AMD Radeon R9 M295X Core Clock Throttling, Heat, and Performance

[robotrootbeer]

Shows you how much I'm up to date on OS X gaming as I basically just resigned myself to gaming on bootcamp. Tell me this, are the FPS the same now between the OS X vs the Windows counterpart? 2 years ago the windows version had 25-100% higher frame rates which would stress the GPU more as it's able to work harder instead of waiting to be fed by a slower OS X.

Many games run natively in OSX these days, but very few titles have less buggy clients osx side than PC side [which is why I still do 100% of my gaming in windows]

There's a guy that posted in this thread - he ran benchmarks in bootcamp vs osx and did a few benchmarks on his rig.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3HVVx9z5sw&list=UUeTnmwuJAsbzleS26k-jfvQ

Gaming benchmarks are still better in windows than in osx.

 

[iczster]

For someone who is ONLY gaming - the riMac is an INCREDIBLY poor choice.
5k gaming is going to be hard on even the most robustly built gaming rigs.

The point of the riMac is the beautiful 5k display - everything else is a cherry on top.

The enhanced GPU w/ extra vram is mainly to drive external monitors.

So you saying unless you want to run an external monitor the i7 and 295 are pointless?

 

[Serban]

So you saying unless you want to run an external monitor the i7 and 295 are pointless?

and fr people who wants to casual game at 1440p...you need the 295x and i7 for playing at 1440p otherwise think only for 1080p

 

[iczster]

and fr people who wants to casual game at 1440p...you need the 295x and i7 for playing at 1440p otherwise think only for 1080p

Well I'd consider myself a casual gamer and wanting the play the latest and greatest game isnt top of my list.

I upgraded to 512 SSD / i7 and 295, hope Ive done the right thing its my first mac.

 

[odedia]

Applecare will take care of any failures, and if there's any design issue you know Apple will take care of it as they have done with previous design flaws. Only time will tell if this is the case. These AMD cards run hot even on the desktop PC side.

I guess you haven't heard of the 2011 Macbook Pro fiasco... guess what - it's also with AMD GPUs! I'm one of those, and I have lost any faith I had that Apple will "do the right thing".

http://bgr.com/2014/10/24/2011-macbook-pro-discrete-graphics-card-failure/

http://appleinsider.com/articles/14...s-report-critical-gpu-failures-system-crashes

http://action.mbp2011.com/

 

[iczster]

I guess you haven't heard of the 2011 Macbook Pro fiasco... guess what - it's also with AMD GPUs! I'm one of those, and I have lost any faith I had that Apple will "do the right thing".

http://bgr.com/2014/10/24/2011-macbook-pro-discrete-graphics-card-failure/

http://appleinsider.com/articles/14...s-report-critical-gpu-failures-system-crashes

http://action.mbp2011.com/

I'm panicking now, joining these forums might not have been a good move

First iMac and I've bricked out a shed load of cash.

 

[magbarn]

I'm panicking now, joining these forums might not have been a good move

First iMac and I've bricked out a shed load of cash.

As the Applogists have said here, nothing to worry about. Just get Applecare and dump the machine on an unsuspecting craigslister right before the warranty runs out or just play older games or with the eye-candy settings turned down to keep the heat low.

 

[rainydays]

or just play older games or with the eye-candy settings turned down to keep the heat low.

Yeah. That's exactly what people look forward to when they drop $250 on a GPU upgrade.

 

[y-Rex]

Yeah. That's exactly what people look forward to when they drop $250 on a GPU upgrade.

What really is needed is for either AMD or Apple to come out and acknowledge the imac behaving in this manner i.e. reaching 100C after playing games for a short time on modest settings and confirming that this is something they knew about and that the imac/M295X were built to operate at those temperatures. Until they do that u just cannot enjoy gaming on my new imac (which is not a deal breaker for me anyway but having the option to game would be sweet).

 

[vir3l]

I have the i5/M290X combination.

Can't help you with wow, but subjectively even the maximum GPU heating situation is really not bad. For instance, running the Unigine Valley ExtremeHD preset (easily enough to throttle an M295X) for 45 minutes and then benchmarking I got fan speed ranging from 2004-2124 RPM (checked it 6 times throughout). It was different at different points in the benchmark but you could not hear it changing.

Temperature was 86-88C throughout.

thanks. fan speed of 2004-2124 rpm is still to high for me and too loud; tested it with smc fan pro.

apple sucks, seriously. I've been waiting for a decent mac and seriously considering buying an old one now since gpu and fan cause more problem than the nice screen adds as benefit. I'll wait for another year until the change back from amd.

 

[5iMacs]

thanks. fan speed of 2004-2124 rpm is still to high for me and too loud; tested it with smc fan pro.

apple sucks, seriously. I've been waiting for a decent mac and seriously considering buying an old one now since gpu and fan cause more problem than the nice screen adds as benefit. I'll wait for another year until the change back from amd.

