*Official Benchmark Thread* - Post it here or it didn't happen :D

[electrosoft]

4 hours ago, tps3443 said:

So far, the Lian Li 1200W Edge Gold is holding up great. 12v rail never drops below 12v EVER with the RTX5090FE.  Three runs with Steel Nomad.  Memory is at +3,000 on my 5090. 

I also want to touch on memory temps. Because I think the memory temps are really good with the Dinky FE model. Even overclocked, and auto fan, it stays at 80c or less during long term gaming inside a closed case. If you run the memory stock it will run at 72-74c. 

I'm sure the big AIB cards may do better than this, but its not an issue on the dinky FE model. 🙂



 

 

I'm not doing backflips over its performance or the fact if you let it run full tilt it will heat up real quick to try to sustain 3.1ghz+

 

I do love the form factor though. Visions of SFF builds dance through my head. To me, that is its primary strength. It fails everywhere else but that compact, elegant design is awesome IMHO. 🙂

 

 

[Papusan]

56 minutes ago, electrosoft said:

And yet we all bought the overpriced editions to get that little bit of ooomph!!! You too @Papusan...... 🤣

 

FE = Suprim = Astral to me in regards to desire regardless of price

 

Hmmm. You don't find any FE cards here home. 

 

And at that time you didn't know if you could cross-flash firmware for the FE. Not even sure you can do it now.

 

Hmmm. Some really  want that FE cards.

 

56 minutes ago, electrosoft said:

At a certain point, it isn't about cost. It is about getting a model you want based upon your criteria.

 

I didn't have many choices. No HOF and I don't like MSI or Gigabyte. I could of course get the Palit cards. But sadly it cost close to Astral. Why buy cards you don't like in middle price specter? Neither fish or bird. Then we have what is available of cards. Not many brand's SKUs in the shops here. And the few, they are all gone after 1-2 minutes. In the beginning right after launch... Gone after 30 sec. That have improved massively since launch... From 30sec to 1-2 minutes before empthy😬

[tps3443]

During launch day I was open to just about any 5090 honestly, I’m not too picky lately. I think it’s just the model we happen upon or end up with. And we like it because it’s ours and we can only appreciate the features or experience of that particular model compared to prior experiences. If I had another 5090 like a Ventus 5090 or PNY 5090, I’m sure I could find some positives to speak on with those too, just like many other models. No doubt some models may completely suck. But most are probably fine and get the job done. 

[Papusan]

1 hour ago, tps3443 said:

During launch day I was open to just about any 5090 honestly, I’m not too picky lately. I think it’s just the model we happen upon or end up with. And we like it because it’s ours and we can only appreciate the features or experience of that particular model compared to prior experiences. If I had another 5090 like a Ventus 5090 or PNY 5090, I’m sure I could find some positives to speak on with those too, just like many other models. No doubt some models may completely suck. But most are probably fine and get the job done. 

 

Near or as close to real Nvidia MSRP it doesn't really matter what you get. But many prefer the FE models for it's looks and the small form factor. If you go after so called premium cards and the price gap isn't huge between the different models (they all cost +$500 above MSRP) then you should be more picky what you pay for. I have more difficulty to accept get graphics cards that is way overpriced and still don't offer much value above the MSRP cards. Pay lets say $2800 for a cards that should be closer to Nvidia's MSRP isn't my way to do so. If you remember the 4090 series... FE cards got 600W vbios while more expensive mid priced 4090 cards come with castrated firmware. You just can't rely on that nvidia will give you the chance to cross-flash firmware. Especially important have in mind on day one purchase after launch. Because you just can't trust Nvidia or AMD. 

[jaybee83]

8 hours ago, electrosoft said:

 

And yet we all bought the overpriced editions to get that little bit of ooomph!!! You too @Papusan...... 🤣

 

At a certain point, it isn't about cost. It is about getting a model you want based upon your criteria.

 

FE = Suprim = Astral to me in regards to desire regardless of price.

 

 

 

This. Doesnt matter if i spend 2k or 3k for a 5090, at those price points its all the same: i better get what i actually WANT, otherwise might as well set fire to those bills and call it a day 😋😄

 

aight boiz, currently finishing up my last bench, then its time for the GPU transplant 😎

[electrosoft]

13 hours ago, Papusan said:

 

Hmmm. You don't find any FE cards here home. 

 

And at that time you didn't know if you could cross-flash firmware for the FE. Not even sure you can do it now.

 

Hmmm. Some really  want that FE cards.

