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

Astelith said:
I really want to understand what difference we have between iMacs to have such a big fan difference, it must be something with the air conduct or a different heatsink / thermal paste
Click to expand...

Then you need to have each test include:

1. Room temp at beginning of test.
2. Overall iMac temp at beginning of test. (Machine just booted can absorb much more heat than one running for 2 hours first)
3. Exact length of time the test was run.
4. An EXACT similar test, i.e. if it is Uningine Valley then everyone needs to run the "Extreme HD Preset" or define EXACTLY what each and every preset is.
5. Serial number of machine/build date and location.

You can't just have people running things all pell-mell whenever and however they like and have a scientific basis to compare.

And as pointed out, the difference between 99C and 105C isn't exactly earth shattering, both are TOO HIGH. This is like trying to find the most polite Mass Murder in Joliet State Prison.
 
Quick observation - using a hot corner to flick between mission conrtol set my GPU to 105 and 2300 RPM very quickly. Although something else seems to be going on because it's running at about 90degrees as its base temp. I have an odd feeling Chrome isnt helping, which leads my on to my next point -

Watching a video on Kickstarter in chrome puts the temp up to about 98/100 and the fan starts to spin up a bit. However, watching the same vid on the same page in Safari has no effect on the temp/ fan speed. Some sort of optimisation? Is Chrome playing a different format? Got very frustrated though - I don't care what anyone says about hyperbole and what the acceptable limits are etc - an iMac of this 'calibre' SHOULD NOT be acting as if the GFX card is close maxing out on a video that's BARELY 720P. No. Just no. Not even worth arguing that.

...but then it works fine in Safari.... :confused:

Room temp is about 20 at the moment by the way, and the mac has been on (just web browsing, NOTHING intensive) for about 2 hours.
 
tmorterlaing said:
Quick observation - using a hot corner to flick between mission conrtol set my GPU to 105 and 2300 RPM very quickly. Although something else seems to be going on because it's running at about 90degrees as its base temp. I have an odd feeling Chrome isnt helping, which leads my on to my next point -

Watching a video on Kickstarter in chrome puts the temp up to about 98/100 and the fan starts to spin up a bit. However, watching the same vid on the same page in Safari has no effect on the temp/ fan speed. Some sort of optimisation? Is Chrome playing a different format? Got very frustrated though - I don't care what anyone says about hyperbole and what the acceptable limits are etc - an iMac of this 'calibre' SHOULD NOT be acting as if the GFX card is close maxing out on a video that's BARELY 720P. No. Just no. Not even worth arguing that.

...but then it works fine in Safari.... :confused:

Room temp is about 20 at the moment by the way, and the mac has been on (just web browsing, NOTHING intensive) for about 2 hours.
Click to expand...

You have answered your own question. It doesn't occur in Safari, so is the problem Chrome or the iMac?
 
290 or 295 for me?

Guys - I have read (most of) this thread. I am about to order a 5k iMac and I would like your advice.

My use case:

  • Safari
  • photo editing (Photos (eventually) and LR)
  • 1080p and 4k video encoding (4k rendered back to 1080p before editing)
  • Media server
  • Word, Excel, PPT
  • Occasional gaming (really one game only: XPlane)
My plan is to order it with 256GB or 512GB SSD then Ethernet to a 3GB Time Capsule for media storage and maybe an external SSD for video editing...

Will eventually look to drive an external monitor.

Will do the i7 and buy Crucial memory to take the machine to 24GB RAM. Would have been inclined to get the 295 graphics, but I am not sure I need it and I really don't want excessive heat or fan ops...

Would appreciate views on:

1) 290 v 295 (for me)
2) Ethernet to TC for media storage...
3) Any other thoughts on config

tks
 
jjd said:
Guys - I have read (most of) this thread. I am about to order a 5k iMac and I would like your advice.

My use case:

  • Safari
  • photo editing (Photos (eventually) and LR)
  • 1080p and 4k video encoding (4k rendered back to 1080p before editing)
  • Media server
  • Word, Excel, PPT
  • Occasional gaming (really one game only: XPlane)
My plan is to order it with 256GB or 512GB SSD then Ethernet to a 3GB Time Capsule for media storage and maybe an external SSD for video editing...

Will eventually look to drive an external monitor.

Will do the i7 and buy Crucial memory to take the machine to 24GB RAM. Would have been inclined to get the 295 graphics, but I am not sure I need it and I really don't want excessive heat or fan ops...

Would appreciate views on:

1) 290 v 295 (for me)
2) Ethernet to TC for media storage...
3) Any other thoughts on config

tks
Click to expand...

