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

meldarthx · 6 Mar 2015 at 10:03

LOL after I do some more clean up I'll post pics of Frankencase

You guys can have a laugh at my miss measuring ;D LOL smack VK and tell him to fire it up; its one of those games you can easily play for an hour and not realise it and then move on

My system is always on; I'll be adding a second soon enough

*can't just by a new case; need a new psu; if I'm doing that might as well get another mb; cpu, sdd and ram; I'll pull my one 2 tb hd out of old system and go from there

*

maj · 6 Mar 2015 at 11:31

meldarthx said:
well that's not something you see everyday. Does it go away?? now long is it on the monitor....does it happen with different cables?

It goes away once Windows starts to load and doesn't appear again until I next restart. If I go into BIOS its also fine. Due to how old my monitor is, I have to use a HMDI to VGA adapter so it could be that. I have a spare one of those adapters so will give that a try. Don't think it's the VGA cable as my old card displayed fine using same cable but I used a DVI to VGA adapter for that.

snips86x · 7 Mar 2015 at 16:31

What's the most you've clocked out the reference cards on air?

Ok, so I've had a bit of fun with the 290 before I get rid and this appears to be all I can get out of it before the fan speed goes over 4k RPM.

Power +50%
Core +1125
Mem +1400

I'm sure there is more in it, but that would require a custom loop or aftermarket cooler.

EDIT

Now at:

Power +50%
Core +1125
Mem +1500

tommybhoy · 7 Mar 2015 at 17:15

snips86x said:
What's the most you've clocked out the reference cards on air?

1250/1500Mhz

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/2120870

Running unlocked on the 290X bios under an AC XTreme.

snips86x · 7 Mar 2015 at 17:21

tommybhoy said:
1250/1500Mhz

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/2120870

Running unlocked on the 290X bios under an AC XTreme.

Not bad - my 290 won't do 1250, but is happy at 1125/1500 - not tried higher as it's at 3.9k RPM and 87c

I tried to run firestrike from Steam but it kept crashing, gave up in the end!

Tonester0011 · 7 Mar 2015 at 17:22

Have you not upped voltage yet? Slap the fans to 100% and put some V through them.

snips86x · 7 Mar 2015 at 17:26

Tonester0011 said:
Have you not upped voltage yet? Slap the fans to 100% and put some V through them.

Honestly mate, I'm not that bothered, was just curious before I replace it for 2 titans

I thought since it's going, I'd better give it the respect it deserves & see how far it can go - I don't want to kill it as I plan to sell it

meldarthx · 9 Mar 2015 at 10:08

maj said:
It goes away once Windows starts to load and doesn't appear again until I next restart. If I go into BIOS its also fine. Due to how old my monitor is, I have to use a HMDI to VGA adapter so it could be that. I have a spare one of those adapters so will give that a try. Don't think it's the VGA cable as my old card displayed fine using same cable but I used a DVI to VGA adapter for that.

I would say most likely translation with through the adaptor; if it works fine in bios and in windows......I'd say card is fine just an old monitor......

I think nearly time for update

maj · 9 Mar 2015 at 12:02

meldarthx said:
I would say most likely translation with through the adaptor; if it works fine in bios and in windows......I'd say card is fine just an old monitor......

I think nearly time for update

Didn't get round to trying different adapter, will do when I get home.

The monitor was a pass-me-down hence the age. A replacement is on my list though just don't know if its worth hanging on to see what's coming out in the next few weeks/months.

maj · 9 Mar 2015 at 17:16

Right tried a different HDMI to VGA adapter when I got home, same thing. It has to be card now doesn't it? Monitor was fine on old card.

Don't have another monitor to test, and its an expensive "fix" to buy a new one that might be no different.

meldarthx · 9 Mar 2015 at 20:21

does it do it any other time? could be since its a vga; a small blip as hdmi is digital; and vga most likely analog

maj · 9 Mar 2015 at 20:43

No just when it first boots up during POST but happens on two different hdmi to vga adapters but it's possible that's the cause.

Just wish I knew someone local who I could test my card with on their computer to put my mind at rest. If it is the cable I'm using then I can live with it but would like to know 100% so I can RMA the card if needed.

davida76 · 10 Mar 2015 at 16:08

Is anybody else's Gigabyte R9 290 windforce foolishly hot and loud whilst just sitting on the desktop or watching something with hardware acceleration? I'm seeing 55 odd degrees celcius and thats in a case with two 120mm intake fans directly in it's path with no obstructions. I know it's a hot card but really, that hot to watch a video!?

meldarthx · 10 Mar 2015 at 17:05

maj said:
No just when it first boots up during POST but happens on two different hdmi to vga adapters but it's possible that's the cause.

Just wish I knew someone local who I could test my card with on their computer to put my mind at rest. If it is the cable I'm using then I can live with it but would like to know 100% so I can RMA the card if needed.

put it through paces; run benchmarks; if there is no crashes or corruption in windows while doing that I'd say its a quark with the cable going to vga.....

maj · 10 Mar 2015 at 17:33

meldarthx said:
put it through paces; run benchmarks; if there is no crashes or corruption in windows while doing that I'd say its a quark with the cable going to vga.....

I have ran a unigine heaven benchmark without any problems. I've had one lock up watching youtube when screen went totally black but I could still hear the sound. I'll see if there is a built in benchmark on of the games I have too.

Probably is just the cable I'm using its just you do hear some stories of brand new graphic cards playing up and needing an RMA.

kration · 10 Mar 2015 at 22:31

I bought one of the B Grade 290's that were on offer last week and I'm happy to report I can now play 'Far Cry 3' very smoothly in a 3 monitor Eyefinity setup

But out of curiosity I ran the 3DMark 'Fire Strike' test and got a score of 8484.

I also got a steam badge saying "Your GPU is ready to rumble, but your CPU doesn't want to play".

I'm taking the Steam badge with a pinch of salt, but is it a symptom of an issue with my system?

I'm not bothered about overclocking (especially due to the limits of my PSU) and games run fine.

But, is the 3DMark result typical of a non-overclocked system?

And does the CPU or GPU have a problem?

Bonjour · 10 Mar 2015 at 22:51

That Firestrike score is pretty much bang on the money for your specs.

kration · 10 Mar 2015 at 23:02

Bonjour said:
That Firestrike score is pretty much bang on the money for your specs.

Cheers - I suspected I was worrying about nothing, and that confirms it

meldarthx · 11 Mar 2015 at 11:32

maj said:
I have ran a unigine heaven benchmark without any problems. I've had one lock up watching youtube when screen went totally black but I could still hear the sound. I'll see if there is a built in benchmark on of the games I have too.

Probably is just the cable I'm using its just you do hear some stories of brand new graphic cards playing up and needing an RMA.

youtube? which browser as hardware exceleration doesn't work all that well with cards from amd and nvidia hehe...

like I said put it through the paces; if you see a few crashes lock ups; then start to get worried; but if it plays games fine; you can oc it a little

I'd say just going from hdmi to vga will have a little wonkiness

maj · 11 Mar 2015 at 18:14

meldarthx said:
youtube? which browser as hardware exceleration doesn't work all that well with cards from amd and nvidia hehe...

like I said put it through the paces; if you see a few crashes lock ups; then start to get worried; but if it plays games fine; you can oc it a little I'd say just going from hdmi to vga will have a little wonkiness

Chrome.

Yeah fair point. Probably worried about nothing