 

 

I didn't have many choices. No HOF and I don't like MSI or Gigabyte. I could of course get the Palit cards. But sadly it cost close to Astral. Why buy cards you don't like in middle price specter? Neither fish or bird. Then we have what is available of cards. Not many brand's SKUs in the shops here. And the few, they are all gone after 1-2 minutes. In the beginning right after launch... Gone after 30 sec. That have improved massively since launch... From 30sec to 1-2 minutes before empthy😬

 

I mean that's a 5080 FE for 5080 Astral trade but the 5080 FE owner will only do a straight trade? LOL, FE isn't that great. It would have to be +$600 for a 5080 FE to Astral trade or +1450 for a 5090 FE to 5090 Astral trade. MSRP for MSRP and the difference. That buyer of the 5080 Astral clearly doesn't want it because he also wants to do SFF builds.

 

But if you're into SFF builds, I can see the FE being the perfect card albeit there are SFF 5080 AIB editions out there and I am sure 5090 AIB editions will be coming too. But sitting here holding this 5080 FE it is dense (not light at all) but the 5080/5090 FE form factor is so slick. Like I said, the strength of the FE editions is price and size and that's it. After that, everything is in the AIBs favor across the board.

 

Having traveled a few times with SFF builds last year, laptops are just so much easier but a lot louder when gaming/under load vs a properly built SFF.

 

My criteria since the jump has been the three models FE, Suprim, Astral and that will never change. 4090 was FE and Suprim Liquid but I've moved on from Liquid models because they are just a pain to swap in and out for testing systems.

 

FE = Size and price

Suprim (before price hike) = strikes medium pricing and has good build quality and like MSI

Astral = most expensive but best overall design with all the bells and whistles

 

What overrides ALL of this is coil whine and electronics noise. Bad noise/coil whine = immediate return/resell.

 

The fact I can run the Astral at 3100-3200mhz just by pushing the sliders up to max (+328, +2000) with no PL or volt increase and the fans never break 50%, temps never go over 66 in GPU Tweak 3 is just sick for D2D use.

 

I suspect the Suprim will be able to do the same easily.

 

No HOF and the fact you don't like MSI or Gigabutt and no access to FE (dunno if you would want one though) really limits your choices.

 

Did you specifically want the Astral LC over the Air or were you fine with whatever one was available?

 

12 hours ago, tps3443 said:

During launch day I was open to just about any 5090 honestly, I’m not too picky lately. I think it’s just the model we happen upon or end up with. And we like it because it’s ours and we can only appreciate the features or experience of that particular model compared to prior experiences. If I had another 5090 like a Ventus 5090 or PNY 5090, I’m sure I could find some positives to speak on with those too, just like many other models. No doubt some models may completely suck. But most are probably fine and get the job done. 

 

lol, that is the mentality of most enthusiasts on launch actually. They will take whatever 5090/4090 presented itself. I know you're cheering up your FE, but if given a choice among models, would it have been the FE?

 

I know on launch, I queued up for the FE (both 5080/5090) and at B&H I wait listed myself for the Astral and threw in a Gigabyte because of the launch price at the time ($1999 or $2199 can't recall) and queued up for the Suprim the next week or so when it officially launched and that was it. Every other model I didn't even consider because if it became available I wouldn't buy it.

 

Over the last few months, I had access to PNY and TUF (x2) and passed on them because I flat out didn't want them. I also had access to the 5090 Astral LC (x2) and passed on it because I didn't want it.

 

5 hours ago, jaybee83 said:

 

This. Doesnt matter if i spend 2k or 3k for a 5090, at those price points its all the same: i better get what i actually WANT, otherwise might as well set fire to those bills and call it a day 😋😄

 

aight boiz, currently finishing up my last bench, then its time for the GPU transplant 😎

 

 

Yup, for these price points, I know what I want and will pay for. I can't imagine dropping thousands on a model I don't want simply because it was available but I can understand those who do.

 

Ok now! Let's get it crackin'!

 

 

[Mr. Fox]

On 4/12/2025 at 8:52 AM, johnksss said:

How much are you selling the Mora Radiator for?

Sorry for the delayed text message. Had a busy weekend. I know you are busy with work, so just reply to the text when it is convenient. No rush.

17 hours ago, Papusan said:

Close to $1500 USD extra doesn't bring much extra. Only a much deeper hole in your wallet. And the cheapo sag bracket and the kids ruler with golden paint that come in the Asus box give you zero value.  

