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AMD R9 290 (Non-X, Pro, etc) Owners Club

I've just put a Arctic Hybrid on mine with a low noise SP Corsair fan - I don't load over 62c with no noise and the VRM temp's are about the same 62-70 on load - this is with the max overclock stable mine does on stock volts 1115 on the core and ram is at 1350 (not sure what the max oc is but I have Elpida so i'll just leave it at that).

Considering the Asus Direct CU2 loads at 77c on stock clocks which is still good I think this type of AIO watercoolers for GPU's is a must they work a lot better on GPU's than CPU's for whatever reason that may be.
 
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Vegeta said:
I've just put a Arctic Hybrid on mine with a low noise SP Corsair fan - I don't load over 62c with no noise and the VRM temp's are about the same 62-70 on load - this is with the max overclock stable mine does on stock volts 1115 on the core and ram is at 1350 (not sure what the max oc is but I have Elpida so i'll just leave it at that).

Considering the Asus Direct CU2 loads at 77c on stock clocks which is still good I think this type of AIO watercoolers for GPU's is a must they work a lot better on GPU's than CPU's for whatever reason that may be.
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Got mines fitted too mate :) Haven't got it in the ideal position right now so it's loading @ 70C but idling as low as 31C.

I have Elpida RAM on mines which is happy sitting at 1400Mhz at the moment on stock volts...had it at 1450Mhz but nudged it down a bit.

My Core appears to have much less give than yours, I need some addtional volts to hit 1100Mhz never mind 1115.

Daily usage clocks are sitting @ 1050/1400.

I was messing about with the my clocks and looks like with pumping a good few extra volts (+67mv from Memory I can hit 1150mhz on the core)

Once I get my Seidon back from its RMA I'll have things arranged in the case properly and will have a better idea of the temps as right now the Hybrid RAD is facing onto a 3.5" Bay which isn't good at all.

The instructions for fitting it are awful! :p
 
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Afternoon gents. I really could do with some honest user opinions of this card as I'm on the verge of buying one.

I was using a GTX 780 windforce GHZ edition but due to running a Sugo SG08 case it was causing issues with dumping heat and not exhausting - a real shame as the card was probably the nicest I've owned.

I really don't want too much of a step down in terms of performance but I don't want to spend more than the 780 cost either. Realistically this leaves me with two options, the reference 780 (though I'd begrudge paying more than the "superior" aftermarket cooled versions just to get the reference cooler) and the £100 cheaper R9 290.

The one thing putting me off the AMD is the reported noise levels. I despise loud PCs (to the extent that I used to run passively cooled water loops) but my current situation demands a more portable machine. Are these things as bad as I've been told? I've run a GTX 480 with a very gentle fan profile and considerable undervolting, but that was still unbearable.

Essentially I'm asking if a reference cooled 290 would be too loud for someone who can't stand fan noise. I don't mind playing with fan curves or looking at undervolting - so long as this will actually produce results and not just damage limitation.
 
Geckovich said:
Afternoon gents. I really could do with some honest user opinions of this card as I'm on the verge of buying one.

I was using a GTX 780 windforce GHZ edition but due to running a Sugo SG08 case it was causing issues with dumping heat and not exhausting - a real shame as the card was probably the nicest I've owned.

I really don't want too much of a step down in terms of performance but I don't want to spend more than the 780 cost either. Realistically this leaves me with two options, the reference 780 (though I'd begrudge paying more than the "superior" aftermarket cooled versions just to get the reference cooler) and the £100 cheaper R9 290.

The one thing putting me off the AMD is the reported noise levels. I despise loud PCs (to the extent that I used to run passively cooled water loops) but my current situation demands a more portable machine. Are these things as bad as I've been told? I've run a GTX 480 with a very gentle fan profile and considerable undervolting, but that was still unbearable.

Essentially I'm asking if a reference cooled 290 would be too loud for someone who can't stand fan noise. I don't mind playing with fan curves or looking at undervolting - so long as this will actually produce results and not just damage limitation.
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Yes, it will be too loud for your tastes. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. The best we get from reviews regarding noise is, "it's not that bad". you sound like the kind of person who demand way better than "not that bad".

I tried an R9 290 and 3 days later bought a Arctic Hybrid cooler to fix the horrendous noise over 45%. Even 45% is just about bearable but certainly very noticeable.
 
Geckovich said:
Afternoon gents. I really could do with some honest user opinions of this card as I'm on the verge of buying one.

I was using a GTX 780 windforce GHZ edition but due to running a Sugo SG08 case it was causing issues with dumping heat and not exhausting - a real shame as the card was probably the nicest I've owned.

I really don't want too much of a step down in terms of performance but I don't want to spend more than the 780 cost either. Realistically this leaves me with two options, the reference 780 (though I'd begrudge paying more than the "superior" aftermarket cooled versions just to get the reference cooler) and the £100 cheaper R9 290.

The one thing putting me off the AMD is the reported noise levels. I despise loud PCs (to the extent that I used to run passively cooled water loops) but my current situation demands a more portable machine. Are these things as bad as I've been told? I've run a GTX 480 with a very gentle fan profile and considerable undervolting, but that was still unbearable.

