AIO Cooling an R9 290x

[Muffy]

So I decided to purchase a Corsair H50 for my i5 and was very impressed with the results. Under load while playing games with my Oculus Rift, it would creep up to 88C and with the H50, it never broke 59C. In a quest of curiosity I decided to try liquid cooling my XFX R9 290x. I figured a LOT of heat was originating from that thing, and plus it was very loud. So I bought a Kraken G10 and a Thermaltake Water Extreme 3.0.

Initially, I used the H50 with my 290x. I was not happy with the results. So much as opening a youtube video would cause the thing to hit 85-90C. Yes, just watching a youtube video. I thought "well surely this must be wrong" but I don't know. That's why I'm posting here. I figure you guys are good experts on this. Out of curiosity I spent a very cumbersome hour switching my 290 over to use the Thermaltake, and I am getting the same exact results.

 

I don't know if it's because of the thermal paste I used or what. This is my first time doing something like this, and from what I've researched some brands of paste are better for heat transfer with GPUs than others. Is that true? Also, I've seen multiple videos where people mention letting the paste set. What do they mean by that? I've checked to see if the insane temps were coming from the VRM but no, the VRM is actually very stable even under load, so I am lead to believe that this is just a thermal paste issue. I've used both coolers on my CPU with absolutely no problems.

What do you guys think?

 

 

[xnoobftw]

Did you buy heatsinks for your VRMs?

[Muffy]

I just recently purchased them (still waiting to receive them), but like I said I checked their temps with HWinfo and they are perfectly fine. The problem is specifically the GPU core temps. They get insane, but the VRM stays around the same temps even under load (40-50C).

[salecar3]

use other software and see the results

[xnoobftw]

I just recently purchased them (still waiting to receive them), but like I said I checked their temps with HWinfo and they are perfectly fine. The problem is specifically the GPU core temps. They get insane, but the VRM stays around the same temps even under load (40-50C).

use MSI afterburner to check the tempts

[Muffy]

Here they are in GPU-Z and MSI Afterburner

EDIT

I have my pumps hooked up to motherboard fan headers and I have removed any control over their voltages in the BIOS, so they are all receiving a full 12v. My fans are hooked up to a sentry and right now I have them all on max speed, and I'm still getting these results.

[xnoobftw]

Here they are in GPU-Z and MSI Afterburner

EDIT

I have my pumps hooked up to motherboard fan headers and I have removed any control over their voltages in the BIOS, so they are all receiving a full 12v. My fans are hooked up to a sentry and right now I have them all on max speed, and I'm still getting these results.

Reinstall your AIO on your GPU. You could op for installing a copper shim in the middle of the AIO and the gpu core for better contact.

[Opcode]

You should be getting far better temperatures with even a H50 than the aftermarket air cooler that the card comes with.

 

Also what are your temperatures with GPU-Z?

[hogfather]

it really sounds like the cooler isn't sitting properly on the chip.  Can you double check if you can wiggle the cooler around?  you might also want to take a good look, because the cooler might not wiggle around but it might not still be attached properly.  resitting it would be where I would start.

[SkilledRebuilds]

it really sounds like the cooler isn't sitting properly on the chip.  Can you double check if you can wiggle the cooler around?  you might also want to take a good look, because the cooler might not wiggle around but it might not still be attached properly.  resitting it would be where I would start.

This.

Re seat if necessary.

 

I had a really hot core too (90*c /w Windforce cooling), and watercooled I would still see 70*c (overclocked)

[Faceman]

Try tightening the AIO down more.

[Muffy]

You should be getting far better temperatures with even a H50 than the aftermarket air cooler that the card comes with.

 

Also what are your temperatures with GPU-Z?

http://puu.sh/i6PCb/539823f28a.png

 

it really sounds like the cooler isn't sitting properly on the chip.  Can you double check if you can wiggle the cooler around?  you might also want to take a good look, because the cooler might not wiggle around but it might not still be attached properly.  resitting it would be where I would start.

I've re-seated it on multiple occasions. The cooler can not be wiggled or moved and pulling the cooler off clearly shows good contact between the copper base and the GPU die,

 

This.

Re seat if necessary.

 

I had a really hot core too (90*c /w Windforce cooling), and watercooled I would still see 70*c (overclocked)

Already tried that, multiple times.

 

Try tightening the AIO down more.

Any tighter and they will crack my PCB.

 

UPDATE

I decided to take another look at it, and it actually was NOT seated properly. The cooler on the XFX R9 290x has a plastic frame that mounts to the PCB and the rest of the stock cooler mounts to that. There's a little plastic part that sticks out juuust beneath the GPU die, and my cooler kept sitting up on that resulting in uneven contact. I pushed the cooler up so the copper plate wasn't sitting on it and now I idle at 30c and my card no longer overheats when opening a youtube video.

[hogfather]

There you go.

 

And what is your temp under load?

[Muffy]

There you go.

 

And what is your temp under load?

I haven't fully stressed it yet (the true test will be Oculus Rift + Streaming in 1080p), but I've played a few games and it stayed around 45C.