I went with the 290x, i7, 512sdd. Solid platform, don't do gaming, only photoshop, the 295x is overkill for me so all personal preference I usually do the 3 - 4 year cycle and sell and purchase new model.

Sdd is a plus, don't store everything on your iMac use a backup, no additional moving parts is always a added bonus
 
mgb1120 said:
I went with the 290x, i7, 512sdd. Solid platform, don't do gaming, only photoshop, the 295x is overkill for me so all personal preference I usually do the 3 - 4 year cycle and sell and purchase new model.

Sdd is a plus, don't store everything on your iMac use a backup, no additional moving parts is always a added bonus
Click to expand...

Thanks. No heat, fan issues for you then with the 290x?
 
jjd said:
Guys - I have read (most of) this thread. I am about to order a 5k iMac and I would like your advice.

My use case:

  • Safari
  • photo editing (Photos (eventually) and LR)
  • 1080p and 4k video encoding (4k rendered back to 1080p before editing)
  • Media server
  • Word, Excel, PPT
  • Occasional gaming (really one game only: XPlane)
My plan is to order it with 256GB or 512GB SSD then Ethernet to a 3GB Time Capsule for media storage and maybe an external SSD for video editing...

Will eventually look to drive an external monitor.

Will do the i7 and buy Crucial memory to take the machine to 24GB RAM. Would have been inclined to get the 295 graphics, but I am not sure I need it and I really don't want excessive heat or fan ops...

Would appreciate views on:

1) 290 v 295 (for me)
2) Ethernet to TC for media storage...
3) Any other thoughts on config

tks
Click to expand...

I question your knowledge of video editing, which will be the most intensive thing in your list methinks - is this for professional use or just home videos? What kind of 4K? (Ie, phones that shoot 4k are a very different ball game to edit with than Canon C500 footage - both are *technically* 4K but you'd need a lot more fire power to edit the C500 footage.

*Side grumble - this is the problem with displays like this, it means everyone assumes 4K is a new magical thing, like how everyone wants more megapixels, with no idea what the detriments of such systems are...which is why my 12MP Fuji shoots better pictures than the 8-trillion megapixel latest Nokia, by a long long way. That wasn't aimed at you JJD btw, just felt like getting off my chest. *

Why are you rendering it to 1080p before editing? What will you be editing in? I still don't think an external SSD is a must for editing - at that price point you can get much more storage at half the price and with RAID for redundancy and speed. If you have the money you're better off getting a thunderbolt RAID (with standard drives) at this point. I'd be surprised if you actually need anything faster.
My question about your 'point 2' - what do you mean by 'media storage' - do you mean an archive of done/ old projects? Or do you mean to work directly from you media storage drive? In which case I'd certainly NOT suggest a time capsule.
 
Hi all,

got a rImac (i7/32/512/295x) last week and after intense testing and calls with the apple care support, i can tell you:

-Stress testing the gpu with valley bench led to 105°C in Bootcamp, 96°C in OSX (No throtteling in both environments - everything run smooth at all) Obviously Bootcamp is the bad guy... BUT:

-That R9 M295x is a beast but the soldering needs at least about 200°C to melt according to an apple technician. So no more worries here.. The fast temp drop after ending full load just shows the efficiency of the cooling solution.

-Updated Bootcamp drivers could grant better temperatures, but we shouldnt expect too much.. in best case it will reach the max OSX temperature as mentioned above.. so in my case - 9°C.. and imho thats not that much difference...

So enjoy your rImacs folks and trust apple.. they wouldnt risk that `11 MacBook Pro fiasco again...

Just my 2cents ;)

PS: Ambient Temperature: 22°C
GPU idle 46°C
Valley Bench, Extreme HD, 1920x1080, 8x AA, 2 runs
Late 2014, Germany
 
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AMD Radeon R9 M295X Core Clock Throttling, Heat, and Performance

CrankItUp said:
-cut-
Click to expand...


You're running the benchmark on a low resolution (1080p not 1440p).

If you reached 105C, the GPU was throttling itself slightly. The throttling starts at that temperature - that's proven in this thread.
 
Proven or not - everything runs smoother than smooth :D, i cant tell you more bout this .. I didnt notice any throttling - and that temps only occur in Bootcamp.. OSX runs below the magic 100°..

I ll give it a try with 1440p next week but that should lead to same results..

Longevity shouldnt be a problem according to the technician - enough said

Dont be such a hypochondriac :rolleyes:
 
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CrankItUp said:
-That R9 M295x is a beast but the soldering needs at least about 200°C to melt according to an apple technician. So no more worries here.. The fast temp drop after ending full load just shows the efficiency of the cooling solution.
Click to expand...