 

There is no real value in the AIB cards except for the fact that they are not the inferior FE design with separate parts cobbled together with cables like a stinking turdbook. The FE doesn't look bad and the form factor is useful for small builds, but I really despise the way the card is put together. Whatever person or group designed it as they did were taking some kind of scary drugs. It's quite the abortion. Everything is gimped, so even the expensive AIB cards are not offering anything in terms of performance. Even if they did offer enhanced performance, the difference is not in scale with the added cost.

---

So, I made some hard decisions this weekend. Not only getting rid of external cooling loops and going down to just two desktops (primarly because of lack of space and my growing sense of claustrophobia the congested workspace is causing), but I also cancelled the X870E Apex order. The more I have compared differences between the all of the AM5 boards I have or did have (X670E Gene, X870E Carbon, X870E Taichi and B850 AORUS Elite) the more it seems like there is little or no differences in performance or overclocking potential. The CPU runs like the CPU is going to run and it doesn't care what motherboard it is installed in. Ryzen is a solid product, but limited by design and having a more robust motherboard makes hardly any difference in CPU overclocking, and minimal difference in RAM overclocking. This is in stark contrast to Intel, where it really does seem to make a big difference having a better motherboard.

 

So, the B850 board got a 9600X dropped in it yesterday with some cheap G.SKILL Flare DDR5-6000 (Samsung IC) I had in my spare parts and the GTX 1080 Strix. It is going to my grand daughters. It runs like a top. With the EK Nucleus AIO it maxed out at like 71°C in Cinebench with PBO 200 offset and CO 25 and a -0.050V vCore offset and maximum vdroop enabled. Like 1.075V on vCore under full title load. They will be in heaven with the upgrade over the X79/RX 580 build I gave to them not long ago. Plus, now they will both be able to play with their friends online at the same time. They will just have to fight over who uses the better rig, LOL.

 

I ordered an X870E AORUS Master because: (1) it has asychronous BCLK like the better A$$zeus motherboards that cost a WHOLE LOT more than the Master, and (2) it is the only logical option for PCIe bifurcation out of all of the models that exist. The only better option is the Godlike, but its ungodly price is just absurd and unacceptable. ALL (100%) of the A$$zeus ROG boards are totally effed up. I can fill all three of the PCIe X16 slots withoutout the GPU slot getting cut to X8. You cannot do that with A$$zeus crap boards because the engineers of the ROG boards were drunk or taking mind-altering drugs at the time they designed them. The two extra X16 slots on the AORUS Master are run off of the two chipsets and have no effect on the CPU lanes feeding the GPU. The middle X16 slot is PCIe 4.0 X4 and the bottom X16 slot is PCIe 3.0 X4. This is how ASUS should have done it. It's a shame how they botched thing up on all X870E boards. Idiots.

 

I will be building using the Master in the O11D XL EVO case with the new radiators I purchased. It will have the 4090 Suprim and liquid cooled RAM. The Gene will stay in the Antec C8 and will host the air-cooled 9070 XT.

 

As as side note, I have a bad feeling about the X870E Apex. Its launch has been pushed out multiple times (at least three times, maybe more) and the $800 pre-order price probably would not be honored even if and when it eventually is released. It was already not worth $800. Factor in the screwed up PCIe bifurcation and it's just not a good product and not worth owning IMHO. The PCIe bifurcation issues it has make it unacceptable. I also do not like the GPU release idea on the new A$$zeus boards. The release button is better, even if they managed to fix the GPU contact finger damage the original design was causing. I saw it listed for $1,999 USD on the US A$$zeus web store. They can shove that up their tailpipe and break it off. That's about $1,200 more than I would pay for it. Kiss my butt ROG scumbags.

[jaybee83]

5090 installed and purring smooooooooooothly 🙂

 

first up: all ROPs present and PCIe 5.0 x16 working as intended, PHEW! dont worry about the clocks, fiddling around with powersaving profile for simple desktop usage.

 

 

next up: Id never thought Id see the day where my Suprim 4090 seems SMALL, THIN AND LIGHT 😄 check out these CHONKERS! 5090 always on top

 

 

I really wish they wouldve sticked with the three slot backplate... why would anyone do a dual backplate on a 4+ slot brock of a gpu?!?! 🥸

 

anyways, time for some stock benches to get a baseline vs. my oced 4090!

[Mr. Fox]

1 minute ago, jaybee83 said:

5090 installed and purring smooooooooooothly 🙂

 

first up: all ROPs present and PCIe 5.0 x16 working as intended, PHEW! dont worry about the clocks, fiddling around with powersaving profile for simple desktop usage.

