I returned my 290x's

[Tassadar]

I bought 2x MSI Gaming 4G 290x's. The cards performed really great, but when crossfired the first card was running at 95C with the fan speeds at 100% and the core clock going down. I tried tweaking, changing PCI-e slots and everything from software manipulation to PCI-e cables, but nothing worked. The first card simply was sucking in the hot air from the second card and there was nothing I could do, except undercklocking the First card, which I wasn't gonna do.

 

I've been an Nvidia user for 4 years now and I wanted to try out AMD. I'm sad to say that it was not for me. A GPU for me, is so much more than FPS/$$$. I want it to be quiet, cool and easily managed.

 

So Instead I now have 2x Asus Strix 780's ordered.

 

Peace.

[Askew]

This is why you don't do multiple GPU configs with aftermarket coolers in a case with inadequate airflow.

 

This is in no way the fault of AMD and I feel that this thread is unnecessarily defamatory, your new cards are going to cook as well.

[KamiKatze]

This is why you don't do multiple GPU configs with aftermarket coolers.

 

This is in no way the fault of AMD and I feel this thread is unnecessarily defamatory, your new cards are going to cook as well.

 

Is it really that terrible? Even if you leave out one PCIe slot for the other card to breathe? I mean the reference nvidia design is alright silent and overclocks a littel but the MSI  TwinFrozr is just superior. :-/

[H4X3R]

MSI Gaming are also pretty bad coolers for the 290Xs. 2 vapor x's would be much cooler and quieter.

[Askew]

Is it really that terrible? Even if you leave out one PCIe slot for the other card to breathe? I mean the reference nvidia design is alright silent and overclocks a littel but the MSI  TwinFrozr is just superior. :-/

 

It depends on the case, I had actually edited my post but you caught it just before.

 

I always use reference cards for multi GPU because my case has bad airflow.

[AlwaysFSX]

@Askew ninja'd what I was going to say again...

 

 

You starved your cards when you could have just added a $15 fan to fix the problem.

[Zelx]

This looks more like a Nvidia fanboy thread hating on AMD..but think twice next time you sli/crossfire with that kind of coolers.

[KamiKatze]

It depends on the case, I had actually edited my post but you caught it just before.

 

I always use reference cards for multi GPU because my case has bad airflow.

 

I might want to try multi GPU some time in the long run but i am striclty against reference designs for overclocking and noise reasons. I currently have a 2+1 Silent Wings 2 140 mm setup in my Define R4. I guess blower style cards would be happy with that? I might add fans on the bottom and top if i go dual GPU. Maybe even Noctua PPC which would only turn on at a certain temperature threshhold.

 

Meh, didn't expect SLI to be such an attention whore.

[Askew]

I might want to try multi GPU some time in the long run but i am striclty against reference designs for overclocking and noise reasons. I currently have a 2+1 Silent Wings 2 140 mm setup in my Define R4. I guess blower style cards would be happy with that? I might add fans on the bottom and top if i go dual GPU. Maybe even Noctua PPC which would only turn on at a certain temperature threshhold.

 

Meh, didn't expect SLI to be such an attention whore.

 

You can either use reference cards, or blow cold air at the aftermarket coolers those are basically the 2 options for multi GPU.

 

There is of course watercooling which is overall superior in both cooling and noise.

[KamiKatze]

You can either use reference cards, or blow cold air at the aftermarket coolers those are basically the 2 options for multi GPU.

 

There is of course watercooling which is overall superior in both cooling and noise.

 

Water cooling. My wallet doesn't like it. If i would SLI it was maybe a GTX 780 or 880 once it's like super cheap on eBay.

[Askew]

Water cooling. My wallet doesn't like it. If i would SLI it was maybe a GTX 780 or 880 once it's like super cheap on eBay.

 

I wonder if nvidia will produce a card priced simlar to the 690 with the 800 series... Would be nice to have one for us gamers because nobody wants to pay the premium for a Titan Z however I'd like a dual GPU GK110 card in my machine.

[Cryptonite]

Here I am overly satisfied with my 680 overclocked to oblivion while others complain about gaming on 2x 290X's at 1080p

[KamiKatze]

I wonder if nvidia will produce a card priced simlar to the 690 with the 800 series... Would be nice to have one for us gamers because nobody wants to pay the premium for a Titan Z however I'd like a dual GPU GK110 card in my machine.

