how to cool 290x in crossfire?

[helios411]

My current pc: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/W3MLBm

After recently purchasing two 290x at $100 discount to drive my 4k monitor for gaming, I realized my top card is throttling at full load target temperature 85 degrees celcius even at 100% fan speed. I currently am using this case:
http://www.coolermaster.com/case/mid-tower/haf-912-advanced/
with the stock fans but no side fan which is optional. I am wiling to spend more money to get a cooler system but only if its worth it. So I figure I have these options with related questions.

1. Buy a side case fan to cool down GPUs. But will it be enough? Might it screw up the airflow and make things worse?

2. Pay for some sort of water cooling setup which I know very little about. How much would it cost me and how do i go about getting it done?

 

[gokitty199]

My current pc: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/W3MLBm

After recently purchasing two 290x at $100 discount to drive my 4k monitor for gaming, I realized my top card is throttling at full load target temperature 85 degrees celcius even at 100% fan speed. I currently am using this case http://www.coolermaster.com/case/mid...-912-advanced/ with the stock fans but no side fan which is optional. I am wiling to spend more money to get a cooler system but only if its worth it. So I figure I have these options with related questions.

1. Buy a side case fan to cool down GPUs. But will it be enough? Might it screw up the airflow and make things worse?

2. Pay for some sort of water cooling setup which I know very little about. How much would it cost me and how do i go about getting it done?

possibly put a fan at the bottem of the case as an intake and make the fan at the back behind the gpu's an intake and have the fans at the top and front be exaust? thats just a thought off the top of my head

 

[ToastyBunz]

You've got a lot of power packed in a Mid tower, if you could (ie. money wise and space wise) grab a nice full tower and you could put more fans for more air or it would depending on the model have a bit of room for a water loop for the GPU's and CPU if you wanted. Also what are your ambient temps like (room temps)?

 

[disturbed force]

I run 290x cf tri-x's and my top card hits about 75c when under full load and my bottom card doesn't go over 67c with room temp around 22c, I have a corsair air 540 case tho with excellent airflow and a h100i on my cpu to keep that heat out of the case.

 

[helios411]

You've got a lot of power packed in a Mid tower, if you could (ie. money wise and space wise) grab a nice full tower and you could put more fans for more air or it would depending on the model have a bit of room for a water loop for the GPU's and CPU if you wanted. Also what are your ambient temps like (room temps)?

At the moment its winter i'd say around 15-20 degrees. What kind of case and watercooling system do you recommend? This is not really a new pc not sure I want to spend that kind of money.

 

[ToastyBunz]

Case is totally your preference just make sure it has a spot to seat a minimum 240mm radiator. Then you need 2 290x waterblocks, tubing, fittings, a pump, and a reservoir. http://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-fc-r9-290x.html Heres a site that has all that stuff, take a look.

 

[vulcangrey]

A stock 290x shouldn't throttle until it gets to 94C, and whatever setting the fan is limited to. That is with the default settings. If you changed the performance mode in the catalyst control center to limit the GPU to 85C, and to allow 100% fan speed... then it'll throttle at 85C and once the fans hit 100%.

I have mine (2 R9 290's in CF) set for 94C max temp and 100% fan speed, and they never throttle, but they will just run at 94C the entire time (fans never hit 100%).

So you must have changed your settings to limit the GPU to 85C, and you must have bumped your fan speed up to allow 100%. I think it is limited to 47% by default. Why did you pick 85C?

BTW, I do have a side exhaust fan, and A large front fan blowing into the case, which without those the R9 290's would overheat certain parts of my motherboard (SATA and USB chips).

 

[helios411]

A stock 290x shouldn't throttle until it gets to 94C, and whatever setting the fan is limited to. That is with the default settings. If you changed the performance mode in the catalyst control center to limit the GPU to 85C, and to allow 100% fan speed... then it'll throttle at 85C and once the fans hit 100%.

I have mine (2 R9 290's in CF) set for 94C max temp and 100% fan speed, and they never throttle, but they will just run at 94C the entire time (fans never hit 100%).

So you must have changed your settings to limit the GPU to 85C, and you must have bumped your fan speed up to allow 100%. I think it is limited to 47% by default. Why did you pick 85C?

BTW, I do have a side exhaust fan, and A large front fan blowing into the case, which without those the R9 290's would overheat certain parts of my motherboard (SATA and USB chips).

I did not pick 85C the only thing i did was change the fans in MSI afterburner. In my CCC I cannot go beyond 85C. What target temp can you set in your CCC?

 

[helios411]

A stock 290x shouldn't throttle until it gets to 94C, and whatever setting the fan is limited to. That is with the default settings. If you changed the performance mode in the catalyst control center to limit the GPU to 85C, and to allow 100% fan speed... then it'll throttle at 85C and once the fans hit 100%.

I have mine (2 R9 290's in CF) set for 94C max temp and 100% fan speed, and they never throttle, but they will just run at 94C the entire time (fans never hit 100%).

So you must have changed your settings to limit the GPU to 85C, and you must have bumped your fan speed up to allow 100%. I think it is limited to 47% by default. Why did you pick 85C?

BTW, I do have a side exhaust fan, and A large front fan blowing into the case, which without those the R9 290's would overheat certain parts of my motherboard (SATA and USB chips).

I did not pick 85C the only thing i did was change the fans in MSI afterburner. In my CCC I cannot go beyond 85C. What target temp can you set in your CCC?

 

[vulcangrey]

A stock 290x shouldn't throttle until it gets to 94C, and whatever setting the fan is limited to. That is with the default settings. If you changed the performance mode in the catalyst control center to limit the GPU to 85C, and to allow 100% fan speed... then it'll throttle at 85C and once the fans hit 100%.

I have mine (2 R9 290's in CF) set for 94C max temp and 100% fan speed, and they never throttle, but they will just run at 94C the entire time (fans never hit 100%).

So you must have changed your settings to limit the GPU to 85C, and you must have bumped your fan speed up to allow 100%. I think it is limited to 47% by default. Why did you pick 85C?

BTW, I do have a side exhaust fan, and A large front fan blowing into the case, which without those the R9 290's would overheat certain parts of my motherboard (SATA and USB chips).

I did not pick 85C the only thing i did was change the fans in MSI afterburner. In my CCC I cannot go beyond 85C. What target temp can you set in your CCC?

As far as I have seen the target temp in CCC by default is 94C.