 

 

next up: Id never thought Id see the day where my Suprim 4090 seems SMALL, THING AND LIGHT 😄 check out these CHONKERS! 5090 always on top

 

 

I really wish they wouldve sticked with the three slot backplate... why would anyone do a dual backplate on a 4+ slot brock of a gpu?!?! 🥸

 

anyways, time for some stock benches to get a baseline vs. my oced 4090!

Beautiful GPU. Looks like a Suprim is supposed to look. Congrats, Brother @jaybee83

[jaybee83]

1 hour ago, Mr. Fox said:

Beautiful GPU. Looks like a Suprim is supposed to look. Congrats, Brother @jaybee83

 

im sure you and bro @Papusan will also absolutely LOVE the RGB puke 🤣

 

 

but yes i agree, love the simple look with those elegant angles.

[tps3443]

41 minutes ago, electrosoft said:

 

I mean that's a 5080 FE for 5080 Astral trade but the 5080 FE owner will only do a straight trade? LOL, FE isn't that great. It would have to be +$600 for a 5080 FE to Astral trade or +1450 for a 5090 FE to 5090 Astral trade. MSRP for MSRP and the difference. That buyer of the 5080 Astral clearly doesn't want it because he also wants to do SFF builds.

 

But if you're into SFF builds, I can see the FE being the perfect card albeit there are SFF 5080 AIB editions out there and I am sure 5090 AIB editions will be coming too. But sitting here holding this 5080 FE it is dense (not light at all) but the 5080/5090 FE form factor is so slick. Like I said, the strength of the FE editions is price and size and that's it. After that, everything is in the AIBs favor across the board.

 

Having traveled a few times with SFF builds last year, laptops are just so much easier but a lot louder when gaming/under load vs a properly built SFF.

 

My criteria since the jump has been the three models FE, Suprim, Astral and that will never change. 4090 was FE and Suprim Liquid but I've moved on from Liquid models because they are just a pain to swap in and out for testing systems.

 

FE = Size and price

Suprim (before price hike) = strikes medium pricing and has good build quality and like MSI

Astral = most expensive but best overall design with all the bells and whistles

 

What overrides ALL of this is coil whine and electronics noise. Bad noise/coil whine = immediate return/resell.

 

The fact I can run the Astral at 3100-3200mhz just by pushing the sliders up to max (+328, +2000) with no PL or volt increase and the fans never break 50%, temps never go over 66 in GPU Tweak 3 is just sick for D2D use.

 

I suspect the Suprim will be able to do the same easily.

 

No HOF and the fact you don't like MSI or Gigabutt and no access to FE (dunno if you would want one though) really limits your choices.

 

Did you specifically want the Astral LC over the Air or were you fine with whatever one was available?

 

 

lol, that is the mentality of most enthusiasts on launch actually. They will take whatever 5090/4090 presented itself. I know you're cheering up your FE, but if given a choice among models, would it have been the FE?

 

I know on launch, I queued up for the FE (both 5080/5090) and at B&H I wait listed myself for the Astral and threw in a Gigabyte because of the launch price at the time ($1999 or $2199 can't recall) and queued up for the Suprim the next week or so when it officially launched and that was it. Every other model I didn't even consider because if it became available I wouldn't buy it.

 

Over the last few months, I had access to PNY and TUF (x2) and passed on them because I flat out didn't want them. I also had access to the 5090 Astral LC (x2) and passed on it because I didn't want it.

 

 

 

Yup, for these price points, I know what I want and will pay for. I can't imagine dropping thousands on a model I don't want simply because it was available but I can understand those who do.

 

Ok now! Let's get it crackin'!

 

 

I am completely happy with the FE model. To be honest I really did not want a FE originally. If I could have had my choice it was a Suprim, MSI Vanguard, or Gigabyte Gaming OC, Aorus Waterforce WB, maybe something like that. The only thing appealing about the FE was the price, so it was considered as a back up last resort, I did not want the dinky cooler. But now that I own one, I really like it and it grew on me fast. Some of the main concerns kept me from wanting one 100% originally. High memory temps, I wondered if the liquid metal was done correctly and stuff like that if I was gonna have to re-do the liquid metal, I worried about issues with the PCIe connector being modular, I worried about noise and high temps. After you ordered your Astral I thought man I could sell my 5090FE and get an Astral too lol. But, then I started to love the GPU for what it was engineering and all. I think it's a genius design, none of my original concerns were real problems. Overclocks really aren't all that much worse. If you're running 3,100 to 3,200. I am running 3,030-3,130 with the typical +3,000 memory (Depending on the title). But I am finding that overclocking seems to be silly. I do not feel a difference. It's like going from a gazillion fps to a gazillion and 1 fps. Overclocking the 4090 was a little more useful, because that card was 450w bios. So, bumping it up to the 600w bios helped a lot in 4K. But I think as a whole the card just works. I am not forcing myself to like it. I just like it! I am content with it. In this hobby it's easy to see something else and lust for it until you break down and get it lol. So, I'm not doing any of that, so I'm 100% glad about that. 🤣 As of right now, I am not interested in trying any other 5090's. I might water block this one. But mainly just because I want my whole build to be custom loop+ hard line tubing and finished. But I might not, I think since the card stays quiet and does the job well. I might just leave the thing on air cooling. I've eased up a lot on the whole extreme overclocking. 

