Asus DirectCU II TOP r9 280x artifacting

[boozzer]

what the???.....280 also has artifacts?.....but its both mem and clock speeds are really low dont know much about its mem voltage but I haven't heard anything bad about 280 till now. So you say I should stay away from asus then

ahh it is a typo. basically asus 280x got loads of cards with artifact problems, even their top of the line premium matrix cards. R9280X-DC2T-3GD5 this is my card.

I have zero clue or info on their 280 cards. I only did research on the card I bought. you should just google asus 280 artifact problems and read up. make sure it is 280 and not 280x. if google doesn't turn anything, then you are safe to buy one? I would still stay away. anything to raise your chance of getting a working card when you get it.

 

[odemmah]

ahh it is a typo. basically asus 280x got loads of cards with artifact problems, even their top of the line premium matrix cards. R9280X-DC2T-3GD5 this is my card.

I have zero clue or info on their 280 cards. I only did research on the card I bought. you should just google asus 280 artifact problems and read up. make sure it is 280 and not 280x. if google doesn't turn anything, then you are safe to buy one? I would still stay away. anything to raise your chance of getting a working card when you get it.

ok I got you know.....280 is "safe" I suppose...as I said, never heard anything bad about it (done a lot of research about it yes) and its not overOVERclocked like 280x, in fact, it has slow speeds. though I want 280x like everyone else since this is gonna be my first pc am building on so I don't wanna do anything on a fresh hardware like updating its bios or things like that.

Asus didn't release any bios update for R9280X-DC2T-3GD5-V2 so this might mean that thats not gonna have any artifacting issue so you may wanna change yours with it....plus it looks sexy

 

[Jstn7477]

need some help with rufus. step 2: Ensure the “Create a bootable disk using” checkbox is enabled and ensure FreeDOS is selected. (Rufus includes FreeDOS, so you won’t have to download anything else.)

I don't see any option to select freedos. the drop down box has iso image and DD image.

Use FAT32 filesystem format.

 

[boozzer]

Use FAT32 filesystem format.

ok all set. just realize the pictures in the tutorial clearly shows fat32

need some clarification on the dos commands. atiflash.exe -i atiflash.exe -s 0 backup.bin atiflash.exe -f -p 0 newbios.bin the newest version of ati flash is atiflash-4.17 do I add the 4.17 to the command? or just rename the .exe file i downloaded? or it doesn't matter at all? yea, total noob here. finally got everything setup, just waiting for the bios. thanks for the help jstn7477.

edit: just read the thread for VBE7. I might just use it to put my own fan profile into the bios. looks very user friendly, about the same as msi after burner.

 

[Jstn7477]

ok all set. just realize the pictures in the tutorial clearly shows fat32

need some clarification on the dos commands. atiflash.exe -i atiflash.exe -s 0 backup.bin atiflash.exe -f -p 0 newbios.bin the newest version of ati flash is atiflash-4.17 do I add the 4.17 to the command? or just rename the .exe file i downloaded? or it doesn't matter at all? yea, total noob here. finally got everything setup, just waiting for the bios. thanks for the help jstn7477.

edit: just read the thread for VBE7. I might just use it to put my own fan profile into the bios. looks very user friendly, about the same as msi after burner.

Rename atiflash-4.17 to atiflash, which will also make that a valid DOS filename too.

 

[boozzer]

Rename atiflash-4.17 to atiflash, which will also make that a valid DOS filename too.

now I am 100% set and waiting for brunello's rom.

edit: question for VBE7, I just had a look around in the default bios(I made a backup with gpuz) where exactly do you see the voltage for memory at 1.6 or 1.5? it just shows core and memory speed. I don't see memory voltage anywhere.

 

[brunello]

here we are :

tahiti.rom = stock BIOS with VRAM lowered to 1500MHz

tahitiM.rom = modified BIOS with 1115MHz / 1500MHz @ 1256mV vcore with slightly noisier fan profile (very good for OC because of the high vcore)

cool.rom = stock BIOS with no boost 970MHz / 1500MHz @ 1143mV and aggressive fan profile (I used it to search the maximum clock @ that vcore)

EDIT : tpu forum doesn't allow me to upload .rom files, nor .zip

 

[boozzer]

so this just lowers the memory speed? doesn't lower the memory voltage? I can't find the 1.5v or 1.6v anywhere in VBE7 with the backup 15.041 rom.

for the rom files, could you just upload it to a file hosting website like mediafire? once I get the roms, I could open them up and compare the differences. I want to keep the core at the default 1070, and lower the memory speed to 1500 and memory voltage to 1.5. that is all I want to do. not planning on any oc as I just want to get rid of artifacts.

