EK has released their RX 480 GPU water block

[WYP]

EK has released their RX 480 GPU water block. Do you think that 100 Euro is a bit pricey for an RX 480?



Read more on EK's RX 480 GPU water block.

 

[RickPlaysWarr]

Awesome!

Its also really nice that it turns the RX480 into a single slot card. Going to use the 480 in my son's birthday build.

--Rick--

 

[NeverBackDown]

Just curious, but does anyone know how long the card is with the block on? I can't find any data on just PCB length instead of the extended cooler. Only asking because length is limited for ITX

But yes, I do think that's an expensive block for a mid range card.

 

[SparkleDJackson]

Imo a block is a block. that is just what they cost. The price point for the card itself is irrelevant. the same amount of r and d is required no matter the card value so why not charge the full price for the product. I think it looks class

 

[NeverBackDown]

Imo a block is a block. that is just what they cost. The price point for the card itself is irrelevant. the same amount of r and d is required no matter the card value so why not charge the full price for the product. I think it looks class

No not always true. Most of EKs blocks are the same exact style/look and really only differ in the areas where screws need to go.

What EK does is more or less have a standard price on all there GPU blocks. This means they aim for a specific profit margin. Has less to do with R&D since for every block about half is probably already done. Now for a custom PCB/specific card they make a block for, then yes it should and does cost more than a reference one, as they will sell less units and need to offset the costs somewhere.

 

[SparkleDJackson]

No not always true. Most of EKs blocks are the same exact style/look and really only differ in the areas where screws need to go.

What EK does is more or less have a standard price on all there GPU blocks. This means they aim for a specific profit margin. Has less to do with R&D since for every block about half is probably already done. Now for a custom PCB/specific card they make a block for, then yes it should and does cost more than a reference one, as they will sell less units and need to offset the costs somewhere.

I didnt say how much the costs where hehehe. But i think to say that a product should be cheaper because the gpu is a cheaper item is bonkers. Watercooling is an optional upgrade and if a person isnt prepared to pay the price that is set then that person should not be water cooling.

 

[NeverBackDown]

I didnt say how much the costs where hehehe. But i think to say that a product should be cheaper because the gpu is a cheaper item is bonkers. Watercooling is an optional upgrade and if a person isnt prepared to pay the price that is set then that person should not be water cooling.

Well with that attitude, water cooling companies will end up out of business much quicker. If they don't bring costs down, people will buy less for the simple reason that CPUs and GPUs(mostly GPUs) are getting more efficient and outputting less heat. There are fewer people who are willing to spend money on a pure comestic look for that amount of money when there is hardly a performance increase. When on the flip side a cheaper AIO can do the same thing with damn near the same results for less money and maintenance. It's a extremely niche market, they need to adapt or expand into other areas, which is hard for a niche company.

 

[Tolemac]

Well with that attitude, water cooling companies will end up out of business much quicker. If they don't bring costs down, people will buy less for the simple reason that CPUs and GPUs(mostly GPUs) are getting more efficient and outputting less heat. There are fewer people who are willing to spend money on a pure comestic look for that amount of money when there is hardly a performance increase. When on the flip side a cheaper AIO can do the same thing with damn near the same results for less money and maintenance. It's a extremely niche market, they need to adapt or expand into other areas, which is hard for a niche company.

I really don't think EK will be out of business mate even if they only catered for the "high end" cards. There will still be demand for the enthusiast. Custom loops are expensive no matter which graphics card you use

 

[NeverBackDown]

I really don't think EK will be out of business mate even if they only catered for the "high end" cards. There will still be demand for the enthusiast

Didn't say they would, but they certainly will be hurting themselves. High end cards wasn't my argument either. It was the costs of there blocks. I understand everyone's view on it, but from a business and financial point it's only hurting themselves in the long run as I explained previously

 

[Tolemac]

Dude i'm not having a dig at you . Having a custom loop myself I can honestly speak from experience that the cost really escalates from air cooling. It's not only the block that comes into the equation it's the fittings, tubing coolant etc, etc

On another note Mr Kaapstad are you gonna block your 4 rx 480's

 

[guskline]

If your complaint is that a water block is "a bit pricey" you really should NOT be into custom water cooling. I don't mean to sound snobby BUT it is an expensive hobby that you can get into at a modest amount but the cost adds up.

I have been using EK blocks for awhile and they are VERY competitively priced. Tolemac is correct on the overall cost.

 

[AlienALX]

But nobody water cools cards like these so surely it's an epic waste of time

 

[SeekaX]

Didn't say they would, but they certainly will be hurting themselves. High end cards wasn't my argument either. It was the costs of there blocks. I understand everyone's view on it, but from a business and financial point it's only hurting themselves in the long run as I explained previously

Watercooling is a rich man's game, whether the block costs 50€ or 100€ really doesn't matter to someone who's building a custom loop. I'm pretty sure it's financially viable, else they would already be dropping the prices.

 

[NeverBackDown]

Dude i'm not having a dig at you . Having a custom loop myself I can honestly speak from experience that the cost really escalates from air cooling. It's not only the block that comes into the equation it's the fittings, tubing coolant etc, etc

On another note Mr Kaapstad are you gonna block your 4 rx 480's

Oh I know you weren't, was elaborating a little was all

Watercooling is a rich man's game, whether the block costs 50€ or 100€ really doesn't matter to someone who's building a custom loop. I'm pretty sure it's financially viable, else they would already be dropping the prices.

Yeah as I said earlier, it is now. But not in the long run the need for it drops. We don't even really need it now, but it'll get to a point where it's so unneeded even the most dedicated will have a hard time spending that much, and would like to spend a little less on it. And as you said, it's a rich mans game. Not everyone can play that game, AKA less TAM(total addressable market), they could easily circumvent that problem by making a cheaper block(s) which can lead to cheaper kits and etc that will help them sell more units and hopefully not get out of business once said point comes around.

 

[SeekaX]

Yeah as I said earlier, it is now. But not in the long run the need for it drops. We don't even really need it now, but it'll get to a point where it's so unneeded even the most dedicated will have a hard time spending that much, and would like to spend a little less on it. And as you said, it's a rich mans game. Not everyone can play that game, AKA less TAM(total addressable market), they could easily circumvent that problem by making a cheaper block(s) which can lead to cheaper kits and etc that will help them sell more units and hopefully not get out of business once said point comes around.

I think people who aren't willing to spend 100€ on a waterblock would also rather not spend 50€ on a waterblock and instead spend the money on better hardware. Currently if you build a decent waterloop and start from scratch you are at roughly 500€ minimum, at 250€ it would still be poor value, the market would barely change. AIOs are stealing their market, they won't be able to compete with them, so might as well stick to the prestigious aspect of owning a custom waterloop.
You don't need to cater to the largest audience possible to make decent amounts of money. Ferrari and friends make plenty of money and their target market is very small compared to the total car industry, heck, they'd even devalue their brand if they released an affordable car. The jump from watercooling to a Ferrari is a bit huge, but i guess it gets the point across.