[Mr. Fox]

1 hour ago, tps3443 said:

I've eased up a lot on the whole extreme overclocking. 

The newest CPUs and GPUs don't really contribute as much to that passion as they used to. In some ways we are going backwards. Stock performance is better than ever and overclocking about as lackluster as I have ever seen. There's no joy in that for overclocking enthusiasts and not much of a reason to purchase products that are made that way.

[Papusan]

2 hours ago, jaybee83 said:

 

I really wish they wouldve sticked with the three slot backplate... why would anyone do a dual backplate on a 4+ slot brock of a gpu?!?! 🥸

 

anyways, time for some stock benches to get a baseline vs. my oced 4090!

 

I really like that MSI was smart enough to get rid of the cut-out for the GPU on the backplate. Maybe new engineers? Asus couldn't  afford do the same... If they did  they had to use a small piece of thermal pad above the GPU spot. Aka Asus saved 3 cents going with the cut-out backplate design. And congrats on a working card 🙂

 

3 hours ago, electrosoft said:

Did you specifically want the Astral LC over the Air or were you fine with whatever one was available?

 

I put notification for both Astral OC models. And i got the LC model due me had the chance within the 30 sec time window. Just a coincidence that it became this card.

 

Happy with the pricing here?

NVIDIA RTX 5060 Ti $379/429 MSRP may be right, but GPU stock might be awful and prices inflated

 

2 hours ago, Mr. Fox said:

I ordered an X870E AORUS Master because: (1) it has asychronous BCLK like the better A$$zeus motherboards that cost a WHOLE LOT more than the Master

 

Look at this... Only $1400. This is on level with Nvidia's perversity. Disgusting.

 

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-officially-announces-rog-crosshair-x870e-extreme-motherboard-costs-1400-in-china

 

 

 

 

[Mr. Fox]

7 minutes ago, Papusan said:

Look at this... Only $1400. This is on level with Nvidia's perversity. Disgusting.

 

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-officially-announces-rog-crosshair-x870e-extreme-motherboard-costs-1400-in-china

Totally absurd. And, I would bet that it won't overclock the CPU or RAM any better than a B850 board or a cheap X870 does. So, what is a person paying for? Something filled with worthless gimmicks that simply takes up extra space because it is larger than necessary? It makes no sense whatsoever in terms of performance or function. Just a place to foolishly spend money for nothing meaningful in return. Unless one finds value in demonstrating their lack of financial inteliigence to everyone that knows how much they spent on it. "Wheee, look at me! I love to spend lots of money on parts that work the same as the cheaps ones. I'm so special. Mama even said so."

[Papusan]

9 minutes ago, Mr. Fox said:

Totally absurd. And, I would bet that it won't overclock the CPU or RAM any better than a B850 board or a cheap X870 does. So, what is a person paying for? Something filled with worthless gimmicks that takes up extra space? Makes no sense whatsoever in terms of performance or function.

 

Already at $600 USD you have crossed the line for proper pricing for a high end boards. Everything above this is the greed tax. Remember you can still buy lower end boards below $200. $600 should be max. And even that is an awful price to pay for play.

 

I'm sure Asus charge +$100 for the so called innovative 3D Vapor Chamber heatsink for M.2 SSDs

[Mr. Fox]

22 minutes ago, Papusan said:

 

Already at $600 USD you have crossed the line for proper pricing for a high end boards. Everything above this is the greed tax. Remember you can still buy lower end boards below $200. $600 should be max. And even that is an awful price to pay for play.

