EK Water Blocks for ROG Strix NVIDIA RTX 30 Series Graphics Cards Now Available

[btarunr]

EK, the leading computer cooling solutions provider, is ready to offer its premium high-performance GPU water block for ASUS ROG Strix edition NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series graphics cards. This huge new water block is named EK-Quantum Vector Strix RTX 3080/3090 D-RGB, and it is very important to keep in mind that it's meant only for the ROG Strix graphics cards.

"For years now, each generation of ROG Strix edition full-cover water blocks was utilizing bridge covers to channel coolant over the tall capacitors in the VRM zone. This time around, the layout of the PCB allowed us to make a water block without a stainless-steel bridge cover, making the entire coolant flow path visible. Our engineering team also went the distance on the copper cold plate design that now extends over almost the full length of the PCB," said Edvard König, the founder of EK.



An EK Water Block for ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 and 3090 Graphics Cards
The new water block has a much bigger purpose-designed 126 mm wide and 237 mm long copper base to cover and cool all key components on the GPU's printed circuit board. This gives the water block advantage on the market of having a clean design, showing off all of the cooling liquid, and cooling all of the necessary components, including all chokes on the input rail.

The EK-Quantum Vector Strix RTX 3080/3090 water block is compatible with ROG Strix RTX 3080 and 3090 graphics cards. This Vector water block actively cools the GPU, top-facing VRAM, MOSFETs in the VRM section, PWM controller, and all chokes, including the ones in the input power rail. By using such a design that is in contact with every single inductor on the PCB, the chances of any potential coil whine are minimized.

These newly developed Strix water blocks feature clean, symmetrically shaped optimized flow paths that reduce hydrodynamic instabilities and vortexing (dead spots) inside of them, and it's not using bridge covers like former EK Strix water blocks, which is the reason the entire coolant flow path is now visible.

An Open Split-Flow cooling engine design is implemented, which proved to be a superior solution for GPU water blocks. It is characterized by low hydraulic flow restriction, meaning it can be used with weaker water pumps or pumps running on low-speed settings, and still achieve top performance. The jet plate and fin structure geometry have been optimized to provide even flow distribution with minimal losses and optimal performance when used in any given coolant flow orientation, unlike some products that are currently available on the market.

Fin array is populated by 28 microfins with 0.6 mm wide microchannels that provide optimal cooling performance, without unnecessary flow restrictions or clogging hazards.

The base of the water block is CNC-machined out of nickel-plated electrolytic copper, while its top is CNC-machined either out of glass-like cast Acrylic or durable black POM acetal. The 2nd generation Vector GPU water blocks also feature plexi and acetal terminals that match the top cover material. The watertight sealing is ensured by high-quality EPDM O-rings, while brass standoffs are already pre-installed and allow for a safe and easy installation procedure.

D-RGB Lighting on the EK-Quantum Vector Strix RTX 3080/3090 D-RGB
The aesthetic end-piece is housing the addressable D-RGB LED strip. This water block boasts a total of 12 individually addressable RGB LEDs, and it is compatible with popular RGB sync technologies from all major motherboard manufacturers. The arrow marking on the 3-pin D-RGB LED connector is to be aligned with the +5V marking on the D-RGB (addressable) header.

Backplate for the Strix RTX 3080/3090 Water Block
EK recommends the purchase of a retention backplate, which improves the overall aesthetics of your graphics cards, and also provides additional passive cooling for the GPU core, VRAM on the 3090 cards, and backside of the printed circuit board VRM section.

Upcoming NVIDIA RTX 30 Series Water Blocks
There are probably a lot of questions about other RTX 30 Series water blocks as well - for the AIB cards and Founders Edition especially. EK water blocks for EVGA XC3 and ASUS TUF Series graphics cards will follow in a matter of weeks, while the Founders Edition water blocks will take a bit longer since EK is preparing something really special for those graphics cards.

Availability and Pricing
The EK-Quantum Vector Strix RTX 3080/3090 full-cover water blocks and backplates are made and assembled in Slovenia, Europe, and are available for pre-order through the EK Webshop. The water blocks and backplates are expected to ship out mid-October, or possibly even sooner. In the table below you can see the manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP).

