R9 290 Multi-Monitor Idle Really Really Bad

[SlowSpyder]

Just a quick question, why would I care if my GPU idled at 70C as long as the fan is quiet and I had plenty of cooling capacity in reserve for when my GPU is under load?

I get the power consumption thing completely, however. My machine typically spends more time browsing, listening to music, watching Youtube/Netflix, etc. than gaming (though I still try and get plenty of that in, too) these days. So if I had more than one monitor, that power use could certainly add up since I keep my machine on hour hours at a time.

 

[Bateluer]

Can't believe it really takes 50W extra to display to a second screen, being as any old integrated graphics can do 2 screens and take < 10W, probably < 5W.

The Intel IGP in my old Sandy i5, the HD2000, couldn't drive one of my 1440p panels. Haven't tried with the Haswell IGP.

Just a quick question, why would I care if my GPU idled at 70C as long as the fan is quiet and I had plenty of cooling capacity in reserve for when my GPU is under load?

Heat is the bane of integrated circuits, and running at 70C will likely effect the lifespan of the card. For now, it seems fine, but I'd be concerned about what the long term effects are.

And my 290X is idling at 70C now, in November, when the ambient temperature in my house is a chilly 76F. I'll be installing that Extreme III cooler this weekend because I don't want to find out how it handles the warmer 85F I set my AC to in the summer.

 

[Enigmoid]

Laptops uses a mobile lower energy version, at higher cost.

Are there different implementations? Its the same speed and nvidia Vram can be OC/ed very high.

My laptop. 6300 mhz on the vram. From 5000 mhz stock. With a GPU OC.

Nvidia uses the same Vram as it does for its desktop cards.

System power draw is under 85W.

Edit: It appears the the vram is overheating once a CPU load is applied. y580 has both GPU and CPU on the same cooling fan. Max VRAM OC with CPU load in game is +1100 on vram.

 

[looncraz]

Something AMD needs to work on..

I know this is an old thread, but this whole discussion begs for someone to provide the answer:

I've run dual monitors for years with AMD. The fix is incredibly simple.

My R9 290 powering two 1080p monitors @ 60hz each runs at 350/150 and draws 14W of power at idle @ 39C and 27% fan speeds...

My previous card - a 7870XT ran at the exact same clocks, but pulled two watts less at idle and ran a degree cooler.

You don't need special software, you just edit the profile for the catalyst driver:

1. Set "Show hidden files, folders, and drives" in Explorer "Folder Options"
2. Open folder: C:\users\[your username]\AppData\Local\ATI\ACE
3. Edit "Profiles.xml"
4. Find "want_"
You should find something like this for EACH card you've had installed:

<Feature name="CoreClockTarget ... ">
<Property name="Want_0" value="30000" />
<Property name="Want_1" value="97500" />
</Feature>

Set your values to match mine (at least for Want_0, which is 2d core clock).

In this same area you'll find more Want_0 entries, corresponding to core voltage and memory speed.

The MemoryClockTarget should never be below 15000. You can set, with the newer drivers and the R9 series at least, a CoreClockTarget of 0, and it will self regulate, trying for the floor (which is, also, 300MHz).

However, one important matter: if you have mismatched refresh rates at the desktop, you're doing it wrong. I set my refresh rates to 60hz for both monitors on the desktop and have my game profiles use my max refresh (which exclusive full screen games will usually do anyway, in my experience).

Good luck!

 

[VirtualLarry]

So the card wants to be at 90C while idle. Either you didn't read his post or you don't know what you're talking about. A GPU should not be 90C when it is idle, give me a break.

Never owned a Radeon HD4850 single-slot reference card, I see... 86C... idle!

 

[Silverforce11]

AMD reference fan curve is very mild, it doesn't ramp the fan up until >80C and it ramps very slowly until it hits 90C. We all know how lame the reference design is though.

They also do have a problem with high idle ram clocks on multi-monitor, its been like that since the 5800 series. Hopefully the next GCN will remedy this.

 

[digitaldurandal]

With the GTX680 I could do all of this off of it. Now the 7850 only supports two monitors. When I use the iGP I get an unstable system whether I OC or not. But again if it works for you AWESOME!

Your 7850 only supports two monitors? My 5870 supported 3? Is it a custom card missing the DP?

 

[fleshconsumed]

Yes, old thread. I run two monitors on my 290, one through DVI and one through DP. I don't see high memory clocks. I don't remember what they're off hand, I think around 300MHz? Definitely not 1250.

 

[digitaldurandal]

I am running 3 monitors with 2 290s and mine is mostly at 150 but does jump to 1250 for a second every few seconds. I am idling at 37*c with MSI 290 Gamings, 18% fan speed.