You will see from my posts here that I agree with you about not being concerned on Retina temps.

But for the sake of accuracy I wanted to point out it's not likely the solder actually melting would ever be a problem. Rather it's the heating and cooling which can stress the joint and cause cracks, this happens over a long period.
 
I returned mine after an Apple technician told me, "those temperatures are not safe for anything". I posted a screenshot somewhere here.

A hypochondriac I am, then. Enjoy your iMac.
 
andy9l said:
I returned mine after an Apple technician told me, "those temperatures are not safe for anything". I posted a screenshot somewhere here.

A hypochondriac I am, then. Enjoy your iMac.
Click to expand...

Seems so.. Dont get me wrong, i dont want to bother you, but do you think that AMD hasnt learned from mistakes in the past? They built that 295x to fail cause of the same mistakes like the 2011 mBp? Do you really believe that?

steve23094 said:
You will see from my posts here that I agree with you about not being concerned on Retina temps.

But for the sake of accuracy I wanted to point out it's not likely the solder actually melting would ever be a problem. Rather it's the heating and cooling which can stress the joint and cause cracks, this happens over a long period.
Click to expand...

Sign, and for all sceptics out there: Theres apple care... means at least 3 years calmness
 
Last edited:
jjd said:
1) 290 v 295 (for me)
2) Ethernet to TC for media storage...
3) Any other thoughts on config
Click to expand...

1) The 290 is probably good enough for you. But I wouldn't dismiss the 295 just because of what is written in this thread. The 4GB vRAM might be useful sometime in the future...
2) WiFi is fast enough these days, but if you feel like running an Ethernet cable, that also works
3) Seems solid. I took the stock i5 but for video encoding the i7 might be worth it. SSD only is good. There is not much else to configure...
 
CrankItUp said:
Seems so.. Dont get me wrong, i dont want to bother you, but do you think that AMD hasnt learned from mistakes in the past? They built that 295x to fail cause of the same mistakes like the 2011 mBp? Do you really believe that?
Click to expand...


I fail to believe it's AMD's concern if the computer manufacturer fails to build a sufficient cooling system for their supplied hardware.
 
LinusTechTips has an interesting review about the Retina iMac that is somewhat related to the issue discussed in this thread. He talks about how the i7 CPU starts throttling very quickly due to what he considers to be insufficient cooling.

 
andy9l said:
I fail to believe it's AMD's concern if the computer manufacturer fails to build a sufficient cooling system for their supplied hardware.
Click to expand...

The problem with the mBp 2011 GPUS was the wrong choice of solder for reasons of cost saving (A mistake made by AMD - not apple). That was a just a bad decision.. I really assume that they ve learned from their mistakes. They wont make the exact same mistake. That can happen once.. but twice? :p

The 295x works within its safe specs albeit its top end.

If the engineers reckoned on an early failure they wouldnt have greenlighted it.. (on both sides)
 
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tmorterlaing said:
I question your knowledge of video editing, which will be the most intensive thing in your list methinks - is this for professional use or just home videos? What kind of 4K? (Ie, phones that shoot 4k are a very different ball game to edit with than Canon C500 footage - both are *technically* 4K but you'd need a lot more fire power to edit the C500 footage.

*Side grumble - this is the problem with displays like this, it means everyone assumes 4K is a new magical thing, like how everyone wants more megapixels, with no idea what the detriments of such systems are...which is why my 12MP Fuji shoots better pictures than the 8-trillion megapixel latest Nokia, by a long long way. That wasn't aimed at you JJD btw, just felt like getting off my chest. *

Why are you rendering it to 1080p before editing? What will you be editing in? I still don't think an external SSD is a must for editing - at that price point you can get much more storage at half the price and with RAID for redundancy and speed. If you have the money you're better off getting a thunderbolt RAID (with standard drives) at this point. I'd be surprised if you actually need anything faster.
My question about your 'point 2' - what do you mean by 'media storage' - do you mean an archive of done/ old projects? Or do you mean to work directly from you media storage drive? In which case I'd certainly NOT suggest a time capsule.
Click to expand...

You question my knowledge of video editing? Wow, ok... Anyway, you didn't answer my question however: I am not a pro - these vids are for fun/ family. The 4K video will be shot with my GP Hero 4 Black or my Lumix GH4. Not sure if that is "real 4k enough" for you it but certainly makes for large file sizes and taxes my MBP pretty well... Will edit in FCPX and Go Pro Studio.

As to the TC, it will be a media server. As in, serving up music, photos and movies, for playback. As I think I mentioned I will be using an external (TB) SSD as a scratch drive for video editing.

