Thoughts for a new AM5 Waterblock

[A Computer Guy]

So I'm considering swapping out my 5950x & Taichi from my 011D water cooled rig (system specs in the sidebar) with the 7950x & Live Mixer. I saw a video recently that the LiveMixer might not accommodate a standard backplate so using the existing backplate will have to be prioritized over other choices. 1...2...3...have at it ( let's avoid EK political discussions thanks )

 

[ShrimpBrime]

I have a HeatKiller IV but not the pro. Pro is full copper waterblock. Anyhow, it handles 14700K pretty decently. I customized a mount for it however.

I also have a EK supreme HF Cu which has a 1366 bracket which actually works on LGA 1700. This block does a better job than the HeatKiller non pro IV, I'd expect similar results from the PRO version.

Anyhow, it is my experience that full copper blocks just perform best in most situations. So I guess I'd pick the HeatKiller IV pro.

 

[ir_cow]

Bitspower Summit is cheap and effective.

 

[Ruru]

I have an Eisblock XPX myself and it's fine, but I wouldn't recommend it today. I'd go for Core1 if you can afford more than what an average block costs.

Alphacool Core 1 CPU Water Block Review

Alphacool updates its CPU water block offerings with the new Core 1 series. It uses an all-brass housing paired with a nickel-plated copper cold plate and a unique 3D jet plate design for excellent thermal performance while still retaining good CPU socket compatibility. There are multiple top...

www.techpowerup.com

 

[Ferrum Master]

I would do non monoblock version now I am suffering with, then I would go Cuplex Kryos again as my previous block.

Reasonably priced ~70e for the basic version, and you do not need more.

• You will have spare parts, the block is pretty old, but still maintained, is a massive saving in long term.
• You will have the ability to retrofit the block, I carried mine from LGA2011 to AM4. I saved pretty penny there, just buying new brackets.
• The rare thing seldom who mentions, due to the fact of the modularity, recent versions offer shifted down brackets, so the block water jet flow spot resides above the most hot chiplets, thus offering real performance benefits versus any other blocks that are symmetrical design. I tested it on my own skin.

 

[londiste]

Alphacool Core XP³. Would and did choose.
Excellent price/performance ratio. Cost 30€ and works reasonably well. I have a much more modest CPU though.

 

[ErikG]

Alphacool Core XP³.

 

[inquisitor1]

why does one prefer a custom product then just an aio? more maintenance for custom? cleaning? price to performance?

I see AIO for $60. curious. Ive never had a wc system. always air cooled

 

[Ferrum Master]

why does one prefer a custom product then just an aio? more maintenance for custom? cleaning? price to performance?

I see AIO for $60. curious. Ive never had a wc system. always air cooled

Isn't it obvious, it is more heat capacity and less noise.

 

[inquisitor1]

Isn't it obvious, it is more heat capacity and less noise.

it definitely isnt obvious to someone who never looked into them. less noise cant matter when there are tons of other fans inside as is. but are there tests of Wb vs aio? what are we talking about ...10+ degrees between aio to wb or like 4-5? and how much does a custom wb cost?

 

[Noci]

I'm having a hard time understanding the motivations on the options of choice in the poll.

For example for AM5 you listed two 'older' blocks from Alphacool, why not the most recent models (Alphacool Core 1 & Alphacool Core 1 LT) as they have been proven in reviews to outperform the older ones and good competition for the others listed, performance and price wise.

Also missing the more value for money 'Chinese' ones like Bykski and Barrow. But I guess that can be seen as the option: Other...

As you're looking for a block to cool a Ryzen 9 7950x with a default TDP of 170W, I personally reccomend a high-end block especially if you want to do some tweaking also.

 

[ErikG]

Add price for fittings, one/two/three rads, pipes, pump, waterblock, GPU waterblock, more fans...

 

[Noci]

Add price for fittings, one/two/three rads, pipes, pump, waterblock, GPU waterblock, more fans...

Custom watercooling is a choice, if you want to go cheap there are plenty of other options also doing the trick.