Current Compatibility List for EK-Quantum Vector Strix RTX 3080/3090

• ASUS ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3090 24G Gaming
• ASUS ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3080 10G Gaming
• ASUS ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3080 10G Gaming OC
• ASUS ASUS ROG Strix RTX 3090 24G Gaming OC

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[robert3892]

You forgot to add the table as referred to in the last paragraph

 

[Dammeron]

"(...)the Founders Edition water blocks will take a bit longer since EK is preparing something really special for those graphics cards." - should we be afraid?

Hope the prices won't be that special...

 

[Lokran88]

Obviously all the cards come with a passive Backplate, but I don't know how I feel about this considering that GDDR6X seems to run pretty hot.
I like EK blocks for their aesthetics but function wise I would rather wait for Watercool who are considering an active Backplate aka sandwich cooler. Aquacomputer might do the same.

 

[EarthDog]

Obviously all the cards come with a passive Backplate, but I don't know how I feel about this considering that GDDR6X seems to run pretty hot.
I like EK blocks for their aesthetics but function wise I would rather wait for Watercool who are considering an active Backplate aka sandwich cooler. Aquacomputer might do the same.

What is the difference between an active backplate and passive? Active cooling, to me, means a fan. Are you just saying there is a thermal pad between the backplate and PCB?

 

[mouacyk]

What is the difference between an active backplate and passive? Active cooling, to me, means a fan. Are you just saying there is a thermal pad between the backplate and PCB?

VSG showed that active an backplate made quite a difference in Pascal cards. And again, it should for Ampere due to the increased TDP.

Thermalbench.com

When there is just over 3 °C of difference between all the blocks in terms of GPU core cooling, you know things are hard to distinguish. The Aqua Computer kryographics Pascal falls in the better half of the table here, and the backplate helps further. The VRM cooling chart is the most telling, with the active backplate here being the only entry that is significantly better performing than the rest. While VRM cooling below a certain number does not do much for the GTX 1080, look at these results more of an indicator of where things would be for other cards where VRM cooling can help more.

 

[EarthDog]

I'll ask again.......... what is an "active" backplate?

 

[Lokran88]

I'll ask again.......... what is an "active" backplate?

What Aquacomputer offered in the past was actually giving the backplate contact to the coolant with heatpipes (https://shop.aquacomputer.de/product_info.php?products_id=3463)
So being actively cooled by the coolant is what I meant.
But in Case of Ampere I could also imagine actual water channels letting liquid flow over the backplate. Which at this point wouldn't be a simple backplate anymore but a second, smaller block on the backside of the card. Obviously more complicated and expensive.

 

[mouacyk]

I'll ask again.......... what is an "active" backplate?

I don't think a fan alone on a component is enough to qualify as active cooling, unless that component is already a heatsink with direct airflow. Asus used to blow air directly onto memory chips, and they correctly marketed that still as passive cooling. In the case of a backplate, even though it can be a heatsink, there's usually not a fan dedicated to dissipating its collected heat into the air, thusly appearing seemingly passive in its cooling behavior. In the Aquacomputer block, they had a heatpipe connected to the bp from the block, naturally collecting heat and dumping it through the active water cooling of the block.

 

[EarthDog]

I don't think a fan alone on a component is enough to qualify as active cooling, unless that component is already a heatsink with direct airflow. Asus used to blow air directly onto memory chips, and they correctly marketed that still as passive cooling. In the case of a backplate, even though it can be a heatsink, there's usually not a fan dedicated to dissipating its collected heat into the air, thusly appearing seemingly passive in its cooling behavior. In the Aquacomputer block, they had a heatpipe connected to the bp from the block, naturally collecting heat and dumping it through the active water cooling of the block.

Active cooling definition- An active cooling system is one that involves the use of energy to cool something, as opposed to passive cooling that uses no energy.

Hence why I mentioned a fan.

 

[Bubster]

This Vector water block actively cools the GPU, top-facing VRAM, MOSFETs in the VRM section, PWM controller, and all chokes, including the ones in the input power rail. By using such a design that is in contact with every single inductor on the PCB ...and transparent ...Sounds good