• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Reference Radeon R9 290X Taken Apart

Random Murderer

The Anti-Midas
Joined
Dec 6, 2006
Messages
6,974 (1.10/day)
Location
Florida, A.K.A. the Sweatbox
System Name TOO MUCH RADIATOR! | The TV Box a.k.a. The Shoebox
Processor Core i7 4930K @ 4.5GHz | Core i5 6600K @ 4.5GHz
Motherboard Asus X79 Rampage IV Extreme | Asus Z170i Pro Gaming
Cooling Custom water on CPU and GPU, dual 360mm radiators | Corsair H80i
Memory 4x 8GB G.Skill TridentX DDR3-1600 | 2x 4GB G.Skill RipJaws 4 DDR4-3000
Video Card(s) Sapphire AMD R9 295x2 | PowerColor AMD HD7970
Storage Samsung SSD 830 256GB, various others | 2x 1TB Seagate Barracudas in RAID1
Display(s) Dell U2713HM 2560x1440 IPS | Panasonic TC-L32E5 1080p IPS TV
Case Thermaltake Suppressor F51 (stripped down to hold two radiators) | Cooler Master Elite 130
Audio Device(s) RM-DAC -> Xiang Sheng 708b -> Sennheiser HD650 | HDMI sound device on 7970
Power Supply LEPA G1600-MA 1600W | Corsair CX750M 750W
Software Win 10 64
Benchmark Scores over 9000 BungholioMarks, "Bitchin' Fast"
Those tapped holes you pointed out earlier, are for the brackets they use on GFX cards in mac's, Most GPU's have them ;)

Not just Macs. Server towers as well.
 
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
2,785 (0.61/day)
Location
New Zealand
System Name MoneySink
Processor 2600K @ 4.8
Motherboard P8Z77-V
Cooling AC NexXxos XT45 360, RayStorm, D5T+XSPC tank, Tygon R-3603, Bitspower
Memory 16GB Crucial Ballistix DDR3-1600C8
Video Card(s) GTX 780 SLI (EVGA SC ACX + Giga GHz Ed.)
Storage Kingston HyperX SSD (128) OS, WD RE4 (1TB), RE2 (1TB), Cav. Black (2 x 500GB), Red (4TB)
Display(s) Achieva Shimian QH270-IPSMS (2560x1440) S-IPS
Case NZXT Switch 810
Audio Device(s) onboard Realtek yawn edition
Power Supply Seasonic X-1050
Software Win8.1 Pro
Benchmark Scores 3.5 litres of Pale Ale in 18 minutes.
What are the screw holes for in the cover? Or is it just where the shroud screws have already been removed...
Support bracket mount. Usually seen on OEM and workstation rigs. Allows options for additional card support and sometimes PCI-E cable routing.
Here's a similar bracket attached to a GTX 690
 
Joined
Apr 4, 2008
Messages
4,686 (0.80/day)
System Name Obelisc
Processor i7 3770k @ 4.8 GHz
Motherboard Asus P8Z77-V
Cooling H110
Memory 16GB(4x4) @ 2400 MHz 9-11-11-31
Video Card(s) GTX 780 Ti
Storage 850 EVO 1TB, 2x 5TB Toshiba
Case T81
Audio Device(s) X-Fi Titanium HD
Power Supply EVGA 850 T2 80+ TITANIUM
Software Win10 64bit
I agree 100%. I'd love to replace my 7970 with a 290X,but if the card has coil whine , I don't care if it gives a bajillion FPS at super ultra very high settings at 25600000*16000000 resolution, I won't buy it. :shadedshu

