Posted February 13, 2014 Hi forum, I'm having trouble deciding how to set up my planned 5760x1080 gaming rig. I've decided that I want to go with two R9 290s in crossfire. The problem is that I already have most of the hardware I'm going to be using and it's not exactly ideal for what I'm planning to do. I have a 4670k, sitting on an ASrock Z87M-Extreme4 motherboard inside a Fractal Arc Mini R2, the windowed version. Since the motherboard is mATX, I don't have extra space between the two PCIe slots like you would on many ATX boards, so the cards are going to be sitting very close to eachother. Do I need to buy the super-loud reference cards, in order to keep the temperatures within acceptable ranges? I'd like to get the MSI Twin Frozr cards, but since they are non-blower designs, I'm afraid they might get a *little* hot in there. I'm running two 120mm intakes in the front of the case, another 120mm intake in the bottom, an H100i exhausting in the top and another 120mm exhaust in the back. Anybody have any experience with crossfiring custom cooled cards in such a small rig? As previously mentioned, I'd like to avoid the reference cards because of how loud they are, but I'm willing to make compromises if there's no way around it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. nj4ck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 I don't think the 290 is the right card for that situation imo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 I would get Reference 290's because they have blower style fans.Blower style fans are best for tight spaces because they eject the hot air out of the back of the case and they are optimal for getting air when in a confined area. † Christian Member † For my pertinent links to guides, reviews, and anything similar, go here, and look under the spoiler labeled such. A brief history of Unix and it's relation to OS X by Builder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 I don't think the 290 is the right card for that situation imo I agree, the 290's get so hot as it is. Don't really need to be stuffing them in tight places. My Rig : Case: Cooler Master HAF X ,Motherboard: Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H,PSU: Seasonic SS-750KM3,Processor: Core I7 4770k (overclocked 4.7ghz),Cooler: Corsair H100i, GPU: EVGA GTX 780 with acx cooler, RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 16gb DDR3 1600 (overclocked to 2000mhz), HDDS Samsung 840 EVO 250 gb SSD , Western digital 2tb 7200 rpm 64mb cache, Old 1tb laptop drive I had , 320gb for os backup daily, 80gb external for weekly backups,Drives 2x Lg Blu Ray burner WH16MS40,MISC: Tp-Link dual band wireless card, Logitech g510s, Razer Deathadder 2013, Acer G236HLBbd 23" monitor, Old tv I had 23" for secondary monitor, old 32" samsung tv third monitor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 The Twin Frozr will do better than the reference in that situation, although it's not ideal. You could be better going with two 780s instead, as they run cooler. They'll still get hot though. My EVGA ACX cards have two spaces between them and they still get pretty toasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 To be honest Crossfire + Eyefinity is a complete mess at the moment, quite frankly two R9 290s (especially Twin Frozr ones) would set you back almost as much as a Titan, why not cut all the rubbish and just get one of those and use surround? Will save compatibility problems with older games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 Dual reference 780s would be much better for heat. An noise. Though one 780ti is something to consider. Build Log Define R4 case mod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 To be honest Crossfire + Eyefinity is a complete mess at the moment, quite frankly two R9 290s (especially Twin Frozr ones) would set you back almost as much as a Titan, why not cut all the rubbish and just get one of those and use surround? Will save compatibility problems with older games. The performance would be FAR inferior though. Console optimisations and how they will effect you | The difference between AMD cores and Intel cores | Memory Bus size and how it effects your VRAM usage | How much vram do you actually need? | APUs and the future of processing | Projects: SO - here Intel i7 5820l @ with Corsair H110 | 32GB DDR4 RAM @ 1600Mhz | XFX Radeon R9 290 @ 1.2Ghz | Corsair 600Q | Corsair TX650 | Probably too much corsair but meh should have had a Corsair SSD and RAM | 1.3TB HDD Space | Sennheiser HD598 | Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro | Blue Snowball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 Author To be honest Crossfire + Eyefinity is a complete mess at the moment, quite frankly two R9 290s (especially Twin Frozr ones) would set you back almost as much as a Titan, why not cut all the rubbish and just get one of those and use surround? Will save compatibility problems with older games. Really? I thought the Hawaii GPUs with their harware-based frame pacing solved that issue. And yes, they're expensive, but I want to be able to max out games at 5760x1080. A single titan won't do that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 Author Dual reference 780s would be much better for heat. An noise. Though one 780ti is something to consider. that was my first choice, but it's almost impossible to get reference 780s, where I am. Plus they are a lot more expensive than the R9 290. