor’s Lab
AMD itself has not yet responded to a request from Igor Wallossek, but this has always taken a certain amount of time, even in comparable cases. Ultimately, the manufacturer will probably have to comment on this, because the AMD Radeon Pro W7600 from Igor’sLab is obviously not an isolated case among the manufacturer’s current RDNA 3 graphics cards.
I would wish that AMD really put more resources into quality management and finally took the contract manufacturer to task. Something like this with the Radeon Pro W7600 is actually an impossibility. But unfortunately true, too bad.
Igor WallossekIgor’s Lab
Source: Igor’s Lab
