XSPC Razor R9 290X

[Slomo4shO]

Both my 290s are cooled by EK, I'll run comparisons with you

What is the configuration of your loop?

I just got my 4 R9 290s today and I picked up a Corsair 900D to build a custom loop in. Only problem is I can't find any blocks in stock

 

[zhuks]

What is the configuration of your loop?

I just got my 4 R9 290s today and I picked up a Corsair 900D to build a custom loop in. Only problem is I can't find any blocks in stock

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=39422

The plexi/copper are in stock there. Not sure how many though.

 

[Slomo4shO]

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=39422

The plexi/copper are in stock there. Not sure how many though.

I already tried ordering from them, they only have 2.

 

[Face2Face]

What is the configuration of your loop?

I just got my 4 R9 290s today and I picked up a Corsair 900D to build a custom loop in. Only problem is I can't find any blocks in stock

Dear God man, you went all out - Very nice :thumbsup:. I assume you mine as well? Well at least you can relieve that poor TF3 in your third slot...

 

[Slomo4shO]

Dear God man, you went all out - Very nice :thumbsup:. I assume you mine as well? Well at least you can relieve that poor TF3 in your third slot...

I got two pumps and 5 rads on their way which should all fit nicely into the 900D. The loop cost me more than the cards. I got 3 extra BF keys and once they are sold the 4 cards will come in at less than $1200 (gotta love BF) :whiste:

I still gotta pickup Fujipoly pads and 6-21 more Noctua NF-F12s (or maybe Gentle Typhoon D1225C12B3AP-14s). I haven't decided whether I want to go push/pull or just push yet.

 

[chimaxi83]

What is the configuration of your loop?

I just got my 4 R9 290s today and I picked up a Corsair 900D to build a custom loop in. Only problem is I can't find any blocks in stock

Two EK Copper/Acetal full cover blocks with backplates
Raystorm
AX360 push/pull
AX240 push/pull
D5 Vario in a bay res

That's about it

 

[Face2Face]

I got two pumps and 5 rads on their way which should all fit nicely into the 900D. The loop cost me more than the cards. I got 3 extra BF keys and once they are sold the 4 cards will come in at less than $1200 (gotta love BF) :whiste:

I still gotta pickup Fujipoly pads and 6-21 more Noctua NF-F12s (or maybe Gentle Typhoon D1225C12B3AP-14s). I haven't decided whether I want to go push/pull or just push yet.

Congrats man! This setup looks truly awesome. Be sure to take some pics of the setup when everything is together. I would love to see it.

 

[Slomo4shO]

Congrats man! This setup looks truly awesome. Be sure to take some pics of the setup when everything is together. I would love to see it.

Will do. I opted for an ENERMAX Maxrevo 1500W instead of the LEPA G1600. Here is hoping that it lives up to its reputation

 

[Z15CAM]

What are your vreg temps with that and how long do you let it run before running the test? Any throttle? Fan speed?

With the Ref AMD Cooler, I can do Valley a constant 1976 score with out throttle incidence with Afterburner set at +100mV-100%-1190-1500 compared to a +156mV ( CMD-Tweaked AB)-1300-1600 showing multiple incidents of throttling ending up with the same Valley score of 1976 with the AMD Ref Fan pegged at 95% Spd in both incidents.

I run Benches with the cards HOT: that is one after the other - I don't cheat and I don't accept artifacts..
Any thing I say about my experience with PC performance I can prove it.

Keep in mind I'm running my i7 2700K is at 1600 Mhz during the Bench because I want the GPU to take all the load so I can scale it when I pin the GPU at 5+G's for a wipe-out other single GPU Benches - Whatever ;o).

Temps for the AB 100+ vM run are about 88c GPU and 68C for the VRM but the +156 run temps for the GPU are approx 94C and VRM Temps over 110C and I gain nothing in the Valley Score because of throttling.

You now have an idea just how fast this card can be when adding minor vM Voltage providing we can cool the VRMs.

I see approx +156vm-1350-1600Mhz with WB Cooling with hopefully GPU and VRM temps under 70C and no other single GPU on the market will be able to beat it to day, whether or not it is Water Cooled. Sish! A 512 Bit 4 GB video card running at that speed has to be a winner.

When I break a Valley Bench of 3000 with Temps under 70C with CPU/Mem running at 1350/1600mhz, I will pin my i7-2700K at 5 GHz and look at the Score. I'm optimistic and believe it's feasible to run this card at +125mV 1190/1500 Mhz 24/7 without a Hic-Up and Bench +156-1350-1600 all day long.

Shes not voltage locked and has all the signs of a Beast.

 

[Slomo4shO]

I lucked out and successfully unlocked all 4 cards into 290X

 

[horza]

..

 

[Face2Face]

I lucked out and successfully unlocked all 4 cards into 290X

Wow. I thought that wasn't possible anymore?

