When the AMD Radeon R9 Fury X was released, there were a number of complaints from customers about a strange whistling noise topped off with a buzz. The result is that despite the fan on the radiator being quite silent, the card still wasn't entirely pleasant on the ears.
Our man Igor Wallosek did an in-depth analysis of the power consumption and noise of the Radeon R9 Fury X and came to the same conclusions. AMD gave him a statement, but it wasn't complete. We've since heard more from AMD, and here is the company's final statement on the subject matter:
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.
If you're an owner of a card with this noise, you're eligible to return it for a warranty claim. Of course, and as AMD mentioned above, it is possible that you have a card that makes the noise, but that it doesn't bother you because of the way your PC is set up. Perhaps you have an especially sound-dampening case, or you're running a number of loud case fans that drown the noise out.
Either way, AMD is working on the issue for future R9 Radeon Fury X cards, and if you're one of the affected buyers, it should just be a couple of simple steps to get the problem sorted out.
You can also read our full Fury X review here.
Follow Niels Broekhuijsen @NBroekhuijsen. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.
