XFX 7970 cooler problem

[CrimInalA]

I opened my XFX 7970 since I was getting artifacts very quickly . Not on 925mhz core , but i underclocked vgpu and made a custom fan profile so it would get hotter than 70?C . Else it would get unstable and sometimes show artifacting . Also any augmentation in core voltage would artifact .
So I guessed it was time to look at the paste to see if it still was ok-ish .
Upon my suprise i found a dent in the GPU heatsink positioned almost in the middle of the GPU . The dent is so big i can place a paperclip in it .

Right now the cooler is off and i don't have an idea what to do with this . Lapping,sanding,extra paste .. i feel they're not going to fix this issue .

What would you guys do ?

Preview :

All other pictures here : http://www.skybed.be/temp/xtremesystems/7970dent/

[STEvil]

i'd buy a 3rd party cooler..

[CrimInalA]

Due to the cooling block having a hole in it , it seems like it burned into the GPU :





I've bought this reference design cooler especially so it can exhaust heat . I have not seen third party coolers that do this .
For the time being i've modded my own heatsink/cooler on it , but this is just temporary as i can't close my case anymore now (my watercooling rad is mounted in the sidepanel) .





Where can i get such a reference design cooler ?
Do you guys think I can ask XFX to replace not the card itself but this bad reference cooler ? The card is still under warranty but since i've opened it to see what's wrong , i guess this is more or less a grey area ?

[kromosto]

imo send all the card to rma you can't know if it harmed gpu or not.

[CrimInalA]

Well I guess if XFX has the balls to put such a cooler on a 7970 , I need to have the balls to open a ticket for it and provide them the screenshots

[STEvil]

Does it work without errors with the modded cooler? Is that an HR-03/R600? I tried one on my 7970 but the diamond on the bottom didnt seem big enough to cover the GPU correctly..

[CrimInalA]

Does it work without errors with the modded cooler? Is that an HR-03/R600? I tried one on my 7970 but the diamond on the bottom didnt seem big enough to cover the GPU correctly..

STEvil , kudos for spotting an HR-03/R600 in the wild . You're spot on . Yes it works without errors . Just VRM temps are high since they are naked now . GPU idle temps are 10?C lower compared to the stock 7970 cooler . Keep in mind that im using a 120mm low speed papst on it .
It keeps 1025/1375 during heaven under 70?C , while the stock cooler needed 40-48% fan speed to do that .
When i replace it again i will see how much of the gpu it actually covered . But at least it's better than a cooler with a hole in the middle !!

[STEvil]

Might have to look at trying to get mine to fit again.. what voltage are you using for 1025?

[CrimInalA]

I'm using underclocked 1,063v in afterburner for 1025 gpu , around 1,018 under load .

[CrimInalA]

I've just received a response from XFX saying that i need to send the card in for repair with my reseller . And that it will take a few weeks . Curious

[CrimInalA]

STEvil , I took the HR03 off and so I saw it made perfect contact with the core .
I used a papst F2 GLL 1100 rpm on it , so almost passive cooled you can say ^^
With a good fan the HR03 will do a very good job i'm sure .

[STEvil]

I tried my hr-03, it couldnt hold my card under 85c loaded at all stock settings (1.256v, 1100mhz) with the case side on..

[CrimInalA]

I assume you used a good fan and made sure the contact was good . Maybe your chip is high leakage and produces a lot more heat than mine . For 1075mhz core i need 1,085 only .

[Ket]

I'd really need to see a pic without the paperclip end in the dent but if the dent is as deep as it seems the only viable "fix" is to fill it with TIM unless you can be bothered to make all the adjustments so after a lapping the cooler still fits snugly on the GPU. Stuff like this is why I always dismount heatsinks and coolers when I buy new stuff to make sure nothing has messed up during the manufacturing process, surprisingly, I've found foul-ups during the manufacturing process have become quite a bit more frequent especially over the last 2-3 years. I would definitely send those pics to XFX though just to see what garbage excuses they use, then of course post them here

[OldChap]

You could buy a small sample of Indium from ebay and "solder" it into the hole. A quick lapping after will make flat as it is so soft. http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Rocks-Foss...40&_nkw=indium

With the melting point being low you should be able to get the IHS hot enough locally without getting to the temps used by standard soldering techniques.

Not sure how one would flux such a repair though, or even if such is necessary

[DefStar]

I have a PowerColor reference 7950 heat-sink and fan. It only makes contact with the core, not to the ram like yours...but I'm positive it would fit. PM me if u want it.

[CrimInalA]

Defstar , that is a very nice gesture . I appreciate that , but i should be getting a repaired card back from XFX . They already have it for 1 month !

[Ket]

What did XFX say when you showed them the pics of their crappy HSF construction? I wouldn't put it past them to say that dent is a "feature"

[CrazyNutz]

you could fill the void in with some solder (using a torch) then lap it. However Id be really concerned about the pop mark on the gpu core. Heating and cooling cycles could make it worse/expand over time.

[CrimInalA]

So I'm still waiting for RMA .
My shop has sent the card to their distributor . Distributor waited 3 weeks before they finally sent it to XFX warehouse in europe . Now it is in the process of being sent from XFX warehouse in EU to their warehouse in Hong Kong . All this happened in the past 5 weeks . I'm guessing the card will take at least another month to get it back , maybe even unrepaired who knows .
Can't say I'm happy with this !

[CrimInalA]

Still nothing (waiting almost 7 weeks without a videocard) .
Not so happy with XFX RMA .

[CrimInalA]

Xtremely unhappy with XFX RMA . It basically comes down to : They haven't replaced anything , then lost my card and now think the RMA is OK for me .
So after months of waiting and being in contact with so many different parties i'm now without any videocard .

They fail big time in 3 regions , but they still think failure of the RMA it's not their responsibility :

1-XFX quality failure on coolblock as wel as the videocard endproduct which forced me to open an RMA request .

2- XFX denied my direct RMA request of 19/4/13 and directed me to shop Z knowing that this would slow down the RMA considerably . Also maximizing failure rate by adding 3 extra parties to the chain . (A , W , Z)

3-XFX has NOT repaired/replaced the faulty product but instead paid money to another party . A hardware product would be my property as it can be identified by serial number , but money is the property of the one you give it to . This has been the choice of XFX . In other words : XFX unwillingly lost my property and somehow thinks this makes me happy (?) .

What happened is , XFX instead of fixing or sending a replacement product have paid money to A (wholesale) to replace my card . A in their turn paid money to W (wholesale) . W paid money to Z . Z went bankrupt . Customer gets .. nothing as there is no replacement product to be found anywhere .
This is now ongoing for almost 6 months , crazy .

[CrimInalA]

I've asked the helpdesk guy to show my case to his manager . I believe he has never done that .
Does anyone here know where I can contact someone from XFX that is responsible for handling these kind of complaints ?

[alpha0ne]

So you will be rushing out to buy another XFX video card to replace the one lost ????

Maybe its a new sales strategy by XFX to boost sales

[CrimInalA]

So you will be rushing out to buy another XFX video card to replace the one lost ????

Maybe its a new sales strategy by XFX to boost sales

I am still talking to XFX about this case , but they are indeed not looking at all to have satisfied customers .. . I've told them the way they treat customers is hurting their business , but they still say they handle all RMA's like this and they think nothing is wrong with it .
I've been asking for a responsible to contact me , but I'm not being contacted at all . So not sure if the casetaker (Wade) actually is escalating this really .

Put this up against for example Swiftech RMA service (which is su-perb. Not trough retailers , constructive , fast , customer minded) , and I don't get how XFX can still be in business .
AMD should really stop shipping XFX more GPU's .