I can always pm you my email if you want to attach those roms, they are tiny in size anyway.

 

[odemmah]

verified by many that it doesn't lower the memory voltage and still gets the artifacts,black squares, or even flickering. It just doesn't make sense because otherwise ASUS wouldn't gave that vbios to us. although you said that I should be careful when getting 280x, I'm still gonna wait for your results, and if it succeeds, I'll get one anyway.

 

[brunello]

so this just lowers the memory speed? doesn't lower the memory voltage? I can't find the 1.5v or 1.6v anywhere in VBE7 with the backup 15.041 rom.

for the rom files, could you just upload it to a file hosting website like mediafire? once I get the roms, I could open them up and compare the differences. I want to keep the core at the default 1070, and lower the memory speed to 1500 and memory voltage to 1.5. that is all I want to do. not planning on any oc as I just want to get rid of artifacts.

I can always pm you my email if you want to attach those roms, they are tiny in size anyway.

look with msi afterburner, in my I see 1.5v for the memory voltage, before it was 1.6v

I'll send a PM

 

[boozzer]

look with msi afterburner, in my I see 1.5v for the memory voltage, before it was 1.6v

I'll send a PM

I don't see memory voltage anywhere in afterburner(screenshot? like in your previous posts. if not too much trouble). but who cares. if your settings can get rid of artifacts, I am very, very willing to try. this is my last attempt for this 280x. been at it for almost 2 weeks now. rma to get a V2 might be my only option to get a 1.5v n 1500 one. I seriously want to avoid rma, as asus would most likely send back the same card without doing anything, after wasting 50$ for shipping

verified by many that it doesn't lower the memory voltage and still gets the artifacts,black squares, or even flickering. It just doesn't make sense because otherwise ASUS wouldn't gave that vbios to us. although you said that I should be careful when getting 280x, I'm still gonna wait for your results, and if it succeeds, I'll get one anyway.

if you are getting a 280x, 100% steer clear of an asus. 100% unless you like dealing with artifacts or rmas. go to hardwareswap on reddit and get a used one. you can ask the seller and make sure it works 100% pay with paypal to ensure you have a recourse if the seller lied. I wish I had done it on HWswap well live and learn, I certainly did with this ebay purchase.

 

[brunello]

let me know!

 

[boozzer]

ok yep, I see it now! it shows the exact same numbers as your screen shot! now I just need the roms! want me to pm you my email?

edit: I actually just went ahead and used VBE7 to mod the back up rom I created. I copied all the numbers in post #14. 1070 core, 1500 memory. as the new 15.041 rom already got 1.5v memory voltage.

how do you remove or disable boost? that is the only part I don't know how to copy from brunello's #14 post.

edit: couldn't wait any longer. I flash the modified stock rom with the underclocked settings, reinstalled ati driver per instruction. everything is working so far. I did go from 54 fps in the thief benchmark to 51.5, 2 fps loss is nothing. just played thief for about 1 hour, no artifacts so far. I will update in a week if artifacts are 100% eliminated or not.

 

[boozzer]

ok, not even 1400 memory speed got rid of artifacts at 1.5v with the newest bios. core clock at default 1070. restarting the game does get rid of it.

TLDR: stay the fuck away from asus 280x cards.

 

[Jstn7477]

I actually have a Gigabyte HD 7950 Windforce that has a default vcore of 1.250v and the RAM can't even be overclocked beyond 1250MHz without driver crashes, and the core craps out at 1100MHz or so. It even had to be repaired once because the display outputs quit working within a few months, and it was a brand new card from Newegg.

 

[odemmah]

I've never seen one single person who's ok with 280x, regardless of manufacturer actually. So I think am gonna be one of those Nvidia guys. what are your opinions about Gigabyte gtx 770 guys?...some say if I wanna play in 1080p, I should focus more on radeon that has 3gb 384 bit but after what I saw around the whole internet....well, am just confused:S

@boozzer after thinking about it for a while, I realized that maybe your motherboard or cpu can't handle 280x, have you ever thought about this? even your ram might also have an effect on it because some of my "geek" friends said that 280x can be fully optimized if it combined with a 990fx chipset motherboard with fx 8320-8350 cpu...its an amd build but you got the idea

 

[Jstn7477]

AMD cards running better on AMD CPUs and boards is a load of crap, in fact, the opposite should be true. Both AMD and NVIDIA use Intel machines to bench their products, and most reviewers do too. AMD's fastest platform doesn't even support PCIe 3.0 on top of that, though thankfully you can get a chipset with two PCIe 2.0 x16 slots.

