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Asus 290X DCU2 VRM extra cooling?

VortexS
By VortexS
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Go to solution Solved by Liam-McShane,

Those temps are fine for VRM's. They're pretty normal for R9-290's. Nothing to worry about.

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Hello guys,

Seven months ago I was so dumb to buy the 290x card with the pretty terrible DCU2 cooler. I already had to replace it because it just gave up.

Now I received the second one and want to keep it a bit more healthy.

Is there any way to keep the vrm temps lower? I was playing some BF4 and the core temp was an okay 75 degrees but the vrm temps were between 88 and 95 degrees. I assume this will be the cause of the quick breakdown of my last one. Thanks!

Mah Build:  CPU: Intel i7-7700K COOLING: NZXT Kraken X52 GPU: Asus Strix GTX 1080 MOBO: Asus Strix Z270F RAM: 16GB GSKILL TridentZ RGB 3000 

CASE: In Win 303 STORAGE: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB, Seagate 1TB  SSHD PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 750W

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Buy some thick thermal pads (at least 1-2mm thick, thicker is better) and replace the ones that are on the cooler

this should make it much easier for the vrm to contact the heatsink

NEW PC build: Blank Heaven   minimalist white and black PC     Old S340 build log "White Heaven"        The "LIGHTCANON" flashlight build log        Project AntiRoll (prototype)        Custom speaker project

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Buy some thick thermal pads (at least 1-2mm thick, thicker is better) and replace the ones that are on the cooler

this should make it much easier for the vrm to contact the heatsink

I guess I will void my warranty with that? I don't want to void the warranty to be honest.

Mah Build:  CPU: Intel i7-7700K COOLING: NZXT Kraken X52 GPU: Asus Strix GTX 1080 MOBO: Asus Strix Z270F RAM: 16GB GSKILL TridentZ RGB 3000 

CASE: In Win 303 STORAGE: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB, Seagate 1TB  SSHD PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 750W

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I guess I will void my warranty with that? I don't want to void the warranty to be honest.

doing anything to the cooler will void the warranty

NEW PC build: Blank Heaven   minimalist white and black PC     Old S340 build log "White Heaven"        The "LIGHTCANON" flashlight build log        Project AntiRoll (prototype)        Custom speaker project

Spoiler

Ryzen 3950X | AMD Vega Frontier Edition | ASUS X570 Pro WS | Corsair Vengeance LPX 64GB | NZXT H500 | Seasonic Prime Fanless TX-700 | Custom loop | Coolermaster SK630 White | Logitech MX Master 2S | Samsung 980 Pro 1TB + 970 Pro 512GB | Samsung 58" 4k TV | Scarlett 2i4 | 2x AT2020

 

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Hello guys,

Seven months ago I was so dumb to buy the 290x card with the pretty terrible DCU2 cooler. I already had to replace it because it just gave up.

Now I received the second one and want to keep it a bit more healthy.

Is there any way to keep the vrm temps lower? I was playing some BF4 and the core temp was an okay 75 degrees but the vrm temps were between 88 and 95 degrees. I assume this will be the cause of the quick breakdown of my last one. Thanks!

Get another fan, set it up with a speed that does not add to the overall noise, but aids cooling.

IE: Channel of airflow towards your GPU.

 

My front panel has a fan, between IT and the GPU, I have another fan aimed slightly downward,.. keeping airflow strong and channeled.

Maximums - Asus Z97-K /w i5 4690 Bclk @106.9Mhz * x39 = 4.17Ghz, 8GB of 2600Mhz DDR3,.. Gigabyte GTX970 G1-Gaming @ 1550Mhz

 

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Get another fan, set it up with a speed that does not add to the overall noise, but aids cooling.

IE: Channel of airflow towards your GPU.

My front panel has a fan, between IT and the GPU, I have another fan aimed slightly downward,.. keeping airflow strong and channeled.

My case is the corsair 500r, which has a massive 200mm fan aimed right at the GPU from the side. Do you think adding a ghetto mounted 120mm fan to blow down on the GPU will decrease temps or will this just mess up the general airflow?

Mah Build:  CPU: Intel i7-7700K COOLING: NZXT Kraken X52 GPU: Asus Strix GTX 1080 MOBO: Asus Strix Z270F RAM: 16GB GSKILL TridentZ RGB 3000 

CASE: In Win 303 STORAGE: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB, Seagate 1TB  SSHD PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 750W

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Those temps are fine for VRM's. They're pretty normal for R9-290's. Nothing to worry about.

Maybe they are but 95 degrees scares me. It could start a fire for all I know.

Mah Build:  CPU: Intel i7-7700K COOLING: NZXT Kraken X52 GPU: Asus Strix GTX 1080 MOBO: Asus Strix Z270F RAM: 16GB GSKILL TridentZ RGB 3000 

CASE: In Win 303 STORAGE: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB, Seagate 1TB  SSHD PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 750W

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Maybe they are but 95 degrees scares me. It could start a fire for all I know.

It won't. Don't worry about it. If you're that concerned just create a custom fan profile for the GPU.

