AMD officially addresses Radeon R9 Fury X pump noise

AMD officially addresses Radeon R9 Fury X pump noise

Not long after the release of the Radeon R9 Fury X, reports began emerging from users and reviewers that the card was plagued by a “high-pitched whine” emanating from the pump of the closed-loop liquid cooling system.

While water-cooling solutions are traditionally associated with silent operation, the R9 Fury X’s pump reportedly emits a fairly annoying whining noise that has put a dampener on the overall user experience.

In response to an enquiry from PC Perspective, AMD initially said that the issue was limited to a very small batch of early production samples and that they have since worked with the manufacturer to improve the acoustic profile of the pump. The company has now come out with an official statement identifying the problem (something to do with the pump’s sound-baffling adhesive compound) below:

We have received feedback that during open bench testing a small number of Fury X cards emit a sound from the high speed liquid cooling pump that, while not loud, is bothersome to some users. While the vast majority of initial Fury X owners report remarkably quiet operation, we take this feedback seriously, as AMD's mission is to always deliver the best possible experience to our Radeon customers.

AMD Radeon R9 Fury X customers demand and deserve the best, so adjustments in the sound baffling adhesive compound were applied in the assembly of the high speed cooling pump to address the specific sound a few end users experienced as problematic. This improved the acoustic profile of the pump, and repeat testing shows the specific pitch/sound in question was largely reduced through adjustments to the sound-baffling adhesive compound in the pump.

AMD will work with its graphic card partners to ensure the satisfaction of the small number of initial customers who observed this specific sound and experienced it as bothersome. AMD is confident that on-going production of Radeon R9 Fury X product reduces the specific sound in question, but this is also a highly subjective matter with wide differences in PC case builds and room acoustics.

The AMD Radeon R9 Fury X radiator fan is near silent, and this makes any sound from the high-speed pump more noticeable to some end users, especially during open bench testing. Thus although the overall sound levels are remarkably low for an enthusiast product, AMD has worked to reduce the specific sound that some customers report as bothersome.

The good news is that AMD is actively working to fix the issue, so you should be alright if you’re not an early adopter. But if you own an affected card, you can return it for a warranty claim. Of course, noise affects everyone in different ways, and depending on the set-up of your PC, you could very well have a card that emits the noise but which doesn’t bother you.

Source: Tom’s Hardware