Numereous of discussions already about that topic .

 

[ErikG]

This was for inquisitor1

I'm on custom water last 10 years.

Alphacool now have the best ratio price/performance.

 

[A Computer Guy]

I would do non monoblock version now I am suffering with, then I would go Cuplex Kryos again as my previous block.

Reasonably priced ~70e for the basic version, and you do not need more.

• You will have spare parts, the block is pretty old, but still maintained, is a massive saving in long term.
• You will have the ability to retrofit the block, I carried mine from LGA2011 to AM4. I saved pretty penny there, just buying new brackets.
• The rare thing seldom who mentions, due to the fact of the modularity, recent versions offer shifted down brackets, so the block water jet flow spot resides above the most hot chiplets, thus offering real performance benefits versus any other blocks that are symmetrical design. I tested it on my own skin.

Just FYI, your link is broken.

why does one prefer a custom product then just an aio? more maintenance for custom? cleaning? price to performance?

I see AIO for $60. curious. Ive never had a wc system. always air cooled

I have the full WC setup already in my 011D so it's not worth it to swap the new CPU and board in and do air cooling with the GPU I have in there now. Also because of the distroplate configuration it's designed for CPU and GPU and not using the CPU makes it problematic or I stop using parts of the distroplate. The 011D rig is no longer a gaming rig for a long time now but it's very effective at heat and noise management.

it definitely isnt obvious to someone who never looked into them. less noise cant matter when there are tons of other fans inside as is. but are there tests of Wb vs aio? what are we talking about ...10+ degrees between aio to wb or like 4-5? and how much does a custom wb cost?

When you have enough rads and fluid you can run all fans on low/med, reduce pump speed, and that has a tremendous impact on noise reduction. Since I do a lot of video conferencing at home noise management is important although the WC aspect of my 011D build was just a personal pet project at the time.

I don't like AIO's because of the ewaste aspect of them and I don't trust the AIO pump durability over a long period of time ( I run my system 24/7 ) but they are incredibly convenient and there is some risk that you might get a defective one resulting in a surprise leak or bad fluid however in recent years they seem to be very reliable.

I'm having a hard time understanding the motivations on the options of choice in the poll.

For example for AM5 you listed two 'older' blocks from Alphacool, why not the most recent models (Alphacool Core 1 & Alphacool Core 1 LT) as they have been proven in reviews to outperform the older ones and good competition for the others listed, performance and price wise.

Admittedly I'm not up to speed on the latest innovations of blocks and there is finite room in the poll listing. Heatkiller caught my eye some years ago and XC7 is compatible with my current iCue system that is configured with 4 temp sensors.

Also missing the more value for money 'Chinese' ones like Bykski and Barrow. But I guess that can be seen as the option: Other...
As you're looking for a block to cool a Ryzen 9 7950x with a default TDP of 170W, I personally reccomend a high-end block especially if you want to do some tweaking also.

I'm not so interested in pushing my CPU to the extremes but I want to avoid selecting a terrible option. It all comes down to swapping it into my 011D setup. If I don't do that then I get an 011D Air case and call it a day. I also have an original AM4 Velocity block in storage but I don't know if that's sufficient or I might need to get some conversion kit parts for that.

 

[londiste]

why does one prefer a custom product then just an aio? more maintenance for custom? cleaning? price to performance?

I see AIO for $60. curious. Ive never had a wc system. always air cooled

That $60 AIO is probably pretty awful

But jokes aside - cooling the entire computer, CPU and GPU in one loop. The pumps you would buy for custom loop are more powerful and potentially quieter. You can scale as needed - multiple rads or 480/560 radiator is a simple choice. Of course you can switch and change bits when needed.

Custom does not necessarily need more maintenance. Unless you are running something very special or mixed materials or some staining colored liquid custom is also pretty carefree for a long while. My last custom loop ran for I think a couple years without any problems. Or maintenance outside blowing out the dust from fans and radiator.