 

I'm sure Asus charge +$100 for the so called innovative 3D Vapor Chamber heatsink for M.2 SSDs

I agree 100%. That's why I made that choice. Some features are valuable, but there is no reason for a $800, $1000 or more expensive motherboard to exist if it doesn't offer something valuable and useful beyond what is already present on a motherboard that costs approximately half as much. Arguably, the sub-$500 AORUS Master offers more because it isn't all screwed up in terms of basic functionality like those with the ROG fanboy tariff attached to it. You can actually use the slots without castrating the GPU. That should be normal, not abnormal, LOL. This is just one of many examples that demonstrate how the people making product design decisions and product pricing are totally out of their minds, if not just plain stupid. Being broken by design and grossly overpriced is too easily forgiven by fanbois.

[ssj92]

Damn @jaybee83 got a 5090. Anyone else get one yet?

 

Here I am playing with my peasanty GPU setup 😂

 

[tps3443]

45 minutes ago, ssj92 said:

Damn @jaybee83 got a 5090. Anyone else get one yet?

 

Here I am playing with my peasanty GPU setup 😂

 

I think most of the guys managed to snag a 5090, it took me like 45 days after launch to acquire one. How are you liking hard line? I did my first hard line build as well inside a case. I love it personally. I had no issues with leaks and all is well with it. I incorporated lots of pumps, a filter, and a drain, for easy access. I went in to this expecting difficulties and headaches. But I’m happy with it! And the tubing stays CRYSTAL clear. So it’s been great. 
 

I went with (2) 480mm HWlab GTX, and P28 fans. It performs extremely well. I did 2 D5’s basement, and 2 D5 distro plate. My idea was to run them all at a lower speed and still maintain good pressure.

 

[electrosoft]

1 hour ago, Mr. Fox said:

There is no real value in the AIB cards except for the fact that they are not the inferior FE design with separate parts cobbled together with cables like a stinking turdbook. The FE doesn't look bad and the form factor is useful for small builds, but I really despise the way the card is put together. Whatever person or group designed it as they did were taking some kind of scary drugs. It's quite the abortion. Everything is gimped, so even the expensive AIB cards are not offering anything in terms of performance. Even if they did offer enhanced performance, the difference is not in scale with the added cost.

---

So, I made some hard decisions this weekend. Not only getting rid of external cooling loops and going down to just two desktops (primarly because of lack of space and my growing sense of claustrophobia the congested workspace is causing), but I also cancelled the X870E Apex order. The more I have compared differences between the all of the AM5 boards I have or did have (X670E Gene, X870E Carbon, X870E Taichi and B850 AORUS Elite) the more it seems like there is little or no differences in performance or overclocking potential. The CPU runs like the CPU is going to run and it doesn't care what motherboard it is installed in. Ryzen is a solid product, but limited by design and having a more robust motherboard makes hardly any difference in CPU overclocking, and minimal difference in RAM overclocking. This is in stark contrast to Intel, where it really does seem to make a big difference having a better motherboard.

 

For AIB boards, shunt mods are compensating for a lack of XOC BIOS which is nice and gives benchers an option if they want to crack their cards open. It's something @Papusan can readily do if he wants to take his scores to the next level.

 

I can see why the overall design of the FE card is nails on a chalkboard to you, but man they are SFF dream cards. You just have to make sure your SFF case selection is pure pass through because of the sheer amount of heat coming off that thing let alone its physical temp.

 

---

 

Are you selling the chiller too? I remember us discussing boost algorithms and the slow decline of overclocking headroom across CPU sns GPUs many moons ago on the notebook forums. It all started with the slow death of DTR laptops so you then move to desktops where boosting algorithms really started to come into play with AMD and Intel really had no choice but to respond.

 

On paper, it really makes sense though to give end users the best performance shaped around their power and cooling but it really doesn't help those of us who like to experience those  massive swaths of performance bumps.

 

Still, pushing a 9800X3D to 5.6ghz from ~5.2ghz is nothing to sneeze at but the true enthusiast chips still lie with Intel up to 14th gen.

 

 

51 minutes ago, jaybee83 said:

5090 installed and purring smooooooooooothly 🙂

 

first up: all ROPs present and PCIe 5.0 x16 working as intended, PHEW! dont worry about the clocks, fiddling around with powersaving profile for simple desktop usage.

 

 

next up: Id never thought Id see the day where my Suprim 4090 seems SMALL, THING AND LIGHT 😄 check out these CHONKERS! 5090 always on top

 

 

I really wish they wouldve sticked with the three slot backplate... why would anyone do a dual backplate on a 4+ slot brock of a gpu?!?! 🥸

 

anyways, time for some stock benches to get a baseline vs. my oced 4090!

