Quick Look: EK-Quantum Momentum² VRM Bridge ROG Z690 Formula

[VSG]

EK's diverse product portfolio extends also to motherboard monoblocks, but what happens when a board already has an integrated VRM block? Today we examine a new Bridge block from EK for the ASUS ROG Z690 Formula that answers this question by making use of two existing blocks and bridging them together for a simpler, cleaner loop.

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[axiumone]

You're making an accessory for a completely white motherboard that's $800 usd msrp. Someone whos that invested is clearly into aesthetic. How much would it cost to make the black delrin end cap in white? Typical EK with no attention to detail.

 

[Haile Selassie]

What an eyesore.

 

[davido_labido]

You're making an accessory for a completely white motherboard that's $800 usd msrp. Someone whos that invested is clearly into aesthetic. How much would it cost to make the black delrin end cap in white? Typical EK with no attention to detail.

It's nothing to do with cost in all honesty - in fact, it probably costs exactly the same.

The main reason (and basically the one that makes the choice):

-White POM/Acetal just doesn't sell as well. EKWB has tried it in the past and sales, compared to black were just not there. Blocks and reservoirs just don't get the sales in white, so it just alienates the market. Other products in white (Radiators and fans for example) do sell very well though.

Other reasons:

-It gets damaged/dirty faaaaaar quicker IMO. I actually sent a picture to VSG showing one of my white products that just hold onto dirt, black just seems far more robust (whether it is or not, can be debated all day long, but the white certainly shows up the dirt easier)

- Even if the piece was white, there is enough of the board black that it would still have a lot of black on it (all ram slots, PCI-E etc etc.). Sure, these get covered by whatever you plug into them, but once the loop is in place, the black on the block will be more subtle too.

The ONLY way I can see us doing white blocks again is if we do a full white range. Which, I would love

 

[Dammeron]

 

[Haile Selassie]

It's nothing to do with cost in all honesty - in fact, it probably costs exactly the same.

The main reason (and basically the one that makes the choice):

-White POM/Acetal just doesn't sell as well. EKWB has tried it in the past and sales, compared to black were just not there. Blocks and reservoirs just don't get the sales in white, so it just alienates the market. Other products in white (Radiators and fans for example) do sell very well though.

Other reasons:

-It gets damaged/dirty faaaaaar quicker IMO. I actually sent a picture to VSG showing one of my white products that just hold onto dirt, black just seems far more robust (whether it is or not, can be debated all day long, but the white certainly shows up the dirt easier)

- Even if the piece was white, there is enough of the board black that it would still have a lot of black on it (all ram slots, PCI-E etc etc.). Sure, these get covered by whatever you plug into them, but once the loop is in place, the black on the block will be more subtle too.

The ONLY way I can see us doing white blocks again is if we do a full white range. Which, I would love

Whatever the excuse, it still looks like a malignant tumor on top of that aesthetically pleasing motherboard. Seems like this company is still stuck in the 2004 era. No wonder everyone in China and their mothers are doing carbon copies of this 'design'.

 

[axiumone]

It's nothing to do with cost in all honesty - in fact, it probably costs exactly the same.

The main reason (and basically the one that makes the choice):

-White POM/Acetal just doesn't sell as well. EKWB has tried it in the past and sales, compared to black were just not there. Blocks and reservoirs just don't get the sales in white, so it just alienates the market. Other products in white (Radiators and fans for example) do sell very well though.

Other reasons:

-It gets damaged/dirty faaaaaar quicker IMO. I actually sent a picture to VSG showing one of my white products that just hold onto dirt, black just seems far more robust (whether it is or not, can be debated all day long, but the white certainly shows up the dirt easier)

- Even if the piece was white, there is enough of the board black that it would still have a lot of black on it (all ram slots, PCI-E etc etc.). Sure, these get covered by whatever you plug into them, but once the loop is in place, the black on the block will be more subtle too.

The ONLY way I can see us doing white blocks again is if we do a full white range. Which, I would love

Thanks for the reply, Davido.

Ok, so I'll concede on the point that white POM/Acetal is not as durable. If cost is not the issue, then why not provide 2-3 of these endcaps for the user to replace.

The other reasons are non-starters in my opinion. When was the last time EK sold white components? Early 2010's? There were nearly no other white components at that time, no GPUs no Motherboards and maybe a few cases. Today, thats completely changed. Anyone can build an all white system, with every single component being white with off the shelf parts. My biggest gripe with the point that white components don't sell for EK, is in this particular context, we're talking about a white motherboard! There's not enough black on this board to say what you said. Common, now.

 

[davido_labido]

Whatever the excuse, it still looks like a malignant tumor on top of that aesthetically pleasing motherboard. Seems like this company is still stuck in the 2004 era. No wonder everyone in China and their mothers are doing carbon copies of this 'design'.

Regardless of what we do, you will still hate, so not really worth wasting any time on consistently negative people really.

Thanks for the reply, Davido.

Ok, so I'll concede on the point that white POM/Acetal is not as durable. If cost is not the issue, then why not provide 2-3 of these endcaps for the user to replace.