The problem I feel we have might be forced overclocks on improperly binned products, whether it be the GPU or its memory. GPU voltage supposedly varies depending on the ASIC rating too, which may be why flashing my 290 with a 1040MHz BIOS is unstable, because my ASIC rating is 85% and the chip runs fine at even 1100MHz core, though with a 75mV increase in Afterburner. RAM seems randomly good or bad too, and maybe even the memory controller may be at fault too. My 290 can do 1500MHz on the RAM which my 280X can't do, but my ancient reference 7970 beats both.

 

[boozzer]

AMD cards running better on AMD CPUs and boards is a load of crap, in fact, the opposite should be true. Both AMD and NVIDIA use Intel machines to bench their products, and most reviewers do too. AMD's fastest platform doesn't even support PCIe 3.0 on top of that, though thankfully you can get a chipset with two PCIe 2.0 x16 slots.

The problem I feel we have might be forced overclocks on improperly binned products, whether it be the GPU or its memory. GPU voltage supposedly varies depending on the ASIC rating too, which may be why flashing my 290 with a 1040MHz BIOS is unstable, because my ASIC rating is 85% and the chip runs fine at even 1100MHz core, though with a 75mV increase in Afterburner. RAM seems randomly good or bad too, and maybe even the memory controller may be at fault too. My 290 can do 1500MHz on the RAM which my 280X can't do, but my ancient reference 7970 beats both.

shit, the reason why I went with red this time was cuz the drivers from green had been crashing my 460 1gb for the last 1.5 years, every single driver release, not joking, was stuck using 1+ year old drivers. I just can't seem to catch a break. I swear I have the worst luck just because of the mining craze, the quality went to shit cuz they want to meet demand.

@odemmah bro, just like I told you. get on hardwareswap on reddit. buy a used card from there. you can ask the seller questions and get quick answers. even if you want an asus one, you can still get a good one if you asked the sellers before you buy. that way, you can get a 100% problem free card. I made a huge mistake of buying this card from ebay, from a seller selling 20+ cards. there is no way he tested them all. he was lying when he told me it was problem free. it does have warranty but spending 50$ for shipping both ways, and a high chance of getting the same card back without a fix. it just isn't worth it when the card I bought only cost 175$ basically in my case, I would rather buy a new card than RMA. if you want a 280x no matter what, buy used from hwswap on reddit. just need to ask simple question, does it have artifact problems(most sellers list the problems of their cards - if it has any + have pictures), and you are set once you find the one with the right price. I wish I had known about it before I bought mine. shit luck. good luck with your purchase.

ps: one of the reasons I bought a used card was to avoid problems with new cards. I got lied to by an ebayer. got fucked over. no recourse as I gave positive feedback when I pop the card into my pc, everything worked fine. artifacts started poping up a few days later. game restart or pc restart fixes it. I fucking hate inconsistent problems, if it is, I could at least rma it. it is like aids of the gpu, never ever goes away.

 

[odemmah]

@boozzer I listened you and am gonna buy a secondhand card from someone who used it very clean...its R9 290 so I don't know if I overrated a little bit....but it seems like the only choice to avoid these problems with 280x I guess..besides the price am gonna pay for 290 is less than 280x
this is the card: http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?pid=2044
... I hope everythings gonna be ok

 

[boozzer]

@boozzer I listened you and am gonna buy a secondhand card from someone who used it very clean...its R9 290 so I don't know if I overrated a little bit....but it seems like the only choice to avoid these problems with 280x I guess..besides the price am gonna pay for 290 is less than 280x
this is the card: http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?pid=2044
... I hope everythings gonna be ok

don't buy reference design ones the cooler is like 55 to 60 dba. almost as loud as a 5 years old air conditioner or a hair dryer on full blast. it also throttles your gpu when gaming due to heat. custom coolers is what you want. gigabyte, xfx, msi, sapphire tri x. pick any of these. good luck bro. a good used one right now for a 290 goes between 275 to 300$