 

[Slomo4shO]

I always read lucked out as bad luck.

luck out, to have an instance or run of exceptionally good luck

Oddly enough, the idiom can be used to mean the opposite as well in the States, as if the English language wasn't convoluted enough :sneaky:

That aside much success congrats!:awe:

Thanks

Wow. I thought that wasn't possible anymore?

Just false rumors that were started. There are still plenty of cards that unlock. It just happens to be luck of the draw.

 

[smithkt]

Two EK Copper/Acetal full cover blocks with backplates
Raystorm
AX360 push/pull
AX240 push/pull
D5 Vario in a bay res

That's about it

Are you overclocking at all? I'm looking at watercooling my r9-290s as well, and the information regarding the necessary rad sizes is all over the place. What kind of temps are you seeing with your setup?

 

[chimaxi83]

Are you overclocking at all? I'm looking at watercooling my r9-290s as well, and the information regarding the necessary rad sizes is all over the place. What kind of temps are you seeing with your setup?

I can hit 1100/1600 with stock volts, and core/VRM temps don't go above 45C in games/benching. I haven't been messing around with the setup lately, busy with work, so I'm not sure how much further I can go.

A couple weeks ago I did a few quick runs at 1200/1650 with +50 voltage in afterburner, same core temps, VRM hovered around 48C I believe.

 

[Erenhardt]

I lucked out and successfully unlocked all 4 cards into 290X

Son of the...
So you basically paid for three 290X and got one for free?
Lucky you!

 

[Slomo4shO]

Son of the...
So you basically paid for three 290X and got one for free?
Lucky you!

Actually, I paid $320 per 290 and they also included BF 4. So once the extra games are sold I am looking at roughly $100 more than two 290X for 4 290s ()

 

[Erenhardt]

How is that fair? I hate murica!]
Joke, enjoy /jelly
Sorry for OT

 

[Z15CAM]

I've changed my NCIX.CA GPU Water cooling solution to as follows:

Keeping the XSPC Razor R9 290X WB - On Back Order.

Ordered the XSPC Razor R9 290X / 290 Backplate - On Back Order.

Cancelled order on the Koolance RP-985 5.25in Reservoir & Pump Combo as I feel the pump to be rather weak and I don't need the fan control options.

Ordered a Koolance RP-401X2 Single 5.25" Reservoir with one PMP-400 pump from Performance-PC as NCIX don't carry it. You have the option to use the Swiftech MCP35X- PWM pump if you want PMW voltage option, which I don't need.

I will assemble the Koolance RP-401X2 so both reservoirs act as one. This gives me future options to run Dual Pumps in series or for Duel Loop and a backup if the Corsair H110 AIO dies.

The remaining optional items would be to buy 2 blue 3mm LED's to light up the reservoirs, which I can obtain locally.

I will be using a Black Ice GTS Stealth 280MM Radiator mounted in the front of my Fractal ARC Midi Case to cool the R9 290X with the original 2 x's Fractal 140mm fans controlled by the cases 3/7/12v switch. I may need more fan pressure, but that's something I will not know until I get the system up and running; in which case, I will more then likely get a couple of 140mm PMW Rad Fans and run them from the R9's PMW controller. I will have to fabricate 2 brackets to mount the Black Ice GTS Stealth 280MM Radiator in the position. The Fans will be mounted separately to the supplied case bracket.

The Fractal Design ARC Midi case only has 2 x's 5.25 bays and can accommodate 2 x's 280x60x140 Rads, one on top (Off-Set, clearing the MB) for the CPU and the other 280x60x140 rad mounted in the front and still mount an Optic drive in the top 5.25 bay - Very compact, yet versatile case that uses 140mm Fans. If you don't use an Optic drive you can mount the bigger Koolance RP-402x2 Reservoir.

 

[OCGuy]

Any reason that both of your thread titles about your card are misleading? They appear to be about AIB custom cards instead of reference with third party cooling.

 

[chimaxi83]

Any reason that both of your thread titles about your card are misleading? They appear to be about AIB custom cards instead of reference with third party cooling.

That this confused you is confusing. Well, sort of. When exactly was the last time a video card model was prefaced by "Arctic Accelero" or "XSPC Razor"? I'm fairly certain nobody else was confused by this.

 

[Z15CAM]

For me the titles suggest I'm working on a 3rd Party solution for the Reference R9 290X and relating the Cost Vs Experience I have with the product.

If you read my Arctic Accelero R9 290X-Xtreme thread, with the help of other members, you learn how to mount the Accelero III and how it performs. I concluded, from an enthusiasts point, it's a useless solution for the 290/X and abandoned the thread saying it was OK for the average user whom wants a QUIET card but don't expect to clock any higher then 1130/1200 with +100mV with VRM temps over 100C and Tom's Hardware review was very misleading. You can clock the card higher with the noisy Reference Cooler, say 1195/1500 with Higher GPU Temps but considerably lower VRM Temps.

