R9 290 performance with reduced fan speed / thermal ceiling

[emteknetnz]

Hi, I'm considering getting a reference R9 290 (and yeah I know they're worse cooling / noise than aftermarket - also I don't live in USA so prices are better than a 780)

What I'm curious about is how customisable is the fan speed / thermal ceiling and how much will that affect performance

Can I specify say a 35% fan speed using software and the card throttle correctly?


Assuming my case has good ventilation:

Default quiet mode fan speed / 95* thermal ceiling = 100% performance / no throttling?

Default quiet mode fan speed / 80* = ?% performance

35% fan speed / 95* = ?% performance

35% fan speed / 80* = ?% performance


Thanks in advance

 

[combine1237]

They put out a lot of heat, I can;t answer since my card 1100/1300 usually games in the 60s to very low 70's, but at 100 fan if noise bothers you it might not be enjoyable. If cheap enough could you slap an aftermarket cooler or loop on it for the same price as the 780?

 

[dariens007]

in the catalyst control suite you can manually set the speed of the fan to 35% however....those cards run hotter than the dickens and i wouldnt go doing that if your gaming. i think i understand the question. but if you want performance your gonna have to set the fan speed higher to keep it cool or it will throttle. there isn't much win with the stock 290

 

[emteknetnz]

in the catalyst control suite you can manually set the speed of the fan to 35% however....those cards run hotter than the dickens and i wouldnt go doing that if your gaming. i think i understand the question. but if you want performance your gonna have to set the fan speed higher to keep it cool or it will throttle. there isn't much win with the stock 290

Hmm understand. At that point probably better off just getting something slower and cheaper since with 290 throttling it'll be much the same speed.