XSPC 290X & 290 Razor Waterblock Review and Fitting Guide

Performance and Testing

The test set up consisted of the following

Intel i7 3960X 4.0GHz @ 1.25v Gigabyte X79 UD3 Corsair Vengeance LP Memory Corsair HX850 V2 Corsair Force GT 60GB Coolermaster Storm Trooper. 

Our aim here is not to review the performance of the R9 290 card, but to examine the affects that aftermarket cooling has on the temps.  To this end we’ve compared the figures received to those of the stock cooler and the MSI R9 290 Gaming, as well as other recently tested after market solutions.

With the Razor completing our testing process we think the graph below gives a clear indication of just how great an effect after market cooling solutions and in particular the XSPC Razor can have on a GPU.  The Razor keeps the previously toasty R9 290 down at just 27 degrees at rest (a full 10 degrees cooler than the stock solution) and even under full load only rises to a max of 40 degrees which, remembering that the CPU is also included in this loop is still an amazing 15 degrees cooler than the Kraken G10.  If you want further confirmation of this solutions potential it might be worth reflecting on how even under full load the R9 290 coupled with the Razor is only 3 degrees hotter than the stock cooler at rest!

Yes a full loop is going to cost you more, and yes it will take time and planning to put together, but the results speak for themselves.