Essentially I'm asking if a reference cooled 290 would be too loud for someone who can't stand fan noise. I don't mind playing with fan curves or looking at undervolting - so long as this will actually produce results and not just damage limitation.
Click to expand...

As someone who owned a Sugo previously I would say it would be too loud for your needs mate.

I assume your case will be on your desk also, with the stock cooler the card just won't be a good fit. You've said it yourself that you're someone who can't stand fan noise and while this is a great card you will be annoyed by the fan noise. I would look at a ref 780 cooled card personally.
 
ICDP said:
Yes, it will be too loud for your tastes. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. The best we get from reviews regarding noise is, "it's not that bad". you sound like the kind of person who demand way better than "not that bad".

I tried an R9 290 and 3 days later bought a Arctic Hybrid cooler to fix the horrendous noise over 45%. Even 45% is just about bearable but certainly very noticeable.
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jrodga2k5 said:
As someone who owned a Sugo previously I would say it would be too loud for your needs mate.

I assume your case will be on your desk also, with the stock cooler the card just won't be a good fit. You've said it yourself that you're someone who can't stand fan noise and while this is a great card you will be annoyed by the fan noise. I would look at a ref 780 cooled card personally.
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Cheers Gents, it's what I was expecting if I'm honest. Thanks for your input.
 
Geckovich said:
Afternoon gents. I really could do with some honest user opinions of this card as I'm on the verge of buying one.

I was using a GTX 780 windforce GHZ edition but due to running a Sugo SG08 case it was causing issues with dumping heat and not exhausting - a real shame as the card was probably the nicest I've owned.

I really don't want too much of a step down in terms of performance but I don't want to spend more than the 780 cost either. Realistically this leaves me with two options, the reference 780 (though I'd begrudge paying more than the "superior" aftermarket cooled versions just to get the reference cooler) and the £100 cheaper R9 290.

The one thing putting me off the AMD is the reported noise levels. I despise loud PCs (to the extent that I used to run passively cooled water loops) but my current situation demands a more portable machine. Are these things as bad as I've been told? I've run a GTX 480 with a very gentle fan profile and considerable undervolting, but that was still unbearable.

Essentially I'm asking if a reference cooled 290 would be too loud for someone who can't stand fan noise. I don't mind playing with fan curves or looking at undervolting - so long as this will actually produce results and not just damage limitation.
Click to expand...

Agree with the above.

If you are looking for silence, then this is not the card for you. That said, if you do not plan on overclocking it, this card has yet to get it's fans over 30% in my system (in fact even when on BF4 they dont tend to go above 25%). Of course my case and case cooling will be a factor in that, but I honestly have not had an issue with noise.

Clearly if you have a compact case with limited cooling and/or plan to overclock, then you will have to put up with having a hairdryer in your case. Once the fan is cranked up to 50% or so it does start to get distracting (i did it manually just to see what it sounded like. When I used 80% I thought my case was going to take off!! :p )

I am not really familiar with the power draw on a mini ITX build, so I cant comment on if your PSU will be adequate but he 290 is 10.9 inches long so may fit OK in your case, but I expect it will be a snug fit. Heat wise I dont think this card will suit a mini ITX build, particulalry if you are after silent operation. I reckon you will hit the same issues with heat unless you crank the fan up on the GPU......

To be honest though, I am not sure you are going to really be able to fix the problem with the current gen of high performance cards in that case. They are all going to get warm, and all need good ventilation and cooling. I dont think high performance gaming cards lend themselves to silent operation, particulalry in a mini ITX case.

Just my 2p!

Buff
 
thefogo said:
^How is the fan below 30% ? Do you have crazy low ambient temps?
For most people it seems to run around 45-55% from what I've read.
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No idea mate. It is a single card set up in a corsair 750D case with not a lot else in there. I have 2 140mm intake fans at the front and 2 120mm exhaust fans in the top and a 140mm exhaust fan in the back. They are controlled by the motherboard on an "as needed" cooling profile.

In windows the fan is always at 20%, sometimes as high as 22%. In BF4 I have not seen it go above 30%. Highest temperature I have reached on the GPU is 95c.

I am not overclocking it though, nor am I overclocking my CPU.

The room my PC is in is a spare room, and is notmally on the cool side of heated by the central heating. Not uncomfortable to sit in, but not as warm as the rest of the house.
 
Im thinking of going to the red team again and getting 2x290 Gigabyte Windforce. But im worried about drivers and the black screen problems. Also whats crossfire like, I currently have 670 SLI and have had 0 problems.
 
i am proud owner of a msi 290 oc twinfrozr 3
running core 1100
memory 1400
custom fan profile in AB , hasnt gone above 70c yet even under stress with heaven!
it has a nice backplate and it also IT DOES HAVE the VRM sensors!!!!
 
Fired up my PC tonight to the unpleasant surprise of my Antec Kuhler radiator leaking over my 290. Pulled the power and whipped the card out. It has a fair bit of liquid on the back of the pcb. PC was loaded to desktop when I noticed the temps seemed very high.

Have dried the card and put it in the airing cupboard, hopefully it's not knackered :(
 
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