Wow this was a good troll, it went 25 posts deep and counting.

to overvolt you can use afterburner from msi, the latest beta added core voltage control. To unlock voltage control, your going to have to change some parameters in the config file. http://www.guru3d.com/news_story/download_msi_afterburner_3_beta_17.html

At the bottom of the comments on that page are the changes you might have to make in the config files. As for cooling, the stock is ok as long as you don't mind the noise. Also there is no guarantee that you'll get to 1200 on the core; to be honest 1150 is really damn good for stock voltages. It sounds like you have a really good piece of silicon, but pushing 1200-1300 is really going to take a water block. Even then no guarantees, you might just hit a wall at 1175 or 1200. Before you decide on crossfire or any multi gpu solution read the fixed section for the drivers for the past 5 driver versions. I say this because, the majority of driver fixes are for multi gpu and if the " we fixed x, y, and z" don't bother you or scare you off then go for it. Just remember that multiple gpu configs are always going to be more problematic and might not always yield the performance gains as advertised.

edit: airshocker and alot of people on this forum don't have a 290 or 290x and really don't know anything about the card or it's workings I would go to http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=739529. This thread is for owners of the 290/290x cards, it has tons of factual tested info on how to work with the cards. This thread and forum is your best bet on getting the most out of, what I consider a fantastic card, that 290.

"

It takes, Diff'rent Strokes.

It takes, Diff'rent Strokes to move the world.

source:

http://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/diffrentstrokeslyrics.html

post this over at overclockers.com with your system specs.

msi afterburner. Its riva tuner from back in the day, you can get it off Msi's website.

@horgen123: I've never had the dye buildup with fesser 1. I wouldn't say all dyes do this, ek red does unfortunately. Not all dyes are bad and I don't mind doing a little experimentation to find out. Plus it just looks so good. Any way my processor idles around 30 - 31 Celsius on the hottest core and hits 60-65 during prime95. The gpu idles @ 31 Celsius, it'll hit 38 during battlefield. I am a firm believer in air boxes and xspc radiators.

Pulled my old cpu block (dangerden m6) and found a cavity in it, must have had some impurities in the copper. So I replaced the M6 with a koolance 380I and replaced the 7950 with a 290x. The 290x got a Ek nickel full block and I decided to replace the fans, I still plan on making shrouds for the exposed UV cathodes. All in all I think I'm done for a while, I'm trying to talk some photography students into taking better shots. By the way if anyone plans on cooling with EK coolant red, don't. When I drained this system I found some buildup and it was not plasticizing, it was the dye building up all over the fins of the cpu block.

[QUOTE="FaustArp"]

Sorry for not keeping up, horgen (been on vacation and not web-surfing), but have you started your water-cooling project?  :question:

And if so, link me to any pictures I missed.  :)

horgen123

[QUOTE="horgen123"][QUOTE="skinntech"] It should be fine, the reason they are having you put down some thermal tape on the "inductors" is not to cool them, they just want to make sure that the copper of the waterblock does not come in contact with them and short the board out. The thermal tape they gave you with the Waterblock is non conductive so they just want you to cover the top of the Inductors with it just as a precaution and not as a heat dissipation. It is perfectly fine just do what the instructions say and everything will be ok. PernicioEnigma