Quote Originally Posted by blindbox View Post
I don't think any optimisation of a game would make use of all 800 shader cores, the rops, the TMU, etc all at the same time. Aka, unrealistic load.
The point of a stability test is to put an unrealistic load on a component Why don't people complain about running Memtest or Linpack for hours? These tests also stress specific components beyond what is to be expected under normal use. These tests are designed to put as much load on the components as possible, if you don't like that then you're rejecting the idea of a stress test as a whole so don't direct your anger at just this one person.

Another thing to think about, what would you say if a new Intel CPU couldn't Prime95 at stock speeds, that it is an unrealistic load?

Quote Originally Posted by Solus Corvus View Post
How do we know that the software is giving it valid instructions without looking at the source code?
As the OP has stated multiple times already, the same cards that fail will pass the test when sufficiently underclocked, suggesting a hardware rather than a software problem.