AMD preps new driver update to address RX 480 power draw issue

By Rich Edmonds
last updated

AMD has announced the company is prepping a new driver update (Radeon Software 16.7.1) that will commence rolling out within 48 hours. This update is set to address the RX 480 power draw issue where the card will draw excess current from the PCIe bus on the connected motherboard. While the company doesn't believe this causes any issues, they assembled a team to work on solving the problem regardless to offer customers peace of mind.

The new driver is currently undergoing tests, and while the main highlight will be the change to address power distribution on the RX 480, AMD will also include an option to reduce total power with minimal performance impact. This option is the "compatibility" part of the Global Settings menu. (It's set "off" by default.) Not only that, but the company has also implemented a number of performance improvements for the Polaris architecture. It's reported these improvements can provide uplifts of up to 3% in titles.

More information can be found on the company's Facebook post.

Rich Edmonds
Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.

15 Comments
  • Undervolted:D
  • Undervolted and 3% gain from a cooler chipset sweet!
  • It will not be under-volted, they just fix the power taken from PCI-E Slot and compensate with power from the connector. Also this is an issue with old mother boards, new models do not experience this issue. What`s interesting is that Thechpowerup stated that even the comercial boards that are being sold with 4GB of ram are actually cards with 8GB and that they can be unlocked via BIOS hack. This at least for the early cards being sold, this might get fixed later on. Just like the R9-290 being able to be transformed into 290x :)
  • The 4GB cards have 4GB. This rumor was started due to the fact that AMD sent out review versions that had 8GB but were able to be limited to 4GB so that benchmarks could be done on both without a second card needed.
  • I know where the rumor started , but it seems that even the early (or some) of the production cards have the same thing. For sure it will be only 4 GB in the long run, just like those 290 vs 290x capable cards.
  • Don't know why you were down voted, this is 100%true. Posts all over Reddit about consumers flashing their cards with a bios that unlocks the other 4gb.
  • People like to overreact to stuff before documenting themselves. This is the same reason why this card was met with some disappointment when the reviews came because of the overhype from the fans that were expecting GTX 980 performance (tough it might have some truth to it since some guys managed to OC the cards to 1500 MHz with custom cooling and having it beat the Fury Nano)
  • The "compatibility mode" is undervolting.
  • Knew they'd get a quick fix out for this. People slating them for it and should realise its new gear and needs time to make things perfect with drivers etc.
  • Its new gear that they've marketed as being suitable to run on midrange rigs (for a reasonable price). The fact that it doesnt run well on midrange boards is unnaceptable and they deserve the backlash.
  • I just wish the card was available so I could buy one.
  • 8GB cards are still available in multiple places. 4GB ones like mine however, sadly, are not.
  • Is yours a 8GB one masquerading as 4GB? Did you check?
  • I'm not taking my graphics card to pieces. And honestly, I don't care. 4GB is what I wanted, so I'm happy with it.
  • Check on your box where it says how much memory - you may find its just a sticker covering up the original 8GB writing If so you probably have an 8GB card Posted via the Windows Central App for Android