what hardware do i need to cool my R9 290 GPU?

arnie2013 · 11 Apr 2014 at 22:45

Hi all

hope somebody can help me, im new to all water cooling, anyway I have an Asus R9 290 GPU and I would like to water cool it

but im not sure what I have to do to make that happen as I have never water cooled a GPU before. iv read a few forums but im confused about it all.

as far as I have read I need the following to water cool my GPU:

pump
reserviour
waterblock
fan
radiator
tubing and fittings

is this correct? if it helps I have the zalman z9 plus case, with asus sabertooth z77 motherboard, i5 3570k CPU with the corsair h80i water cooling system installed.

hope somebody can help me?

opstrat · 12 Apr 2014 at 01:33

Yeah that's your basic shopping list. I've done few builds in the z9 but never watercooled it so can't think what radiators you can use.

Check on ek's cooling configurator site see what block you need for the GPU. Consider adding in your CPU too.

opstrat · 12 Apr 2014 at 01:34

Also would consider a bay resovoir and pump combo for space reasons

tamzzy · 12 Apr 2014 at 02:14

the zalman z9 is a poor case for watercooling. you cant fit a 240mm rad up on the roof without modding

opstrat · 12 Apr 2014 at 02:17

If you are dead set on keeping the case I would consider an external 480 rad like an xspc with desk stand and use the 2 gromets at the back of the case to run the tubing.

Captain_Bosh · 12 Apr 2014 at 10:37

If you are building a loop anyway I would consider adding your CPU into it. As
people have said check the EK Cooling Config to see what will fit the card, you will want a full cover VGA block and backplate.

http://www.coolingconfigurator.com

With regard to the rest of the loop I'd suggest watching a few tutorials online as there is quite a lot to consider and a lot of personal preference.

If you can afford it I'd recommend getting a full tower case (so much easier to work with, I've got an NZXT 630 and its great) and then you can build the water-cooling system into it before you migrate your systrem to the new case. This means you can take your time getting everything right and can still use your PC while you work on it or if you need to order more parts.

But like I said, watch some tutorials before you order anything.

Captain_Bosh · 12 Apr 2014 at 14:24

Or you could have a crack at making something like this.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-069-TL