Hey guys, new here, howdy.  I just built myself a gaming rig and need some sagely advice.  This was my first time building a PC and it went pretty smooth but I might have a problem (then again, maybe not).
 
My Problem: I'm running 2 GTX ACX 780s in SLI on an Asus Gryphon Z87 motherboard.  The motherboard is micro ATX and the cards are very close together.  The top card (the one who's fans are almost completely blocked by the other card) will hit temperatures of 80-92c while under load (primarily in Battlefield 4).  Since using EVGA Precision, the load temp has stayed in the mid 80s whereas before it was almost always at 90 under heavy load.
 
Top Card Idle: 35-44c
Top Card Load: 80-92c (average 85-88c)
Bottom Card Idle: 28-35c
Bottom Card Load: 60-70c
 
My setup:
I'm running 3 monitors all 1920x1080 (DVI/VGA/HDMI)
CPU: i7 4770k cooled by Corsair H80i (idling at 28c)
PSU: Corsair 1050 watt
RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance
Case: Corsair Obsidan 350D (there are 2 chassis fans and I'm planning on getting 2 more)
The monitors are plugged into the top card (the hot one), dunno if that makes a difference.
 
So is this normal?  I don't have any other options for placement because although there are 3 PCI slots on the MB, I can only fit the cards into 2 (the other one is too close).  I've switched the cards in position and they both hit those temps in that particular position on the MB so I don't think I have a defective card.  I live in Miami, but my office is around 75 F, so it's not like its a sauna in here or anything.  I wedged a power cable between the cards to allow a little more airflow.  I'm using EVGA Precision's fan curve default settings.  I've been playing BF4 on Ultra quality with VSYNC off, 4X AA and all other Ultra defaults.
 
Thanks for the help.

Ok I'll try that.  Do I want "Force fan speed update on each period" checked?
 
 
I was also curious to know if anyone else has had this problem.  I'm all ears for any other types of remedies too.  

Skywoof, your idea of adding a couple more case fans should help too. The ACX style cards do not exhaust all that hot air out of your case + the cards are right on top of each other, hence the high temps, so good air flow is a must with these cards. 

skywoof

Herrohooy
They're coming out of the factory running at 81C.  Don't let it get to 90C and you're fine for the most part.  The problem is that your GPU's are too close together and Obsidian series are meant for watercooling.  They have terrible airflow.

 
Well it's not my intention to let them get to 90c.  But you know I didn't spend over $1000 on GPUs to play BF4 on High instead of Ultra.  Otherwise I would've just stayed with my Radeon 7970.  
Right now I have 2 chassis fans on the front of the case (under the optical drive) that are pulling cool air into the case, and the fan for the H80i cooler that is also pulling air into the case.  Right now I don't have any fans pushing air out, but I am going to go to TD tomorrow and get a 2 pack of some Corsairs and attach them to push air out of the top of the case.
 
I have absolutely no knowledge of water cooling a GPU, but I would consider it if I knew it were an option.  But with my 2 cards being so close together, would I even be able to?  
Here's a pic of my setup.   It was taken while I was building it....I have since cleaned up the wiring and wedged one of those HX1050 PCI cables between the two cards to create a gap for some increased airflow.
 

 
And thanks for your responses guys, I appreciate your help

These cards NEED exhaust fans.  This will GREATLY help your temperatures, IF the top card can overcome intaking pure hot air.  I think you'll be ok, but it won't be quiet.  Set up a fan profile in Precision or Afterburner for the gpu's.  Run them at 100% at 80C.