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 The performance would be FAR inferior though. doesn't that depend? (btw my response " oh that what he meant " wink* wink* @Zahkyto dual R9 290 would of course be a titan at gaming rather than a only compute scenario Please become a member of the Linus Tech Tips forum, keep writing smug remarks & let us love you. Peace out. <| Project M13 & Silverstream. Other DIY projects |> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 that was my first choice, but it's almost impossible to get reference 780s, where I am. Plus they are a lot more expensive than the R9 290. Hmmm. Then a 290 it is. Itll be loud as hell. Build Log Define R4 case mod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 if I were you I wouldn't use a triple monitor setup. Please become a member of the Linus Tech Tips forum, keep writing smug remarks & let us love you. Peace out. <| Project M13 & Silverstream. Other DIY projects |> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 Hmmm. Then a 290 it is. Itll be loud as hell. He could get a non-reference one but the cooling is still the main factor over being a silence freak <- no offence probably the asus directcu2 and the gigabytw are best at cooling maybe the gaming version too but its flipp'in big Please become a member of the Linus Tech Tips forum, keep writing smug remarks & let us love you. Peace out. <| Project M13 & Silverstream. Other DIY projects |> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 Author Hmmm. Then a 290 it is. Itll be loud as hell. that's why I was asking. Would it be completely unthinkable to stuff two Twin Frozr R9 290s right nex to eachother, even with very good airflow? I don't mind a bit of noise, but the reference R9 290s are an absolute catastrophe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 Deleted (wtf tapatalk?!) Build Log Define R4 case mod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 He could get a non-reference one but the cooling is still the main factor over being a silence freak <- no offence probably the asus directcu2 and the gigabytw are best at cooling maybe the gaming version too but its flipp'in big Yeah but that close together blower style coolers are better. Build Log Define R4 case mod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 Yeah but that close together the blower style cooler is better. Best aircooling put thermal paste on your tongue and blow at it 100% air dissipation and you get a tongue medium cooked slightly rare Please become a member of the Linus Tech Tips forum, keep writing smug remarks & let us love you. Peace out. <| Project M13 & Silverstream. Other DIY projects |> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 doesn't that depend? (btw my response " oh that what he meant " wink* wink* @Zahkyto dual R9 290 would of course be a titan at gaming rather than a only compute scenario Single card 290 beats a Titan in gaming, dual card the 290s will curb stomp and the compute won't be that far behind. Console optimisations and how they will effect you | The difference between AMD cores and Intel cores | Memory Bus size and how it effects your VRAM usage | How much vram do you actually need? | APUs and the future of processing | Projects: SO - here Intel i7 5820l @ with Corsair H110 | 32GB DDR4 RAM @ 1600Mhz | XFX Radeon R9 290 @ 1.2Ghz | Corsair 600Q | Corsair TX650 | Probably too much corsair but meh should have had a Corsair SSD and RAM | 1.3TB HDD Space | Sennheiser HD598 | Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro | Blue Snowball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 that's why I was asking. Would it be completely unthinkable to stuff two Twin Frozr R9 290s right nex to eachother, even with very good airflow? I don't mind a bit of noise, but the reference R9 290s are an absolute catastrophe. You could. I think it may still be quieter than the horrible referece cooler. I dont know about temps though. Build Log Define R4 case mod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 Single card 290 beats a Titan in gaming, dual card the 290s will curb stomp and the compute won't be that far behind. i know but i meant my post to mean that the dual 290's would definitely out score the Titan since Titan is still a £800 graphics card right? i forgot Please become a member of the Linus Tech Tips forum, keep writing smug remarks & let us love you. Peace out. <| Project M13 & Silverstream. Other DIY projects |> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 Titan Black CPU: i7 4770k @ 4.3Ghz with NH-D14 | RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz | Motherboard: ASUS Maximus VI Hero | GPU: SLI GTX780 Windforce | SSD: Samsung 840 Pro | HDD: WD Black | PSU: EVGA SuperNova 1300W | Case: Fractal Define R4 | Monitor: X-Star DP2710 1440p @ 96Hz | Mouse: DeathAdder | Keyboard: CM Storm CherryMX Red | Headset: Kraken Pro | Headphones: HE-400 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 Author You could. I think it may still be quieter than the horrible referece cooler. I dont know about temps though. I think I'll give it a go. If it absolutely doesn't work, I'll just have to move up to an ATX form factor, as much as it would hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 I think I'll give it a go. If it absolutely doesn't work, I'll just have to move up to an ATX form factor, as much as it would hurt. I think thats a good choice. If it runs at ref cooler temps with half the noise who cares. Build Log Define R4 case mod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted February 13, 2014 Author I think thats a good choice. If it runs at ref cooler temps with half the noise who cares. exactly. Even if I where to lower the clock speeds a little I would probably still get enough performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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