What's a Reference Card

[rip]

.....and is it a good thing or a not so good thing; if not, can I do anything to improve it's cooling, useful life, speed, durability.
I'm referring to a reference R9 290.

 

[tential]

A reference card is the design amd or nvidia sends out. It's their original design before companies like sapphire Asus, MSI, etc design their own coolers for the product.

Yes, you can remove the cooler if you want and replace it with a better cooler.
You can lower the speed of the card so it's quieter, there are a number of things you could do.

Edit: in general I would never mess with reference designs. Usually the aib model is far superior.

 

[dave1029]

The stock fans on the cards are fine- if you don't mind the noise. Aftermarket solutions are for people who are real ornery about noise. If it doesn't bother you, crank the fans up and don't worry about it.