The other reasons are non-starters in my opinion. When was the last time EK sold white components? Early 2010's? There were nearly no other white components at that time, no GPUs no Motherboards and maybe a few cases. Today, thats completely changed. Anyone can build an all white system, with every single component being white with off the shelf parts. My biggest gripe with the point that white components don't sell for EK, is in this particular context, we're talking about a white motherboard! There's not enough black on this board to say what you said. Common, now.

If we did extra things that will likely not sell, then it would cost more.

Having white instead of black (as in, the only version) wouldn't cost anything significantly more.

I too mentioned to some members of the team that most white stuff was a while back, but quite a lot have been available until quite recently (when we EOL'd them for not selling at all).

In the future, we will likely do more white stuff, but honestly, it's not worth doing for single items. Also, having miss matched whites sucks and getting the correct colour polymers is very difficult.

Basically, it's many many reasons that just don't make it worth it overall.

 

[Haile Selassie]

Regardless of what we do, you will still hate, so not really worth wasting any time on consistently negative people really.

Enjoy your copium.

 

[davido_labido]

Enjoy your copium.

It's just funny how all your posts b negative tbh. It's a shame. I just don't bother with brands I don't like, rather than posting on every single post about them. Increases our interaction though and bumps our PRs to the top, so you're more than welcome to continue

Everyone else, i'm more than happy to engage with properly, however. Any questions, concerns, ideas, give me a shout, it's just impossible to change minds that are already made up.

 

[ianann]

First of all, really sorry my first post will have kind of negative vibe, guys.

The problem with EKWB products isn't the design itself - never was in my opinion - it's more that the quality of craftsmanship has decreased to a point where the price tag isn't appropriate anymore. Over the last years I had a utterly bent Acetal-Cover for a 1080 Ti, crazily grated ports in a EK Kinetic D5 Top which you had to remove by yourself with tweezers, my current 6950XT EK Blocks terminal has a skewey threaded right bottom inlet so skewed the plug wouldn't even seal up tight by hand - same crazy grates like with the Kinetic Top and a loose connection in the DRGB Plug. Oh the EKWB Quantum Fittings 16/10 matte black are really hard to love (thread-wise) as well.

I really liked and enjoyed the look&feel of EKWB products, but as said in the beginning - for that price tag you guys should seriously check your quality controls. Do you still produce in Slovenija?

Btw.: I had to place a spare part order for the 6950XT Terminal issues which - albeit I mentioned the skewed and grated terminal in my initial request - I had to pay all by myself.

Pretty any build in the past 13 years or sth. had a massive EKWB footprint, right now I more and more see myself avoiding the products.
Unfortunately really, as I truly kept loyal to your brand and the "made in slovenia/ EU" approach.

 

[davido_labido]

First of all, really sorry my first post will have kind of negative vibe, guys.

The problem with EKWB products isn't the design itself - never was in my opinion - it's more that the quality of craftsmanship has decreased to a point where the price tag isn't appropriate anymore. Over the last years I had a utterly bent Acetal-Cover for a 1080 Ti, crazily grated ports in a EK Kinetic D5 Top which you had to remove by yourself with tweezers, my current 6950XT EK Blocks terminal has a skewey threaded right bottom inlet so skewed the plug wouldn't even seal up tight by hand - same crazy grates like with the Kinetic Top and a loose connection in the DRGB Plug. Oh the EKWB Quantum Fittings 16/10 matte black are really hard to love (thread-wise) as well.

I really liked and enjoyed the look&feel of EKWB products, but as said in the beginning - for that price tag you guys should seriously check your quality controls. Do you still produce in Slovenija?

Btw.: I had to place a spare part order for the 6950XT Terminal issues which - albeit I mentioned the skewed and grated terminal in my initial request - I had to pay all by myself.

Pretty any build in the past 13 years or sth. had a massive EKWB footprint, right now I more and more see myself avoiding the products.
Unfortunately really, as I truly kept loyal to your brand and the "made in slovenia/ EU" approach.

Oh 100%, when there are issues, you're more than welcome to be negative. I am not trying to mute people who have issues - far from it.

Our customer support team is there to fix the issues and there will never be a 0% return rate. Our customer service is usually very good, however, sometimes things do fall through the cracks - we can only apologise for that.

Most production is in Slovenia, some is in China, but not much in comparrison.

QC has been a concern, certainly during the pandemic times whilst trying to keep up with production. In the last 6 months, however, we have introduced a dedicated team that checks for recurring problems, finds out why they're happening, and then actions a plan to either stop it from happening in the future or just pull the item completely. We have already made a number of significant changes that have been or are being rolled out already.

We are also going to be working out ways to get this information out to the public as currently, we know what we're changing, fixing, and making right, but the public doesn't. This will be changing over the next 6 months and will likely be in the form of a podcast/YouTube video or similar, rather than a PR so that people who don't read news websites and such, can see the information

 

[Zalgo]

@davido_labido
Honestly, I am building a white build and the Formula is the best choice IMO. Wanting to have a perfect Matrix look, this water block is PERFECT for me.
So really, thanks for making this!​

 

[Voteaaa]

I know this post is old and prob irrelevant but; where exactly did you plug the headers on the motherboard cause the wire length is too short to route both through the back side.