AMD Radeon RX 6000 dead GPU case investigations reveal crypto mining as the main villain

The AMD Radeon RX 6000 has been in the light of a recent controversy in Germany, where several cards belonging to the family cracked for no reason. What seemed like a transgression from AMD's end has finally been decoded, and the ugly head of crypto mining has reared up once more.

The use of GPUs to mine cryptocurrency is a familiar trick in the trade, and it has reached such an extent that many cards have gone out of supply. With the market experiencing shocks, the situation has become much better managed for the time being. However, something seemed quite awry when German YouTuber KrisFix showcased 61 cards that arrived to him for repairs.

Out of the 61, 48 turned out to be completely dead. What surprised many was that some of them had died while staying idle. Certain things were common with all those cards - all were using the latest drivers, and every card belonged to the AMD Radeon RX 6000 family.

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The dead AMD Radeon RX 6000 cards seem to be a result of poor storage conditions

Such issues usually hint at customer problems, but that speculation was thrown out of the window, given the sheer number of faulty cards. Most felt that it had something to do with the thermal control in the driver, which wouldn't have been the first instance. Either way, it was regarded by many that the issues were at the end of AMD, and many more feared further doom and gloom.

Thankfully, they won't have to worry about it anymore as further introspection has pinpointed the exact causes. According to KrisFix, all the faulty AMD Radeon RX 6000 cards could have come from an ex-crypto miner and were stored improperly.

KrisFix felt that humidity could have played a considerable role, indicating the wrong manner in which they were stored. While the cards did work as intended, the long-term detrimental effects of humidity bore their effects. The issue also shows the exact problem as to why high-end cards like the AMD Radeon RX 6000 have been out of stock.

Many miners often buy a vast number of high-end GPUs, which makes it very hard for gamers. Crypto has recently lost much value and is now more lucrative than once. This is perhaps why all these cards were bought and resold in the first place.

The recent saga also sheds light on the market for resellers in the GPU market and the kind of hazards it could contain. Resellers are popular as people can get the cards for lower prices, especially with the AMD Radeon RX 6000 family, which can tend to be quite expensive.

However, it can cost much more in the long run as the quality check issues creep up again. As mentioned by KrisFix, ensuring the performance of a GPU is much deeper than the mere specifications, and the recent case will be another reminder about how important proper storage is.