 

Nice! I absolutely agree with the 2 slot vs 3 slot. I would even be ok with a 4 slot on these chonkers and give it full support across the PCB and heatsink. It doesn't make any sense. PNY still seems to go with a full 3 slot support bracket. I am not sure why MSI regressed and went with a bigger heatsink but a 2 slot support bracket.

 

I'm no GPU expert, but I've heard that full ROPs is a good thing....right? 🤣

 

34 minutes ago, tps3443 said:

I am completely happy with the FE model. To be honest I really did not want a FE originally. If I could have had my choice it was a Suprim, MSI Vanguard, or Gigabyte Gaming OC, Aorus Waterforce WB, maybe something like that. The only thing appealing about the FE was the price, so it was considered as a back up last resort, I did not want the dinky cooler. But now that I own one, I really like it and it grew on me fast. Some of the main concerns kept me from wanting one 100% originally. High memory temps, I wondered if the liquid metal was done correctly and stuff like that if I was gonna have to re-do the liquid metal, I worried about issues with the PCIe connector being modular, I worried about noise and high temps. After you ordered your Astral I thought man I could sell my 5090FE and get an Astral too lol. But, then I started to love the GPU for what it was engineering and all. I think it's a genius design, none of my original concerns were real problems. Overclocks really aren't all that much worse. If you're running 3,100 to 3,200. I am running 3,030-3,130 with the typical +3,000 memory (Depending on the title). But I am finding that overclocking seems to be silly. I do not feel a difference. It's like going from a gazillion fps to a gazillion and 1 fps. Overclocking the 4090 was a little more useful, because that card was 450w bios. So, bumping it up to the 600w bios helped a lot in 4K. But I think as a whole the card just works. I am not forcing myself to like it. I just like it! I am content with it. In this hobby it's easy to see something else and lust for it until you break down and get it lol. So, I'm not doing any of that, so I'm 100% glad about that. 🤣 As of right now, I am not interested in trying any other 5090's. I might water block this one. But mainly just because I want my whole build to be custom loop+ hard line tubing and finished. But I might not, I think since the card stays quiet and does the job well. I might just leave the thing on air cooling. I've eased up a lot on the whole extreme overclocking. 

 

That's good and some good insight into your current mindset.

 

I do remember you wanting the Aorus Waterforce WB disproportionately vs the other models because it came blocked and ready.

 

After using the 5080 FE and externally it is identical to the 5090 FE, it honestly just upped the street cred of the 5090 FE even more because of the build quality, look, design and temps knowing the 5090 FE is an even beefier design internally. It is a true 2 slot design and trying to shoehorn it into a 9800X3D SFF build (9800X3D so it can be tuned around a low profile air cooler and still work 100%) intrigues me. I could obviously do it with the 5080 FE with much better thermals still though.

 

Funny you mention that about the Astral. In my Fallout76 clan (all of us are also current WoW players. Some of us go back 20yrs, with a few even further into Diablo II and Quake crazy) where we game and talk voice in game, I have an Astral 5090, clan member has a 5090 FE and another has a 5090 Zotrash. One member is playing on an 8700 + 2080 and still getting it done for perspective. I was talking about my top three list and he readily offered to trade up his 5090 FE + cash for my Astral as he wants to run full tilt but thermals are holding him back so I have an offer on the table for his 5090 FE + $1450 for my Astral once he saw how it clocks and runs cool easily but I'm in your position now that the more I use it the more I like it for many reasons. His sample runs about the same as yours it appears which is about average. I told him we can facetime   tomorrow (gutting my daughter's office tonight some more) so I can hear that coil whine / EC noise because when I asked he said, "well, it's not quiet, but what GPU is?" 🤣

 

As for overclocking, with the monster heatsink on the Astral, cooling isn't the issue as Motiv is over on the forums literally shunt modded and pushing 1000w through the Astral and temps don't even hit 70c which is insane but shows the massive over-engineering Asus put into this chonker.

 

I find it chortle worthy from someone who used to run his gear on the edge w/ a chiller to extract every fps possible suddenly has done a 180 and is arguing against it 🤣

 

Overclocking wise, you're looking at a 6-8% gain in performance overall using a "sane" OC that could be run daily.

For me, the big "whoa" moment of course was in WoW where pushing the most basic, limited of OCs pushed my GPU utilization from 92% down to 80% in WoW that was with zero PL/Voltage adjustments. Total overkill for WoW atm till something changes.

 

I like knowing if/when I encounter a GPU hungry game and want to push a bit more oomph through it I have the cooling and headroom to rev that engine as I see fit.

