290x crossfire top card throttle

helios411 · May 10, 2015

Ok I have 290x in cf and the top card at full load, with target temperature 85 celius, throttles even with 100% fan speed. Questions:

1. If one card clock speed is throttled down besides an fps loss would that cause any graphical issues (e.g. stuttering, etc)

2. What are my options to lower my temperature or how can i increase the target temperature which is at max according to the Catalyst control centre?

3. Is watercooling a good options and how much would it cost me?

System: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/W3MLBm

bgunner · May 10, 2015

First make sure you have plenty of case air flow to remove the heat from the cards. IF this is not done the cards recirculate the hot air heating them up more.

Second you can try putting a fan blowing between the cards to feed the top card cooler air. Top card heat issues are common with SLI/Crossfire setups.

You can adjust the point of throttling by using MSI afterburner/ Evga Precision X/ HIS iTurbo/ Sapphire TriXX. the power limit will adjust the point of throttling BUT since you are hitting 85°C now I don't recommend this at this point you need to cool the cards to fix your issue.

Water cooling on your setup will require a Custom loop and you are looking at around $300 USD or so to set it up. Unless this is in you budget I do not recommend this as a first try but a last resort.

As for effects of the throttling it is possible it could cause a slight stuttering like mirco stutter possibly a little worse. The long term effects are the cards will not last as long before dying due to extreme heat fatigue. Start by ensuring good case ventilation and add a side fan to blow between the cards.

helios411 · May 10, 2015

bgunner :

I have this case http://www.coolermaster.com/case/mid-tower/haf-912-advanced/ with all the stock fans that were provided with the case. Should i maybe add a side fan? if so which do i recommend? Should i replace the stock fans? Will that help?

bgunner · May 10, 2015

Well stock it does not come with a side fan. These side fans are designed for 2 things: 1: provide a stock CPU cooler with fresh air. 2: to push air between SLI/Crossfire setups. This is the use you need. Your case can accommodate either a 120mm fan or a 140mm fan. The 140's can move the same air but do it quieter so I recommend that size (140mm). Get one with a minimum of 70 CFM or higher and one with a static pressure of 2.5 or higher. (CFM= Cubic feet per minute/ Static Pressure = the amount of force the fan push the air at.)

EDIT: replacing the stock fans at this point wont help. you have 2 200mm fans and a 120 rear. this will move some air if they are all running on high.

helios411 · May 10, 2015

How about this fan http://www.mwave.com.au/product/aerocool-shark-case-fan-140mm-red-ab57158 it says 96.5 CMF though im not sure about the static pressure. And I assume the screw holes are standard and should fit with the case?

bgunner · May 10, 2015

that one has a static air pressure (labeled as Air Pressure) of 1.069 mm-H2O. SO this one is no good. IF you look at the bottom of the page in the specs given it will tell you the "Air Pressure" /Static Air Pressure.

helios411 · May 10, 2015

bgunner :

man its tough finding airpressure greater than 2.5. Do you know of any? they are all around 1. something it seems.

bgunner · May 10, 2015

This one will do for your needs. It has a Static Pressure of 2,08 mm H2O and has a 6 year warranty. You can buy here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608044

You can see full specs here: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=65&lng=en&set=1

The prices are a little steep but these are one of the most recommended fans. They are very durable and do there jobs very well.

helios411 · May 11, 2015

I asssume this would be okay? http://www.mwave.com.au/product/noctua-140mm-nfa14-industrial-ppc-ip52-3000rpm-pwm-fan-ab55447

bgunner · May 11, 2015

That one as a Static pressure of over 10 mm-H2O and is extremely loud. That fan is over kill for most situations. As is says in the title of teh fan, it is meant for industrial applications where noise is not much of an issue.

noise example : http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist2/projects/sixer/loud.pdf

helios411 · May 11, 2015

bgunner :

it probably isnt louder then 290x 100% fan speed anyway, btw will a side case fan potentially screw up the air flow? And wouldnt a more powerful fan be better for cooling?

bgunner · May 11, 2015

No a side fan will not mess with air flow. Some of the air will be sucked into the card and pushed either out the back or into the case as it is already doing. normal air flow is from bottom/front to top rear. Adding a side fan will only push the hot air that is at eh bottom rear to the top. This will actually eliminate a hot spot in the case.

as for a more powerful fan being better for cooling, not necessarily. If teh air is pushed to hard the GPU fans will have a hard time sucking the air into the GPU. This will cause a heat issue in its own right.

As for noise level of your cards I can not say but 40 dba is quite loud. It is your choice but if you go for this fan do not run it at full speed.

helios411 · May 14, 2015

ok installed the new case fan and seem to get about a 4C drop in temps. Which is okay now since im not throttling though i wish it were more. thank you bgunner.

bgunner · May 14, 2015

Your welcome. The only thing that will help more is changing cooling systems and that gets expensive because you end up building a water cooling loop.

helios411 · May 16, 2015

im just wondering, would getting a bigger case help?

bgunner · May 16, 2015

Sometimes yes it can help. The biggest issue you are having is that the 2 cards are so close together and the top card is sucking up some of the heat from the bottom card. Like I mentioned before this is a common issue with SLI/Crossfire setups.

The best solution, But expensive is running a water cooling loop.
Next is forcing more air through the case to Feed the top card as much cool air as possible. This is what you did by adding another fan (side fan).
Next would be to add more fans or higher capacity fans to the case If you did not plan on getting another case.
Next would be to get a bigger case with High air flow and add in fans to ensure extreme air flow.

these are the best options I can come up with that will help you cool off the cards.

Not sure if I have mentioned this or not IF your temps are low enough you can download one of the Rivatuner based programs, like MSI Afterrburner, and raise up the Power Limit. This setting raises the point, Temp, that the card starts to throttle. Doing this you needed to watch what temp it starts to throttle because you could cause damage to the GPU chips if they get to hot.

helios411 · May 16, 2015

According to the amd driver, ccc, my max target temp is 85C, I heard that these cards can go to 95C however. I thought the power limit slider is for the amount of watts drawn not the target temp, if i increase it be 5% for example what will be my target temp?

bgunner · May 17, 2015

The power limit slider does end up increasing the wattage drawn by a little because the card can draw more power due to being able to go to a higher temp. But what the slider actually does is increase and decrease the temp point that the card starts to throttle.

The amount that 1% changes it is very subjective and depends on the card itself. All that you can do is test what point that the card starts to throttle. It is best to set it to start throttling at 92°C. This is to keep the card from reaching the 95°C limit.

To test this you can use furmark, OCCT, MSI Kombuster or any GPU stress program that you prefer just don't use the benchmark test for this. You want to push the card to the throttling point, If it will reach it.

helios411 · May 18, 2015

if i change the power limit slider would that void any warranty?

bgunner · May 18, 2015

Technically YES it will.

290x crossfire top card throttle

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