Radeon R9 Fury X from store suffers from noise

When the reviews for the Radeon R9 Fury X were published, SweClockers was hardly the only one to criticize the cooling solution, which for outside viewers can be seen as one of the better reference designs ever. The problem, however, is beyond temperatures or decibel values for the radiator fan, as the pump emits penetrating “howling” sound that is noticeable even without load.

Radeon R9 Fury X uses a closed water cooler designed by AMD in collaboration with Cooler Master. Image source: PC Perspective.

AMD was quick to issue an official statement, in which they, among other things, aimed boots at reviewers who complained about the pump’s noise level on an open test bench. This is despite the fact that both SweClockers and many others’ measurements as well as subjective assessments are based on when graphics cards are installed in a chassis.

Click here to read the full statement

We have received feedback that during open bench testing some cards emit a mild “whining” noise. This is normal for most high speed liquid cooling pumps; usually the end user cannot hear the noise as the pumps are installed in the chassis, and the radiator fan is louder than the pump. Since the AMD Radeon™ R9 FuryX radiator fan is near silent, this pump noise is more noticeable.

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The issue is limited to a very small batch of initial production samples and we have worked with the manufacturer to improve the acoustic profile of the pump. This problem has been resolved and fix added to production parts and is not an issue.

At the same time, AMD claimed that the problem had been fixed with store copies, something that turned out to be incorrect after users in the forum got hold of the graphics card. The behavior is also confirmed by PC Perspective, which has tested two models from the store, which even sound more like the review copy. In addition to a howling sound, one of the store cards also suffers from a constant buzzing.

In a conversation with a representative, AMD tells SweClockers that the original statement stands, but at the same time acknowledges that even the first wave of store copies suffers from noise. Despite this, the company maintains that the problem has been fixed with later production series of the Radeon R9 Fury X.

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At present, AMD does not want to answer what applies to consumers who want to return their Radeon R9 Fury X due to the noise of the pump or whether they will have the right to change to a later copy. Affected customers can instead choose to turn to the place of purchase and apply for a return case, where the right of withdrawal when buying online according to Swedish law is 14 days.