 

With all this being said I *STILL* might return it and go back to 5080 FE or 9070xt.... 🤣

 

All options are open!

 

----

 

@Papusan Timestamped from soneone who owns 5 Astrals and the fan noise being a nothing burger for them across all 5 samples so it could be some cards but not all. I'm telling you, when I put it under load and waited for the proverbial "chainsaw," I just went, "that's it?!"

 

Also showing why the Astral air heatsink (including the rear cover especially) is that next level machining and fine touches here and there. $1500 worth? No, but then again try getting a card at $2k atm.....

 

It is part 1 of a 3 part series where he tears down an Astral, TUF and blocks them both.

 

He was majorly disappointed in the heatsink/shroud build of the TUF being a lot of plastic even though temps (normal usage) was only about 5c cooler on the Astral so it isn't like the TUF isn't delivering.

 

 

Part 1: (Astral teardown)

 

 

Part 2: (TUF teardown)

 

 

Part 3: (Installed and comparison/test)

 

 

 

 

[ssj92]

2 hours ago, tps3443 said:

I think most of the guys managed to snag a 5090, it took me like 45 days after launch to acquire one. How are you liking hard line? I did my first hard line build as well inside a case. I love it personally. I had no issues with leaks and all is well with it. I incorporated lots of pumps, a filter, and a drain, for easy access. I went in to this expecting difficulties and headaches. But I’m happy with it! And the tubing stays CRYSTAL clear. So it’s been great. 
 

I went with (2) 480mm HWlab GTX, and P28 fans. It performs extremely well. I did 2 D5’s basement, and 2 D5 distro plate. My idea was to run them all at a lower speed and still maintain good pressure.

 

I think the reason I never got one is because I only wanted an FE card lol. 

 

The bending was more annoying than i expected. I used basically all corsair parts. But it still looks clear, and is much more pleasing to look at than soft tubing. 

 

I have 2x480mm Corsair radiators (I think HWLabs is the OEM). One pump, and a bunch of 14mm tubing. 

 

All Noctua fans so it's quiet.

[tps3443]

3 hours ago, ssj92 said:

I think the reason I never got one is because I only wanted an FE card lol. 

 

The bending was more annoying than i expected. I used basically all corsair parts. But it still looks clear, and is much more pleasing to look at than soft tubing. 

 

I have 2x480mm Corsair radiators (I think HWLabs is the OEM). One pump, and a bunch of 14mm tubing. 

 

All Noctua fans so it's quiet.

That’s excellent. Now you’ve got to waterblock both of those RTX Titan’s. They deserve it! That would be really amazing! And you’ve gotta solder shunts on them! For the 450+ watt power limit. They grow some major legs when that is done. Like 20% boost. 
 

I learned with hard tubing when I was practice bending, I was always trying to heat a tube too quickly, I wanted to get from 0 to bend in 3.5 seconds lol. And this is where my bends would fail. I had to be patient with heating the tube. And I wouldn’t just heat it and allow the bend, I’d heat where it will bend and also heat around that area of the bend very slowly for best results, I think it takes some serious skill and technique that I don't have to heat quickly without deforming a tube so I found heating a large area at the bend and around the bend very slowly allows the most room without error or ugly bulges or veins popping up on the bend area. That way the 90 or 45 or 30 bend doesn’t deform the nice round shape of the tube, I’d also not force a bend, let the weight of the tube bend itself, I learned heating too quickly would put us in a very narrow area of potentially melting or bubbling the tube, or seeing those veins or bulges. I bought my tubing 2nd hand from a forum member. So, he sent me like 10 new 1,000mm tubes. So I was able to practice a good amount.

 

Do you run any games with the Titan XP’s in SLI?

[jaybee83]

first impressions on running benches with the 5090 Suprim:

 

- my system is SO insanely quiet now with the 9950X3D + 5090, both are much quieter than my previous 7950X + 4090 Suprim combo. crazy, wouldve never thought that!

- absolutely zero coil whine, not even at 500+ FPS. my 4090 would have a slight coil whine during very high FPS runs (were talking 300+), but otherwise basically nothing.

- EVGA PrecisionX1 still works and allows me to push the vRAM to 34 GBps (+3000 on the slider or rather +6 Gbps). i love this tool so its great to see its still functional 🙂 still have AB installed as a backup tho and for future custom fan curves.

 

havent checked temps yet under high continuous load, the benches im currently running are too short to properly determine cooling capabilities. but judging from the noise (or lack thereof), im not really worried in that dept. 😄 

 

so far so good!