I agree that the coming years will bring cooler and quieter iMacs, especially on the CPU side, but wouldn't an older iMac be at least as loud with the GPU getting maxed out with Unigine Valley?

 

[robotrootbeer]

I'm panicking now, joining these forums might not have been a good move

First iMac and I've bricked out a shed load of cash.

Don't be - this riMac is the first machine I would really recommend anyone to game on. [recommending on a mac pro is out of the questions considering the real cost of owning one - if you're going to grab an older tower - I really don't see the point. - just build a gaming rig]

Everyone crying seems to be missing the point - the imac/rimac is essentially a small form factor pc. There are pros and cons and if you've built a rig before you'll understand that.

Most of these posts are uninformed "sky is falling" type scenarios. The machine is insanely capable.

You're going to hear a lot more people crying than people lauding how amazing of a machine it is - it's just the nature of the internet. I doubt very many people here are even using the rig for pro work [which is totally fine], but it's hilarious to see someone crying about something that they would never notice in real time usage.

The one thing I'd recommend is just make sure you have Applecare. Regardless of whether you need it or not - it REALLY helps w/ resale value and is just a nice piece of mind.

The question you should ask yourself is - do you need this machine now? If so it's an amazing product and will definitely hold its value. If you don't then you have 15 days to decide if you're in love with it or could do without it.

Just remember - there's always something better around the corner.

 

[boast]

Some say the fan is too loud, others say the imac cooling isnt good enough and the devices run hot. Arent these kind of opposite?

 

[y-Rex]

Some say the fan is too loud, others say the imac cooling isnt good enough and the devices run hot. Arent these kind of opposite?

It's both. Well when gaming anyway the gpu gets insanely hot and the fans go into overdrive but they can't bring the temperature down.

 

[ikaka]

Don't be - this riMac is the first machine I would really recommend anyone to game on. [recommending on a mac pro is out of the questions considering the real cost of owning one - if you're going to grab an older tower - I really don't see the point. - just build a gaming rig]

Everyone crying seems to be missing the point - the imac/rimac is essentially a small form factor pc. There are pros and cons and if you've built a rig before you'll understand that.

Most of these posts are uninformed "sky is falling" type scenarios. The machine is insanely capable.

You're going to hear a lot more people crying than people lauding how amazing of a machine it is - it's just the nature of the internet. I doubt very many people here are even using the rig for pro work [which is totally fine], but it's hilarious to see someone crying about something that they would never notice in real time usage.

The one thing I'd recommend is just make sure you have Applecare. Regardless of whether you need it or not - it REALLY helps w/ resale value and is just a nice piece of mind.

The question you should ask yourself is - do you need this machine now? If so it's an amazing product and will dcrfinitely hold its value. If you don't then you have 15 days to decide if you're in love with it or could do without it.

Just remember - there's always something better around the corner.

Amen! Name any brand and I'll show you the models that had failures. Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus. This is the first new iMac I bought (I've owned a second hand macbook pro before), you have to realize the raw power if this thing in such a form factor and how beautiful and crisp that display is. THIS IS NOT A GAMING iMac, but it handles games extremely well. The fans get loud while gaming but the sound of the game covers it up. It is able to keep the heat at 105C. Both the GPU/CPU and PCB are furnace-d at well over 200C.
With AppleCare you have 3 years to replace anything that's defective.

If you keep speculating and worrying about tomorrow, you should never leave your house as you may be hit by a bus. You just never know.

 

[iczster]

Don't be - this riMac is the first machine I would really recommend anyone to game on. [recommending on a mac pro is out of the questions considering the real cost of owning one - if you're going to grab an older tower - I really don't see the point. - just build a gaming rig]

Everyone crying seems to be missing the point - the imac/rimac is essentially a small form factor pc. There are pros and cons and if you've built a rig before you'll understand that.

Most of these posts are uninformed "sky is falling" type scenarios. The machine is insanely capable.

You're going to hear a lot more people crying than people lauding how amazing of a machine it is - it's just the nature of the internet. I doubt very many people here are even using the rig for pro work [which is totally fine], but it's hilarious to see someone crying about something that they would never notice in real time usage.

The one thing I'd recommend is just make sure you have Applecare. Regardless of whether you need it or not - it REALLY helps w/ resale value and is just a nice piece of mind.

The question you should ask yourself is - do you need this machine now? If so it's an amazing product and will definitely hold its value. If you don't then you have 15 days to decide if you're in love with it or could do without it.

Just remember - there's always something better around the corner.

Thanks for the reply mate I did actually go for apple care anyway.

Do I need the machine, well Ive got a fairly high spec gaming rig (that I dont really game on these days).

Its more a culture change for me and my shift in using it more for media and development type tasks, with the odd bit of gaming thrown in.

Got a RMbp and love it and I'm bored silly of windows. It's my first mac and the retina made me jump on a decision Ive been considering for a while.

