WYP
News Guru
Nvidia's RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 have never been this well cooled.
Read more about EK's first actively-cooled backplate water block.
Read more about EK's first actively-cooled backplate water block.
Last edited:
A new dimension of cooling - EK launches its first actively cooled GPU backplates
- Thread starter WYP
- Start date
Dicehunter
Resident Newb
I can't remember who did the video on it a few months back but it showed cooling the back of the card properly also gave noticeable clock speed/stability improvements.
WYP
News Guru
TBH I think this is a thing that more folks will focus on with AIB cards soon. Backplates with more surface area. Memory cooling is too often overlooked, and backplates are too often purely aesthetic.
Irony: I just ditched an EK Vector GPU block due to awful performance. Yet noobs are gonna give EK all kinds of credit for this, without realizing just how low quality EK is. Their stupid backplate was smothering my Radeon VII due to an awful design, that was clearly NOT thought out. Threw that wretch out in favor of a Barrow block, and the Barrow block combined with the *stock* VII back plate (the vented one), with thermal pads WRECKS the EK Vector in every way. Junction temps top out in the mid 60s, where I could hit over 100C with the EK GPU block.
AngryGoldfish
Old N Gold
I'm not really in the circle of water cooling much any more, but you do seem to say EK have a lot of issues, yet I haven't heard many others say the same thing. I still hear that other companies are higher quality (they are more expensive though) but I don't hear that EKWB are bad. I know EK is kind of a noob brand in that they're almost like a 'lifestyle' brand for water cooling, but as far as I can tell, they still make good products. Again, not on par with other companies, but they're cheaper, readily available, and have a huge variety.
ek a newb brand ..........who else has supplied the market so well in watercooling tec the last couple of decades...... phanteks are fairly new to watercooling ........... E K has masses of info readily available about what is compatable with what to make it easy for beginers because they are soo good at what they do i dont understand the bashing ek gets is a rolls royce for a NOOB
trawetSluaP
Member
My whole loop is EK and I've never had any issues with them. Always get good results.
That waterblock that Bart had sounds fubar!
That waterblock that Bart had sounds fubar!
AngryGoldfish
Old N Gold
I don't mean 'noob' in the way you're saying. They're 'noob' in that they're not Bitspower or Aquatuning, companies that don't have a flashy media presence but rely on word of mouth alone. EKWB is cheaper, more accessible, and supplies other components like AIO's. They're known even among noobs. If you ask someone who doesn't know a lot about PC building, 'who are ASUS?', they'll known. Ask them what the Kingpin card is designed for, and they might not. Ask them who makes water cooling parts and they'll likely know of EKWB above any other brand. They might not know about Aquatuning.
EK's biggest problem is quality control, always has been. Stuff slips through the cracks with that company, especially their GPU blocks. Their CPU blocks tend to be good, their fittings aren't bad (use those myself sometime), but their GPU blocks are crap, a Heatkiller GPU block on ANY GPU will stomp a hole in the face of the comparable EK block, performance wise.
EKs only real positive is availability. It certainly is NOT quality, and me and about 1,000,000 other water coolers will attest to that.
EKs only real positive is availability. It certainly is NOT quality, and me and about 1,000,000 other water coolers will attest to that.
NeverBackDown
AMD Enthusiast
I think their aluminum block kits are pretty cool. Way cheaper and comes with everything you need. Only thing I'd get from them. Even make it easy to upgrade by allowing to purchase specific blocks. Not as good performance as copper but still better than air.
I remember xspc being the thing. Never hear anything about them anymore.
I remember xspc being the thing. Never hear anything about them anymore.
yes angrygoldfish i missunderstood you there .......bitspower, aquatuning, monsoon, xspc absolutely none of them offer the choice and range that ek do and whenever i buy a block i allways use their site to check compatability and find any instructions i want i wouldnt call it flashy just well done and very user friendly a good business model really.........the other problem i find with other brands is a shortage of pieces so its hard to match everything whereas ek got that down 2 i think phanteks are doing good stuff a little more expensive but looks quality and can match eks production
ive bought EKWB since 2008 and never had any issues with them at all. I would prefer BP but I have to go with what is available in my area. I splashed out once on BP and had them shipped to Norway. I ended up paying 40% extra in costs.
My biggest gripe is that I dont see innovation with EK blocks, yet the costs continue to rise. I prefer their looks over most others because I dont need flashy brushed alumnium, angular acrylic or some fancy design. I like simple, unflashy looks. There is no way that they deserve to be price in the €180euro range for one block though...
This is where EK have the advantage in my opinion. Presence. If thats all you can get, then they can almost charge what they want. And when their sales are tripple that of the next competitor (triple just being an example to make a point) then their QA is going to fall flat unless they start divesting more budget to quality assurance and RMA. I dont see that happening in this day and age. Its all about the bottom line.
Kei
Member
I've used a few EK blocks along side aqua computer and koolance and apart from the rushed abomination that was the first threadripper block they released, I've had no issues at all. The block on my GTX780 has been in constant use for 7 years and has always done a good job. I have always liked their plain acetal + copper blocks.
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