For top fans you have some options.
Strong, medium noise - Gentle Typhoon
Medium, low noise - Noctua NF-F12
Medium-, low+ noise, Cougar either 140 or 120
Strong, high noise - Corsair SP120
Weak, low noise - Corsair AF120/140
 
Remove the magnetic filter if you want to run louder fans at quieter speeds.

jpearson79
Just another suggestion that may help aside from getting some exhaust fans ASAP. My CPU cooler manual says to run the radiator fans as intake, as I see you are doing. I switched it to exhaust and it really helped my temps when I had my SLI ACX setup. It might cause CPU to get hotter from all the heat coming from the GPU's, monitor that if you try it. I have a mid size case though and ran 7 fans in all. Your build is trickier because mATX and such close quarters, you may not get significant temp changes when you add fans and you'll need to run them higher. Do some tinkering when you do get the fans and you'll figure out what works best. If you can shave off 6-7 degrees on the top card under load you should be fine. And yes if you ventured into water cooling you should be fine re: cards being right next to each other. 

I run my H50 push/pull exhaust in an Antec 900. His set up with no exhaust plus bringing in warm air with his CPU cooler is just about the worst setup for the ACX style coolers. Micro ATX cases really are not suited for power hungry GPU's in SLI using air cooling particularly the ACX style over the blower style cooling.

skywoof
Yeah I know I need exhaust.  I'm going to be at TD in a matter of hours.
 
So I did what some of you said and changed the fan curve profile.  At 60c it is set to run at 100%.  I played some BF4......temp on the "hot card" remained stabled at 79c which is an improvement that makes me very relieved.  I'm hoping with the 2 new chassis fans I'm getting tomorrow I can bring that down a little more, although after dealing with 90c, I'm happy to be at 79 lol.  Apparently my fans were never getting to 100% at 90c, don't ask me why.
 
This is going to be my airflow when I'm done installing the fans.  I'm going to do what jpearson79 said and reverse the radiator fan on the cooler to exhaust.  Does this look like it would improve airflow, or would the radiator fan be better as intake?
 

That will be better. Also some wire management would really help. That jumble of wires between the GPU's and your intake could use some work.

HeavyHemi
That will be better. Also some wire management would really help. That jumble of wires between the GPU's and your intake could use some work.

Yea IK, the pic was taken mid-assembly.  All the wires are now fed through the grommets on the side.

New Question: I have 3 PCI slots on this MB.  Two of them are 3.0 and one is 2.0.  If I move one card to the 2.0, can I still SLI?  This would allow for much better airflow.

Ok, I've got them both connected and the computer is detecting them both, but apparently SLI isn't working.  There is no SLI options in the NVidia control panel.  Do I need to enable something or maybe reinstall the drivers?

Yep its x4 only.  
 
No matter though, I've found my solution.  I plugged the bottom card back in the x16 slot, but I didn't screw it into the MB, just left it loose.  NOW the top card is averaging between 63-75c on full load.
Having the bottom card screwed in basically made the first fan (closest to back of case) useless.  Now there is even air flow to both fans, and apparently that extra 1/2" was all it needed.  Excellent!
 
Thanks for all the recommendations guys

I have something propping it up for support, its not just dangling

Hi,
 
You made the classic mistake of buying two dual fan cards and putting them in SLI.
 
Dual fan and triple fan cards do not exhaust all the hot air from the card out of the case, this isnt a problem with a single card but with a dual card solution it's almost impossible (even with a fully fan-loaded nzxt phantom 630 - i have tried) to get the heat out of the case.
 
The solution I came up with was to mount two H60's to my graphics cards but that's quite extreme. I would recommend you buy blowers next time if you want an air cooled SLI rig as they are much more effective at exhausting all of the air from the case.
 
Cheers,
Jamie

Hey jnewegger23,
 
I run 2 x 780 ACX's. The numbers you report are pretty spot on as far as my temperature variance between the top and bottom card. I run 8-10c cooler on load, but I also live in San Francisco so my ambient temps are great to work with. I do however run my rig with the door panel off while heavy gaming. Def helps to drop my temps and keep them in a temp range I'm happy with.
 
I have a question for you though. Do you notice a temp difference (benefit) with the fan installed between your HD bay blowing directly on to your GPUs?
 
I thought about doing something very similar, and would love to know if it made a difference in your case.
 
Thanks,
 
gato