Waterblock or Custom Cooler on the 290

Shocking777

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Oct 31, 2013
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Hey, so since the Sapphire Tri-X is going to be released in a while in my country i'm thinking of getting the stock 290 and get a waterblock/custom cooler. The price of the 290 is still around 400$ here. Now the problem is that if i put waterblock i need a lot of maintenance and if i put custom cooler it might void the warranty. Which one is better? And is there a manufacturer that won't void the warranty if i use custom cooler?
 

jb6684

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If you dis-assemble and install a water block on ANYone's card, your warranty is Void........

I would go with a dual or triple fan factory air cooler on a R9 290 (or 290X) as soon as they become available. Cost on water cooled systems is FAR higher (you could get the 290X air cooled & still have money left over from a 290 water cooled).

You could also look at GTX 780 or 780Ti's as those are "available now...." (air - cooled)
 
I think XFX will allow you to swap coolers, provided you retain the stock item and return the card assembled with it if you need to do a warranty return-but this varies with each country, so check the conditions for your location before you wield the screwdriver.
Going with a WC loop is the most expensive option by far, although custom blocks are now available, but you might find this of more interest:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/r9-290-accelero-xtreme-290,review-32828.html
 

Shocking777

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Oct 31, 2013
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The GTX 780 is out of my budget, the 290 is the best choice i have. I will probably look the XFX but then again, because i live in Indonesia i think that the current build i have is warrantied by the store not the parts manufacturer so that could be a luck for me.