Well you're screwed then. I bought into that Asus marketing about their silent coils, total bullshit. Every card whines and it's pretty damn annoying.
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
1,662 (0.34/day)
Location
State College, PA, US
System Name My Surround PC
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
Motherboard ASUS STRIX X670E-F
Cooling Swiftech MCP35X / EK Quantum CPU / Alphacool GPU / XSPC 480mm w/ Corsair Fans
Memory 64GB (2 x 32 GB) G.Skill DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim X 24GB
Storage WD SN850 2TB, 2 x 512GB Samsung PM981a, 4 x 4TB HGST NAS HDD for Windows Storage Spaces
Display(s) 2 x Viotek GFI27QXA 27" 4K 120Hz + LG UH850 4K 60Hz + HMD
Case NZXT Source 530
Audio Device(s) Sony MDR-7506 / Logitech Z-5500 5.1
Power Supply Corsair RM1000x 1 kW
Mouse Patriot Viper V560
Keyboard Corsair K100
VR HMD HP Reverb G2
Software Windows 11 Pro x64
Benchmark Scores Mellanox ConnectX-3 10 Gb/s Fiber Network Card
Ugh, AMD is still using a recessed core like Tahiti. So you can't use a universal cooler on a 290 series card, you have to buy a cooler that is made for a 290 and is compatible with nothing else. It doesn't matter for people who want to use full coverage water blocks, but it basically eliminates the use of aftermarket universal air and water coolers.
 
Joined
Oct 29, 2012
Messages
1,926 (0.46/day)
Location
UK
System Name TITAN Slayer / CPUCannon / MassFX
Processor i7 5960X @ 4.6Ghz / i7 3960x @5.0Ghz / FX6350 @ 4.?Ghz
Motherboard Rampage V Extreme / Rampage IV Extreme / MSI 970 Gaming
Cooling Phanteks PHTC14PE 2.5K 145mm TRs / Custom waterloop / Phanteks PHTC14PE + 3K 140mm Noctuas
Memory Crucial 2666 11-13-13-25 1.45V / G.skill RipjawsX 2400 10-12-12-34 1.7V / Crucial 2133 9-9-9-27 1.7V
Video Card(s) 3 Fury X in CF / R9 Fury 3840 cores 1145/570 1.3V / Nothing ATM
Storage 500GB Crucial SSD and 3TB WD Black / WD 1TB Black(OS) + WD 3TB Green / WD 1TB Blue
Display(s) LG 29UM67 80Hz/Asus mx299q 2560x1080 @ 84Hz / Asus VX239 1920x1080 @60hz
Case Dismatech easy v3.0 / Xigmatek Alfar (Open side panel)
Audio Device(s) M-audio M-track / realtek ALC 1150
Power Supply EVGA G2 1600W / CoolerMaster V1000 / Seasonic 620 M12-II
Mouse Mouse in review process/Razer Naga Epic 2011/Razer Naga 2014
Keyboard Keyboard in review process / Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2014/Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2011
Software Windows 7 Ultimate / Windows 7 ultimate / Windows 7 ultimate
Benchmark Scores cinebench 15.41 3960x @ 5.3ghz Wprime32m 3.352 3960x @ 5.25ghz Super PI 32m: 6m 42s 472ms @5.25ghz
Ugh, AMD is still using a recessed core like Tahiti. So you can't use a universal cooler on a 290 series card, you have to buy a cooler that is made for a 290 and is compatible with nothing else. It doesn't matter for people who want to use full coverage water blocks, but it basically eliminates the use of aftermarket universal air and water coolers.

EK sells copper shims specifically to solve this issue or you can always just remove the brace by using a knife.
 
Joined
Dec 16, 2010
Messages
1,662 (0.34/day)
Location
State College, PA, US
System Name My Surround PC
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
Motherboard ASUS STRIX X670E-F
Cooling Swiftech MCP35X / EK Quantum CPU / Alphacool GPU / XSPC 480mm w/ Corsair Fans
Memory 64GB (2 x 32 GB) G.Skill DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) MSI NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim X 24GB
Storage WD SN850 2TB, 2 x 512GB Samsung PM981a, 4 x 4TB HGST NAS HDD for Windows Storage Spaces
Display(s) 2 x Viotek GFI27QXA 27" 4K 120Hz + LG UH850 4K 60Hz + HMD
Case NZXT Source 530
Audio Device(s) Sony MDR-7506 / Logitech Z-5500 5.1
Power Supply Corsair RM1000x 1 kW
Mouse Patriot Viper V560
Keyboard Corsair K100
VR HMD HP Reverb G2
Software Windows 11 Pro x64
Benchmark Scores Mellanox ConnectX-3 10 Gb/s Fiber Network Card
EK sells copper shims specifically to solve this issue or you can always just remove the brace by using a knife.

