NZXT Kraken G10 + 290x = VRM Meltdown! Make sure to buy VRM heatsinks for 290x

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doug_7506

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I recently picked up a used reference 290x off of ebay. While I was very impressed with the performance I was equally blown away by how loud that sucker was with fans on high to keep it from throttling.

So I went ahead and ordered me a NZXT Kraken G10 to replace a dwood bracket that didnt have a VRM fan mount.

While it quickly dropped temps and made my system whisper quiet, the VRM temps went through the roof without heatsinks. The problem mainly being that there are two VRMs on the 290x, one on the front of the card and one on the back. So you need to make sure you are cooling them. Look below to see how HOT the VRM on the front of the card got.

Here is what my temps were on STOCK with the Kraken G10:
dw2n1v.png


After looking. I came across these GELID heatsinks for the 290x. When I ordered them I could only find them from Frappa which is in China. Hopefully now theyll have them stateside.

Here are my temps after at stock:
6frprt.png


The heatsinks fit perfectly without an extra MM to spare between the VRM and VRM fan. There is no fan on the other VRM, but temps stay cool.

I wrote this up for everyone who was OK with not having VRM heatsinks in the past (this guy). Even with an OC'ed 7970 and 670 my VRM temps never approached 90C. With the 290x, it will easily get up and over 100C.

So be WARNED. If you put an AIO on a 290x, make sure you get some VRM heatsinks!
 
Your VRM temps were fine to begin with. This subject has been debated to death on these boards and other places.

Keep in mind that VRM temps during burn-in tests are not indicative of what you would see during gaming or other normal use.

What I'm saying is, you're worrying about nothing. And your thread title is highly misleading.
 
the VRM can get hotter than that because when you did that benchmark you were only doing 60fps on average due to 8xAA.

the more fps you allow the hotter the VRM will get.
 
crusty_juggler said:
Your VRM temps were fine to begin with. This subject has been debated to death on these boards and other places.

Keep in mind that VRM temps during burn-in tests are not indicative of what you would see during gaming or other normal use.

What I'm saying is, you're worrying about nothing. And your thread title is highly misleading.
Click to expand...

Valley is less intensive than some games. Furmark would be an an exceptionally intensive burn in test, not Valley lol.
 
TroyX said:
the VRM can get hotter than that because when you did that benchmark you were only doing 60fps on average due to 8xAA.

the more fps you allow the hotter the VRM will get.
Click to expand...

I've heard this before and I don't know if it has any basis in truth.
 
crusty_juggler said:
Your VRM temps were fine to begin with. This subject has been debated to death on these boards and other places.

Keep in mind that VRM temps during burn-in tests are not indicative of what you would see during gaming or other normal use.

What I'm saying is, you're worrying about nothing. And your thread title is highly misleading.
Click to expand...

I see very similar VRM temps in GW2 and other games.

Also AMD said that Hawaii chip was designed to run at close to 100C. They never said anything about the VRM being redesigned to withstand higher temps....

TroyX said:
the VRM can get hotter than that because when you did that benchmark you were only doing 60fps on average due to 8xAA.

the more fps you allow the hotter the VRM will get.
Click to expand...

Wow didnt know this but apparently this is true

Gumbi10 said:
I've heard this before and I don't know if it has any basis in truth.
Click to expand...

Ran a test same thing as before but with AA off. Obviouslt higher FPS but also higher temps....

29kpfzb.png
 
Those are pretty good results for such a tiny little heatsink.
Makes me feel better about video card manufacturers using similar ones.

Most non-ref boards come with separate heatsinks on the VRM's, so even if you remove the stock cooler and put a G10 on it, you'll still have the cooling.
That's assuming the G10 fits custom boards (it does, right?)...
 
Personally I would be okay with VRM temps up to 95-100C. Past that and you are risking things if you game extensively. I had a GTX280 that failed, the only video card I've ever had to RMA, and it regularly would heat the VRMs up to 115C.
 
I hit diminishing returns really quick with this card.

I think the max with extra voltage was 1150/1375. However, I was able to hit 1100/1300 with no extra voltage. So I just left it there. Max about on the core is 80C and the VRM about 85C. But this is with a very slow fan curve on a thin radiator.
 
While I'm in complete agreement for using VRM heatsinks, because cooler is better, 100°C is nothing to worry about.
 
doug i see you're using noctua fans, do you have them 7v or are you controlling them via a fan header or other software?
 
gigatexal said:
doug i see you're using noctua fans, do you have them 7v or are you controlling them via a fan header or other software?
Click to expand...

I have the two fans that are attached to the GPU radiator connected to the gpu via y-cable and vga fan adapter. Then I use a fan curve in afterburner for that.

The rest of the fans are also attached to the mobo via y-cables. From here im using speedfan to control them.

This allows me to keep my chassis + cpu fans at 40% (which for noctua fans are basically inaudible) and my gpu fans at 20%.
 