 

I just hope they increase the VRAM on their cards, so at elast once they can be on par with AMD. My GTX 580 is not worth SLIing allthough it is a fiarly potent card but 1,5 GB VRAM is ridiculous for anything above 1080P. The 6 GB 780 is nice but costs a fortune as opposed to, say, a 2nd hand 3 GB 780, with rest warranty on it.

[Askew]

I just hope they increase the VRAM on their cards, so at elast once they can be on par with AMD. My GTX 580 is not worth SLIing allthough it is a fiarly potent card but 1,5 GB VRAM is ridiculous for anything above 1080P. The 6 GB 780 is nice but costs a fortune as opposed to, say, a 2nd hand 3 GB 780, with rest warranty on it.

 

I would expect the 800 series top end cards to be 4GB+

[Cryptonite]

I would expect the 800 series top end cards to be 4GB+

if it's not it'll be a waste. And I'd go with AMD next time around (if the price isn't too high since South Africa has higher costing AMD cards than Nvidia cards), though my 680's gonna stick with me for a few years.

[Guest]

I would expect the 800 series top end cards to be 4GB+

 

Or Nvidia pulls another Titan on us, which is entirely possible..... I really want an 880(ti) with lots of VRAM as well, anything less would be highly disappointing.

[Askew]

Or Nvidia pulls another Titan on us, which is entirely possible..... I really want an 880(ti) with lots of VRAM as well, anything less would be highly disappointing.

 

I think the Titan trick will only work once, now that people know a cut down version/ti will come at a drastically reduced price to the Titan SKU nobody will buy into another insane far out Titan launch for $1000 IMHO.

[Askew]

if it's not it'll be a waste. And I'd go with AMD next time around (if the price isn't too high since South Africa has higher costing AMD cards than Nvidia cards), though my 680's gonna stick with me for a few years.

 

I still have a 670 When it starts choking in the games I like I'll look at what AMD and Nvidia both have to offer at the time, most likely at witcher 3 launch.

[Cryptonite]

I still have a 670 When it starts choking in the games I like I'll look at what AMD and Nvidia both have to offer at the time, most likely at witcher 3 launch.

I can imagine the 670 has no problems at all in any game at 1080p at around max settings with MSAA on around 2x? my brother's 660 Ti still performs beast.

[Askew]

I can imagine the 670 has no problems at all in any game at 1080p at around max settings with MSAA on around 2x? my brother's 660 Ti still performs beast.

 

It's fine yea, I don't use AA so it's still perfect for me, plays all the games I want to with decent settings and always 60fps+ apart from extreme ones like Crysis 3 of course.

[binman13]

This is why you don't do multiple GPU configs with aftermarket coolers in a case with inadequate airflow.

 

This is in no way the fault of AMD and I feel this thread is unnecessarily defamatory, your new cards are going to cook as well.

This is true.

This thread is literally "I paired up the worst combination of cooling methods and the cards ran hot, so now I'm selling them at a collosal loss and getting a downgrade in performance rather than buying a 15 dollar fan. Hurrrr"

[Face2Face]

Running two open air coolers in CFX/SLI is always a bad idea with two cards like the R9 290x. Even with good airflow, the top card will run 10-15c hotter than the bottom. I understand why your didn't like your setup - Lesson learned right..... well not really. You just bought, quite possibly the worst non-reference 780's you can buy. have fun keeping them from throttling and running hot. Look at the Guru3D review. They are the only site to do thermal imaging - Look at the GPU and VRM temps.... WAT..  Now imagine two of those next to each other in a closed case... not on a test bench.

 

[APrettyCoolWalrus]

This looks more like a Nvidia fanboy thread hating on AMD..but think twice next time you sli/crossfire with that kind of coolers.

Um why would it be that? We're criticizing the cooling not the cards.

[F2K8]

It honestly sounds like something was genuinely wrong with your system. 

[harrynowl]

The first card simply was sucking in the hot air from the second card and there was nothing I could do, except undercklocking the First card, which I wasn't gonna do.

That isn't AMDs problem, that's your fault for not thinking it out right. A pair of open air coolers isn't the best of plans in X-Fire or SLI.

I've been an Nvidia user for 4 years now and I wanted to try out AMD. I'm sad to say that it was not for me. A GPU for me, is so much more than FPS/$$$. I want it to be quiet, cool and easily managed.

 

So Instead I now have 2x Asus Strix 780's ordered.

They'll bake too. 250W of heat x2 is still 500W of heat to dissipate and having a nvidia or AMD card on it in a poorly managed environment won't help.