I use a shim in my 7970s, but it's far from a good solution thermally and it's extremely difficult to apply properly.

It's very difficult to keep the shim centered on the core while screwing down the heatsink; the shim wants to move as the thermal paste spreads, and it also moves if you need to shift the heatsink slightly to align with the mounting holes. The shim is only slightly smaller than the brace's opening, so if you are off even a little bit the side of the shim ends up on top of the brace and you end up with a thick paste layer on one side between the core and the shim. It took me about 4 or 5 tries before I got it right the first time I tried it; I'm still not perfect, but I've done it enough times that I'd estimate on any try I have a 50% chance of getting it right now.

The shim adds about 5-10°C over a solution with no shim, but if you don't apply the shim properly (and it ends up slightly overlapping the brace) you can add another 10°C to that. Part of the frustration is that if you applied the shim improperly and it slightly overlaps the brace it's not like the card won't work; it will just run a bit hotter, which makes it hard to tell when you've applied it properly. I'm not that inclined to remove the brace to avoid invalidating the warranty, although that's probably a good solution once the warranty expires.

The shape of the core on the 290 is different, so you need different shims; it might take a while for those to be released.
 
Last edited:

Random Murderer

The Anti-Midas
Joined
Dec 6, 2006
Messages
6,974 (1.10/day)
Location
Florida, A.K.A. the Sweatbox
System Name TOO MUCH RADIATOR! | The TV Box a.k.a. The Shoebox
Processor Core i7 4930K @ 4.5GHz | Core i5 6600K @ 4.5GHz
Motherboard Asus X79 Rampage IV Extreme | Asus Z170i Pro Gaming
Cooling Custom water on CPU and GPU, dual 360mm radiators | Corsair H80i
Memory 4x 8GB G.Skill TridentX DDR3-1600 | 2x 4GB G.Skill RipJaws 4 DDR4-3000
Video Card(s) Sapphire AMD R9 295x2 | PowerColor AMD HD7970
Storage Samsung SSD 830 256GB, various others | 2x 1TB Seagate Barracudas in RAID1
Display(s) Dell U2713HM 2560x1440 IPS | Panasonic TC-L32E5 1080p IPS TV
Case Thermaltake Suppressor F51 (stripped down to hold two radiators) | Cooler Master Elite 130
Audio Device(s) RM-DAC -> Xiang Sheng 708b -> Sennheiser HD650 | HDMI sound device on 7970
Power Supply LEPA G1600-MA 1600W | Corsair CX750M 750W
Software Win 10 64
Benchmark Scores over 9000 BungholioMarks, "Bitchin' Fast"
Anyone else notice the top of the display port connector says "1337"?
 
Joined
Sep 15, 2007
Messages
3,943 (0.65/day)
Location
Police/Nanny State of America
Processor OCed 5800X3D
Motherboard Asucks C6H
Cooling Air
Memory 32GB
Video Card(s) OCed 6800XT
Storage NVMees
Display(s) 32" Dull curved 1440
Case Freebie glass idk
Audio Device(s) Sennheiser
Power Supply Don't even remember
Joined
Sep 28, 2012
Messages
963 (0.23/day)
System Name Poor Man's PC
Processor AMD Ryzen 5 7500F
Motherboard MSI B650M Mortar WiFi
Cooling ID Cooling SE 206 XT
Memory 32GB GSkill Flare X5 DDR5 6000Mhz
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse RX 6800 XT
Storage XPG Gammix S70 Blade 2TB + 8 TB WD Ultrastar DC HC320
Display(s) Mi Gaming Curved 3440x1440 144Hz
Case Cougar MG120-G
Audio Device(s) MPow Air Wireless + Mi Soundbar
Power Supply Enermax Revolution DF 650W Gold
Mouse Logitech MX Anywhere 3
Keyboard Logitech Pro X + Kailh box heavy pale blue switch + Durock stabilizers
VR HMD Meta Quest 2
Benchmark Scores Who need bench when everything already fast?
Agreed. Coil whine doesn't bother me as long as the hardware works. My case fans drown out the whine anyway, and even if they didn't, I game with headphones on.
Luckily, only one of my 7970s has coil whine and it's the worst ASIC and overclocker of the three.