Simple Stryker (Now Finished  ;) )


The Terrible HP


 

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It won't. Don't worry about it. If you're that concerned just create a custom fan profile for the GPU.

 

I'll assume you're right then, thanks.

Do you know if there's a way to find the default fancurve by any chance? I want to up it a little bit but afterburner doesn't show what the default curve is.

Mah Build:  CPU: Intel i7-7700K COOLING: NZXT Kraken X52 GPU: Asus Strix GTX 1080 MOBO: Asus Strix Z270F RAM: 16GB GSKILL TridentZ RGB 3000 

CASE: In Win 303 STORAGE: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB, Seagate 1TB  SSHD PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 750W

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I'll assume you're right then, thanks.

Do you know if there's a way to find the default fancurve by any chance? I want to up it a little bit but afterburner doesn't show what the default curve is.

Odd never seen that before. You might want to try ASUS GPU Tweak as it may show up in there.

Simple Stryker (Now Finished  ;) )


The Terrible HP


 

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Odd never seen that before. You might want to try ASUS GPU Tweak as it may show up in there.

 

Yeah.... No... ASUS GPUTweak is a piece of malware. It crashes your PC 50% of the time when starting it. And when it does succesfully start and you close it it leaves a process running which keeps using around 13% CPU power... It's terrible.

 

Can you tell me how to get the default fan curve to show in Afterburner? Maybe I'm just overlooking something.

Mah Build:  CPU: Intel i7-7700K COOLING: NZXT Kraken X52 GPU: Asus Strix GTX 1080 MOBO: Asus Strix Z270F RAM: 16GB GSKILL TridentZ RGB 3000 

CASE: In Win 303 STORAGE: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB, Seagate 1TB  SSHD PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 750W

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My case is the corsair 500r, which has a massive 200mm fan aimed right at the GPU from the side. Do you think adding a ghetto mounted 120mm fan to blow down on the GPU will decrease temps or will this just mess up the general airflow?

I don't think it'll affect the side fan, or the airflow of the case...

If you have a front panel fan, you could temporarily test putting another in between it and the GPU (slightly aimed down) and see it it helps..

If not you can remove it.

 

I hope it does help you.. I hate any VRM temp over 85*c, and allow 75-85*c MAX after some time...

Maximums - Asus Z97-K /w i5 4690 Bclk @106.9Mhz * x39 = 4.17Ghz, 8GB of 2600Mhz DDR3,.. Gigabyte GTX970 G1-Gaming @ 1550Mhz

 

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Yeah.... No... ASUS GPUTweak is a piece of malware. It crashes your PC 50% of the time when starting it. And when it does succesfully start and you close it it leaves a process running which keeps using around 13% CPU power... It's terrible.

 

Can you tell me how to get the default fan curve to show in Afterburner? Maybe I'm just overlooking something.

 

http://imgur.com/muHsQPc

Simple Stryker (Now Finished  ;) )


The Terrible HP


 

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That's the default Afterburner preset, unfortunately not the default GPU curve. But I just ran Furmark with a piece of paper by hand to write down the results. Thanks again!

Mah Build:  CPU: Intel i7-7700K COOLING: NZXT Kraken X52 GPU: Asus Strix GTX 1080 MOBO: Asus Strix Z270F RAM: 16GB GSKILL TridentZ RGB 3000 

CASE: In Win 303 STORAGE: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB, Seagate 1TB  SSHD PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 750W

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I don't think it'll affect the side fan, or the airflow of the case...

If you have a front panel fan, you could temporarily test putting another in between it and the GPU (slightly aimed down) and see it it helps..

If not you can remove it.

 

I hope it does help you.. I hate any VRM temp over 85*c, and allow 75-85*c MAX after some time...

 

My VRM temps went above a 100 degrees in Furmark. Luckily Furmark isn't a game :)

Mah Build:  CPU: Intel i7-7700K COOLING: NZXT Kraken X52 GPU: Asus Strix GTX 1080 MOBO: Asus Strix Z270F RAM: 16GB GSKILL TridentZ RGB 3000 

CASE: In Win 303 STORAGE: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB, Seagate 1TB  SSHD PSU: EVGA Supernova G2 750W

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My VRM temps went above a 100 degrees in Furmark. Luckily Furmark isn't a game :)

Thats why you should never use it. It's unrealistic in what load it creates /Im sure you know this now, if not before doing so.

 

I tested with the downsampling feature with the GPU. 3200x1800 to ensure 100% gaming load, and also tried 1080p1440p1800p to see differences in at least 5 games.

My VRM1's went to past 100*c, adding the fan I mentioned dropped me into the 80's.

/Fan is also only at 50%, and is 2 inches away from the back of the GPU.

 

But my 290 design is open to it,.. your aftermarket cooler may not be as open to airflow from the back.. but it wouldn't hurt to provide more airflow to the intake fans either from the backend.

Maximums - Asus Z97-K /w i5 4690 Bclk @106.9Mhz * x39 = 4.17Ghz, 8GB of 2600Mhz DDR3,.. Gigabyte GTX970 G1-Gaming @ 1550Mhz

 

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