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wow gpu fans at 20% with temps only at 80C? my ambient noise conditions state I can get away with 40 - 45% rpm depending on the fan so I'm in good shape, sweet.

my bracket and VRM sinks show up tomorrow
 
gigatexal said:
wow gpu fans at 20% with temps only at 80C? my ambient noise conditions state I can get away with 40 - 45% rpm depending on the fan so I'm in good shape, sweet.

my bracket and VRM sinks show up tomorrow
Click to expand...

Haha, Should have clarified. That what they idle at. The 290x is a hot sucker. I hit 80 with 2x120mm @100%. But that radiator is thin. Even at 100% though, the Noctua max out at 19db.
 
at stock clocks? shit, going to need a fat boy radiator me thinks
 
gigatexal said:
at stock clocks? shit, going to need a fat boy radiator me thinks
Click to expand...

haha yeah. If you want to get low temps you are going to need more than an Antec 620 on it. I thought about swapping it out, but I want to do a full loop anyway, so I'm just going to save and do it.
 
doug_7506 said:
Haha, Should have clarified. That what they idle at. The 290x is a hot sucker. I hit 80 with 2x120mm @100%. But that radiator is thin. Even at 100% though, the Noctua max out at 19db.
Click to expand...
80c core load temps with a dual-120mm radiator with both fans at full speed? :eek:

That... doesn't sound right... I know the 290x is hot, but even so, that still doesn't sound right.
 
Unknown-One said:
80c core load temps with a dual-120mm radiator with both fans at full speed? :eek:

That... doesn't sound right... I know the 290x is hot, but even so, that still doesn't sound right.
Click to expand...

Antec 620 has a single thin 120mm radiator

35-209-049-05.jpg


by 2x120 I was referring to having 2 120mm fans in push pull.
 
doug_7506 said:
Antec 620 has a single thin 120mm radiator

by 2x120 I was referring to having 2 120mm fans in push pull.
Click to expand...

Even then... that seems high. I have an H55 with a single fan and am running my 290x at 1150/1350 for BF4 and I never break 65degrees. And that is using the single stock fan(quiet fan... not the static pressure fans found on my h100i).
 
Shyne151 said:
Even then... that seems high. I have an H55 with a single fan and am running my 290x at 1150/1350 for BF4 and I never break 65degrees
Click to expand...
This ^

I'm running an H55 on an overclocked GTX 780 (1300MHz core @ 1.2v), which also runs pretty warm, and I've never seen load temps exceed 60c (and that's without running the single 120mm fan anywhere near 100% speed).

A stock 290x should be putting out less heat than my card, so seeing a load temp of 80c (with more fans at higher speeds) makes me think the cooler might not be mounted correctly.
 
hmmm. This makes me think I need to reapply my TIM.

Did you guys have to use a copper shim? My 620 wasn't making good contact without a shim. So I used the shim from my 7970 on it.
 
You shouldn't need a shim unless you kept the factory front-plate on the card.

In my case, I opted to cut off the bits of the plate that got in the way instead of using a shim... if I hadn't done that, I would have had practically no core contact whatsoever.
 
Unknown-One said:
You shouldn't need a shim unless you kept the factory front-plate on the card.

In my case, I opted to cut off the bits of the plate that got in the way instead of using a shim... if I hadn't done that, I would have had practically no core contact whatsoever.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Looks like i'm going to be pulling it apart soon.
 
what is being cut? I don't think I have a shim unless it comes with the NZXT kit.
 
stock 74c 61c


1150 1350 93c 66c


i will rerun tonight when the vrm hs are on
 
So I also tried running the g10 with antec kuhler 620's (actually have a crossfire rig). I am curious as to your temps as on one card I was maxing up into the 90c causing throttling where as on the other card I was maybe topping out at around 55c using furmark. Anyway I think one of the antec kuhlers is shot as I switched the cooler to the other card and same results. Long story short minus the extra noise I am defiantly a fan of the Gelid Icy v2's with the vrm kit over the kraken g10's (better max temps 52c and zero throttling). Although maybe a shim would be useful? Maybe it also has to do with radiator placement in the case.
 
hmm all this talk of a shim is rather disconcerting. Does one obtain the shim from NZXT?
 
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still completely bullshit one needs to exist, i'm hoping my reference 290x doesn't need one
 
doug_7506 said:
hmmm. This makes me think I need to reapply my TIM.

Did you guys have to use a copper shim? My 620 wasn't making good contact without a shim. So I used the shim from my 7970 on it.
Click to expand...
Never use shims designed for an entirely different GPU, that's a fast track to breaking things.
 
anyone know where to get a cable for the 290x main 4 pin port? i'm hoping to power the AIOs fans with them?
 
gigatexal said:
anyone know where to get a cable for the 290x main 4 pin port? i'm hoping to power the AIOs fans with them?
Click to expand...

The pump needs 12v at all times... Unless you set the fanspeed to 100% and leave it like that on the card, I would just plug it into a chassis fan port on your mobo or your power supply.
 
trick0502 said:
stock 74c 61c


OC'ed1150 1350 93c 66c


i will rerun tonight when the vrm hs are on
Click to expand...

stock 61c 66c (vrm2 went up)

OC'ed 1150 1350 77c 72c (again vrm2 went up)

odd vrm2 went up with a cooler on it. I must not have mounted it correctly.
 
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