I am not worried about the cost delta with the 295x - and would be inclined to get it for future-proofing purposes. But, if I don't need it then I do not want the extra heat and fan noise.

----------
thundersteele said:
1) The 290 is probably good enough for you. But I wouldn't dismiss the 295 just because of what is written in this thread. The 4GB vRAM might be useful sometime in the future...
2) WiFi is fast enough these days, but if you feel like running an Ethernet cable, that also works
3) Seems solid. I took the stock i5 but for video encoding the i7 might be worth it. SSD only is good. There is not much else to configure...
Click to expand...

Tks Thundersteele this is helpful.
 
jjd said:
Guys - I have read (most of) this thread. I am about to order a 5k iMac and I would like your advice.

My use case:

  • Safari
  • photo editing (Photos (eventually) and LR)
  • 1080p and 4k video encoding (4k rendered back to 1080p before editing)
  • Media server
  • Word, Excel, PPT
  • Occasional gaming (really one game only: XPlane)
My plan is to order it with 256GB or 512GB SSD then Ethernet to a 3GB Time Capsule for media storage and maybe an external SSD for video editing...

Will eventually look to drive an external monitor.

Will do the i7 and buy Crucial memory to take the machine to 24GB RAM. Would have been inclined to get the 295 graphics, but I am not sure I need it and I really don't want excessive heat or fan ops...

Would appreciate views on:

1) 290 v 295 (for me)
2) Ethernet to TC for media storage...
3) Any other thoughts on config

tks
Click to expand...

I have the i7,32GB, 1 TB SSD, 295 and I use an external SSD as a scratch work drive. I use Safari, Aperture, FCPX, and Adobe CC. I don't game nor use Chrome. I edit mostly in 1080 but some in 4K. I think that those uses are what the 5K was made for. I understand gamers have issues but I am not sure why they think that this a gaming machine.

Not sure why you would want to hard wire your TC if it is just for back-up.
 
driftless said:
Not sure why you would want to hard wire your TC if it is just for back-up.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your response. As to hard wiring the TC, I do it mainly to ensure the best possible IP throughput. And, it will serve as my iTunes media server. So, serving real time content (including movies) and a series of ATVs around the house (all of which are connected with ethernet). I just prefer to avoid wireless for video streaming where possible.

My real question was: Can I get away with the smaller SSD/ no Fusion drive by having content stored on just an ethernet connected drive (as opposed to say, TB)?
 
I see, I use my TC only for back-ups so I did think of your needs. Externals are fine but they will potentially be your bottleneck for system speeds. The price between the 256GB and 512GB SSD is $300, which is a little more than the price of this external SSD. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1075811-REG/lacie_9000515_250gb_porsche_p_9223_slim.html If you are looking for storage for your iTunes Library, etc., there are a number of affordable spinning disk USB 3.0/TB options now. Here is an example: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1017867-REG/lacie_9000461_porsche_p_9223_2tb_usb.html

These are just a couple of ideas to help you with the budgeting/configuring process.
 
driftless said:
I have the i7,32GB, 1 TB SSD, 295 and I use an external SSD as a scratch work drive. I use Safari, Aperture, FCPX, and Adobe CC. I don't game nor use Chrome. I edit mostly in 1080 but some in 4K. I think that those uses are what the 5K was made for. I understand gamers have issues but I am not sure why they think that this a gaming machine.

Not sure why you would want to hard wire your TC if it is just for back-up.
Click to expand...

Playing a game every now and then =/= gaming machine. Say for example Simcity or something that isn't a crazy first person shooter with crazy high resolutions.

I think something like that would fall under what Apple advertises.

Screen%20Shot%202015-02-18%20at%2011.37.51%20PM.png


Source Apple.com
 
driftless said:
I see, I use my TC only for back-ups so I did think of your needs. Externals are fine but they will potentially be your bottleneck for system speeds. The price between the 256GB and 512GB SSD is $300, which is a little more than the price of this external SSD. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1075811-REG/lacie_9000515_250gb_porsche_p_9223_slim.html If you are looking for storage for your iTunes Library, etc., there are a number of affordable spinning disk USB 3.0/TB options now. Here is an example: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1017867-REG/lacie_9000461_porsche_p_9223_2tb_usb.html

These are just a couple of ideas to help you with the budgeting/configuring process.
Click to expand...

Thanks again. I think I will go with the 512GB SSD but at least start by using the TC as my media server drive. If this isn't working then I will look at a TB/ USB 3.0 drive.

Still not sure what vid card to get though! :confused:
 
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