Nicely put coil whine is suppose to be faulty product not a design fail :toast:

I use a shim in my 7970s, but it's far from a good solution thermally and it's extremely difficult to apply properly.

You might to try my trick.I'm using copper pad copper shim to deal with gap between GPU die and XSPC rasa universal gpu waterblock.It works better than Ek one :toast:
 
Joined
Feb 18, 2005
Messages
5,239 (0.75/day)
Location
Ikenai borderline!
System Name Firelance.
Processor Threadripper 3960X
Motherboard ROG Strix TRX40-E Gaming
Cooling IceGem 360 + 6x Arctic Cooling P12
Memory 8x 16GB Patriot Viper DDR4-3200 CL16
Video Card(s) MSI GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Ventus 2X OC
Storage 2TB WD SN850X (boot), 4TB Crucial P3 (data)
Display(s) 3x AOC Q32E2N (32" 2560x1440 75Hz)
Case Enthoo Pro II Server Edition (Closed Panel) + 6 fans
Power Supply Fractal Design Ion+ 2 Platinum 760W
Mouse Logitech G602
Keyboard Logitech G613
Software Windows 10 Professional x64
Just like the $1000 Titan.

Fair enough, I didn't realise the Titan and 780 don't come with backplates. Disappointing considering their cost, and how much a small sheet of metal costs.
 
Joined
Sep 15, 2011
Messages
6,443 (1.41/day)
Processor Intel® Core™ i7-13700K
Motherboard Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite AX
Cooling Noctua NH-D15
Memory 32GB(2x16) DDR5@6600MHz G-Skill Trident Z5
Video Card(s) ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3080 AMP Holo
Storage 2TB SK Platinum P41 SSD + 4TB SanDisk Ultra SSD + 500GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD
Display(s) Acer Predator X34 3440x1440@100Hz G-Sync
Case NZXT PHANTOM410-BK
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi Titanium PCIe
Power Supply Corsair 850W
Mouse Logitech Hero G502 SE
Software Windows 11 Pro - 64bit
Benchmark Scores 30FPS in NFS:Rivals
When is the launch of 290x ?
 
Joined
May 24, 2007
Messages
1,101 (0.18/day)
Location
Florida
System Name Blackwidow/
Processor Ryzen 5950x / Threadripper 3960x
Motherboard Asus x570 Crosshair viii impact/ Asus Zenith ii Extreme
Cooling Ek 240Aio/Custom watercooling
Memory 32gb ddr4 3600MHZ Crucial Ballistix / 32gb ddr4 3600MHZ G.Skill TridentZ Royal
Video Card(s) MSI RX 6900xt/ XFX 6800xt
Storage WD SN850 1TB boot / Samsung 970 evo+ 1tb boot, 6tb WD SN750
Display(s) Sony A80J / Dual LG 27gl850
Case Cooler Master NR200P/ 011 Dynamic XL
Audio Device(s) On board/ Soundblaster ZXR
Power Supply Corsair SF750w/ Seasonic Prime Titanium 1000w
Mouse Razer Viper Ultimate wireless/ Logitech G Pro X Superlight
Keyboard Logitech G915 TKL/ Logitech G915 Wireless
Software Win 10 Pro
Top