 

[odemmah]

don't buy reference design ones the cooler is like 55 to 60 dba. almost as loud as a 5 years old air conditioner or a hair dryer on full blast. it also throttles your gpu when gaming due to heat. custom coolers is what you want. gigabyte, xfx, msi, sapphire tri x. pick any of these. good luck bro. a good used one right now for a 290 goes between 275 to 300$

too late bro I bought it already (for 321$) I saw your comment later but think about it, if reference designs are faulty (like overheating etc.), would AMD or NVIDIA produce them like that? and the person I bought it from said that it features fully working without any issues from 95 C to 125 C.
But I hope you can find a way to solve your problems with 280x....even if those artifact issues are rare it still makes you crazy because it makes you think that you have an imperfect hardware...I know that feeling

 

[boozzer]

too late bro I bought it already (for 321$) I saw your comment later but think about it, if reference designs are faulty (like overheating etc.), would AMD or NVIDIA produce them like that? and the person I bought it from said that it features fully working without any issues from 95 C to 125 C.
But I hope you can find a way to solve your problems with 280x....even if those artifact issues are rare it still makes you crazy because it makes you think that you have an imperfect hardware...I know that feeling

reference design ones throttles the gpu when you go over 98 or 99c. it basically goes down to 70% of the original performance. it is why custom cooled ones are the ones gamers want. if he told you 125c, you just got lied to. the main issue is the noise from the fan at full load. it will drive you nuts after a few days. when I wrote 55 to 60 dba I wasn't exaggerating. if anyone is buying reference ones are the guys who wants to water cool, that is the only reason to get a reference one. if you bought it already and find it too loud when you get it, you can always spend 50 to 75 to buy an after market cooler and do a mod to it. but that is another complicated job and voids your warranty.

 

[odemmah]

reference design ones throttles the gpu when you go over 98 or 99c. it basically goes down to 70% of the original performance. it is why custom cooled ones are the ones gamers want. if he told you 125c, you just got lied to. the main issue is the noise from the fan at full load. it will drive you nuts after a few days. when I wrote 55 to 60 dba I wasn't exaggerating. if anyone is buying reference ones are the guys who wants to water cool, that is the only reason to get a reference one. if you bought it already and find it too loud when you get it, you can always spend 50 to 75 to buy an after market cooler and do a mod to it. but that is another complicated job and voids your warranty.

he said when he pushed the gpu for 98% cycle, fan didn't get higher than 30%, in a normal gpu it would see 70% which 7950 sees (he also has that card and verifies it)...I'm not intent to 4k gaming so I hope this card is gonna be fine for someone like me....but generally, of course you're right.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

ok, not even 1400 memory speed got rid of artifacts at 1.5v with the newest bios. core clock at default 1070. restarting the game does get rid of it.

TLDR: stay the fuck away from asus 280x cards.

From what i hear, the problem is with the DCUII coolers in the fact that they DONT provide adequate cooling for VRMs. I recently bought and installed a sapphire 280X Vapour-X card for one of my clients. Before I handed it back I got to test it out and i was quite satisfied with its performance even though I didnt exactly have a lot of time to spend on it.

Ive never been a huge fan of Asus's DCU coolers anyway

 

[Jstn7477]

reference design ones throttles the gpu when you go over 98 or 99c. it basically goes down to 70% of the original performance. it is why custom cooled ones are the ones gamers want. if he told you 125c, you just got lied to. the main issue is the noise from the fan at full load. it will drive you nuts after a few days. when I wrote 55 to 60 dba I wasn't exaggerating. if anyone is buying reference ones are the guys who wants to water cool, that is the only reason to get a reference one. if you bought it already and find it too loud when you get it, you can always spend 50 to 75 to buy an after market cooler and do a mod to it. but that is another complicated job and voids your warranty.

My Gigabyte R9 290 at 1100/1500, +80mV voltage (~1.1v) runs around 75-80c with the stock Windforce 3 450W cooler at 75% fan speed in a well ventilated Fractal Design Define XL R2. Card power consumption easily hits 200-220w under Folding@Home load, haven't tested gaming much but could be even higher. I dislike my reference HD 7970's fan noise, so it stays at work for Folding@Home, so good luck keeping an R9 290 cool on the stock cooler. Reference AMD cards are cheaper second-hand for a reason.