Sorry your confused but very pleased with your interest. We already have a very interesting argument in regards to a challenge between the XSPC Vs EK-FC WB designs for the R9 290/X. We are still waiting a concise OPEN Top view of the EK-FC WB for the R9 290/X that show how the design Actively Cooles the Rear VRM's - Anybody?

I'm once again waiting parts to build a "3rd Party" XSPC Razor R9 290X WB solution and report on the build and eventually post results.

Now that I've informed you, stay in tuned and from my experience learn the ins and outs on how to build the XSPC Razor R9 290X looking at the cost and how well it performs.

I've had the Reference R9 290X clocked to 1300/1600 Mhz at +156mV for short periods with the stock cooler and expect a continious 1325/1600 Mhz with the XSPC Razor R9 290X solution with temps well under 70c for both the GPU and vRam at Full load with NO THROTTLING.

Total cost for the XSPC Razor R9 290X so far has been $549 for the card + $134 for the Razor WB with Backplate + $70 for a 280x30x140mm Rad + $170 for a Koolance 401x2 and PMP-400 Pump plus another $45 for Barbs, Hose and Coolant.

Total adds up to $968. Now add another 15% for Ontario's 13% HST Tax + Shipping equals about $1,113 CDN - Believe me for this money, if I can't smash any of nVidia's single card offering's you will hear it from me 1st. About the only way to recoup the cost is do some Bitcoin mining and if that looks lucrative I just might buy another Ref R9 290X with a Razor WB, another Pump and Rad to Loop each card on it's own ;o)

The AMD Reference R9 290X is a Powerful Brute. It's not hard to cool the GPU but the VRM, due to it's location on the card, is very precarious to cool and if you can't cool the VRM's the card it will continue to throttle and defeat your Over-Clock.

The Best Unigine Valley Bench, with CPU idling at 1600Mhz, is a 2976 Score - Not too shabby at 1170/1500 Mhz with +100mV using the Reference Cooler. Pushing it harder does not improve the score due to throttling and the Arctic Accelero Extreme III solution does not even come close to that.

 

[Black Octagon]

I wonder if AIBs are struggling to develop a cost-effective air cooling solution for the VRMs and that this is the (or at least, one) reason why we have such a long pause between reference card and after-market offerings

 

[Fastx]

We are still waiting a concise OPEN Top view of the EK-FC WB for the R9 290/X that show how the design Actively Cooles the Rear VRM's - Anybody?

So I know you had to have seen this (quote) so are you just doubting that this is not true?

This water block directly cools the GPU, RAM as well as VRM (voltage regulation module) as water flows directly over these critical areas thus allowing the graphics card and it's VRM to remain stable under high overclocks.

Btw if I also remember correctly I believe on anther forum when researching the EK FC WB on a 290X a week or so ago I believe stock voltage slight oc under load his VRM temps were around 35 & 44.

 

[Z15CAM]

This water block directly cools the GPU, RAM as well as VRM (voltage regulation module) as water flows directly over these critical areas thus allowing the graphics card and it's VRM to remain stable under high overclocks.

That I believe but Words are only Words, where's a PIC showing how EK designs it? Even the EK site does not reveal how they do it and as hard as I've searched the Net I can not find a PIC of what's under that stainless plate covering the area in question.

I've no preference of one or the other when it comes to the EK Vs the XSPC WB for the R9 290X as they both do the job for the same price but why is EK NOT providing Top View Pic's of an Open Base plate exposing how the rear VRM's are Actively Cooled. What's under that Stainless Steel Plate? That's why I'm asking for a Simple PIC showing this from Anyone - I would be surprised if it is not dissimilar to XSPC's Bernoulli Principle design ;o)

For one thing I doubt AIB's will allow more then a +100mv off-set voltage with their Software in order to protect RMA's.

I don't believe the AIB Partners are going to do any better at cooling the VRM's then the Reference Fan roaring at 95% with a Quieter Fan Solution using either a complicated designed Single Base Plate or 2 separate ones.

1130/1200 Mhz's with a +100mv off-set is about as fast as I see AIB Cards running at and they will be verily loud at that speed but nowhere near as loud as the Reference Fan.

If the Accelero Xtreme III had heat pipes to Copper bases mounted on both front and rear VRM's, it may have worked but not for more then say a 1190/1500 +134mv OC for short time before the VRM temps skyrocket and the Card starts throttling and killing the OC.

My guess is; don't expect the AIB solutions to be much better at OC'g the R9 290/X under Air then what we get out of the Reference cooler except it will be Bigger and Heavier but Quieter. One thing I will add is if the AIB Partners are allowed to modify the R9 290X PCB and relocate the VRM or add more of them to reduce heat for descent off-set voltage then it will be a different story but not without additional costs.