Hopefully, it pays off haha

 

[Serban]

i really let my kid game a lot on this imac...yes the fans are loud like on a custom build pc, but only in gaming , in the rest of the time is silent like no other. Display is beautiful, the form factor as well...just one cable, not 10 and so on...

 

[leenak]

Don't be - this riMac is the first machine I would really recommend anyone to game on. [recommending on a mac pro is out of the questions considering the real cost of owning one - if you're going to grab an older tower - I really don't see the point. - just build a gaming rig]

Everyone crying seems to be missing the point - the imac/rimac is essentially a small form factor pc. There are pros and cons and if you've built a rig before you'll understand that.

Most of these posts are uninformed "sky is falling" type scenarios. The machine is insanely capable.

You're going to hear a lot more people crying than people lauding how amazing of a machine it is - it's just the nature of the internet. I doubt very many people here are even using the rig for pro work [which is totally fine], but it's hilarious to see someone crying about something that they would never notice in real time usage.

The one thing I'd recommend is just make sure you have Applecare. Regardless of whether you need it or not - it REALLY helps w/ resale value and is just a nice piece of mind.

The question you should ask yourself is - do you need this machine now? If so it's an amazing product and will definitely hold its value. If you don't then you have 15 days to decide if you're in love with it or could do without it.

Just remember - there's always something better around the corner.

Well also those that say they enjoy their RiMac are called apologists... I enjoy my RiMac, I play games on it, I continue to do so. I don't think the iMac is going to switch to Nvidia next year like others believe and well I needed a solution now, not a year from now so I went with it. Being an early adopter means you get to try something out first and there may be some draw backs but I haven't experienced any yet.

 

[macmuffin]

I guess you haven't heard of the 2011 Macbook Pro fiasco... guess what - it's also with AMD GPUs! I'm one of those, and I have lost any faith I had that Apple will "do the right thing".

http://bgr.com/2014/10/24/2011-macbook-pro-discrete-graphics-card-failure/

http://appleinsider.com/articles/14...s-report-critical-gpu-failures-system-crashes

http://action.mbp2011.com/

It's not just AMD cards. It happened in 2008 with the Nvidia card in the MBPs (http://www.macworld.com/article/1136002/nvidia.html).

2008, 2011, 2014...oh Apple...always such a trend setter

 

[ikaka]

It's not just AMD cards. It happened in 2008 with the Nvidia card in the MBPs (http://www.macworld.com/article/1136002/nvidia.html).

2008, 2011, 2014...oh Apple...always such a trend setter

The thing is Apple wasn't the only company affected by that.

 

[azure247]

I have to say, after spending 3k after tax - I wished it performed better in games. I know the slim design is affecting the heat dissipation because games run fine for awhile but then it gets sluggish eventually when the imac overheats and throttles the card down....

we need a solution

u woulda think apple figured out a way because its unfair to spend so much for a video card and not get all ur bang from it because of heat

 

[Adr3naL1N]

and fr people who wants to casual game at 1440p...you need the 295x and i7 for playing at 1440p otherwise think only for 1080p

would have to disagree with you there, got my i5/290x yesterday tried out tomb raider and grid 2 so far both in 1440p with everything set to max graphics settings and they play flawlessly, no frame rate drops. This is in OSX not windows I might add, ill test more out later. The fan didn't get too loud either too my surprise and couldn't hear it really much.

Im not sure the actual temps as I didn't measure it.

will see how i go running windows in boot camp soon with some high end games.

 

[boast]

So for openCL performance in luxmark, the m295x is 56% faster than an 880m but 27% slower than a 970m.

How much does it throttle doing openCL computation?

 

[habeebhashim]

I have to say, after spending 3k after tax - I wished it performed better in games. I know the slim design is affecting the heat dissipation because games run fine for awhile but then it gets sluggish eventually when the imac overheats and throttles the card down....

we need a solution

u woulda think apple figured out a way because its unfair to spend so much for a video card and not get all ur bang from it because of heat

As quoted by many others earlier... the thermal paste seems to be a hit or miss with this 5K. Few of our posters here have said that a replacement 5K performs quieter/cooler after returning their original deliveries.

It maybe that yours is suffering from a badly applied paste as well...

Personally, I have been gaming every night for hours at stretch with no slowdowns. This is on Win 7. If you look back a couple of pages, you can see the games that I have been playing and the settings. Mine is the i7/295X

 

[Serban]

As quoted by many others earlier... the thermal paste seems to be a hit or miss with this 5K. Few of our posters here have said that a replacement 5K performs quieter/cooler after returning their original deliveries.

It maybe that yours is suffering from a badly applied paste as well...

Personally, I have been gaming every night for hours at stretch with no slowdowns. This is on Win 7. If you look back a couple of pages, you can see the games that I have been playing and the settings. Mine is the i7/295X

where we can see this?