Cooling R9 290 Reference

[UnbendingNose]

I have a Sapphire R9 290 that is just too loud. Looking into some after market cooling options. I originally had the idea to go for a custom h2o loop but I've scratched that plan due to cost. I'd like to get my best bang for the buck while keeping this card as cool as possible and quiet. Now I've narrowed my choice to down to an AIO with kraken g10/red mod with vrm heatsinks or going with an air cooler like the Gelid Icy Vision or MK-26.

 

Cost of g10 and Corsair H50 w/vrm heatsinks comes out to: $100

Corsair H55 w/vrm heatsinks red mod zip tie method: $70

Air cooler comes with vrm heatsinks and costs: $50 to $65

 

Based on research I've done, the AIO will get the best temps but I'll have to pay extra for some vrm heatsinks and maybe the g10 if I decide I need a fan to assist with vrm cooling, it will also be the quietest. The air coolers will give similar performance and will be just a tad bit noisier, they come with vrm heatsinks and they will have the added bonus of potentially being more reliable, only fans could fail. Only problem I have with the air coolers is I'm very picky about the looks of my rig and everything has to look clean and pefectly cable managed. The air coolers just look sort of big, bulky and ugly. I'm sure they also weigh a lot and could put stress on the pcb.

 

Any suggestions?