Price to performance is probably worse. Debatable when it comes to cooling the GPU as full cover blocks are the expensive part there anyway and watercooling a GPU with something else is IMO a bad idea.

 

[Ferrum Master]

Just FYI, your link is broken.

Fixed

 

[Bobaganoosh]

I'd go Optimus or Watercool. There's really not that much heat to remove from these AMD chips, so the performance difference between Heatkiller IV Pro and the Signature V3 is probably not extreme, but their price is close enough that I'd go Optimus anyway if it was available. The Signature V3 isn't available (at time of writing) and I'd end up making an aesthetic choice between Foundation and Heatkiller IV Pro (I'd go black foundation with nickel because it looks really nice). If it was threadripper or Intel i9, I'd go with the Signature V3 and hope it became available. Their new signature designs are really good and while you can't see the fins once installed, the performance is just the best out there (even though "the best" is not by a lot in some comparisons).

I currently have an Optimus Foundation CPU block and a Heatkiller IV GPU block...some of the hidden parts on the Heatkiller show their cost-savings, but everything visible and that effects performance has really good quality and is hard to beat for the price. I have used tons of their parts (Watercool) for work too and haven't had a single issue.

 

[Vya Domus]

I use an Eisblock XPX aurora edge and it works fine, at around 150W it keeps my 7900 under the thermal limit. The bottleneck with these CPUs is not the block, they all perform within very few % of each other.

 

[redeye]

using bykski, wanted to use the ekwb velocity2 block, but too expensive, and not easy to get
(i am using am4, but same deal)

 

[ShrimpBrime]

why does one prefer a custom product then just an aio? more maintenance for custom? cleaning? price to performance?

I see AIO for $60. curious. Ive never had a wc system. always air cooled

Totally not price to performance lol.
My custom all copper block weighs about .8 pounds / 365 grams.
That's thermal storage and an additional place to dissipate heat.
AIO has a pump on a thin plate. 60$ AIO (120.1 rad) gets killed by 60$ Air coolers.
But Water is the best for thermal conductivity and you move the thermals to a radiator with water.
Custom loops usually have great pump choices. You want good flow rates and reliability. D5 gotta be one of the most popular in the past.
Can also, change rads, add in a different waterblock. Smaller Reservoir. Hard and Soft tubing for the L@@KS!!
But I mean if you're cooling a 600$ CPU and can afford that, you could likely afford a custom loop at that point.

AIR practical and even comes boxed with some processors. (free)
AIO budget water loop. (cause you wanted it, tired of air cooling maybe)
Custom because you wanted it knowing going in, 300$ to 500$ dollar project.

 

[A Computer Guy]

Totally not price to performance lol.
My custom all copper block weighs about .8 pounds / 365 grams.
That's thermal storage and an additional place to dissipate heat.
AIO has a pump on a thin plate. 60$ AIO (120.1 rad) gets killed by 60$ Air coolers.
But Water is the best for thermal conductivity and you move the thermals to a radiator with water.
Custom loops usually have great pump choices. You want good flow rates and reliability. D5 gotta be one of the most popular in the past.
Can also, change rads, add in a different waterblock. Smaller Reservoir. Hard and Soft tubing for the L@@KS!!
But I mean if you're cooling a 600$ CPU and can afford that, you could likely afford a custom loop at that point.

AIR practical and even comes boxed with some processors. (free)
AIO budget water loop. (cause you wanted it, tired of air cooling maybe)
Custom because you wanted it knowing going in, 300$ to 500$ dollar project.

The other downside of custom water cooling is the weight. If I had to do-over I'll externalize the rads and pump with quick disconnects to make moving the PC easier but this also makes for better fresh airflow through the rads.

 

[ir_cow]

Like I said before. I used the Bitspowers Summit for the first 4 months of AM5. Really easy to install. 4 posts screw into the AMD backplate holes. Temps are similar to EK Velocity block which I use now. Only difference is the the Bitspower is WAAAAY cheaper.

 

[maxfly]

why does one prefer a custom product then just an aio? more maintenance for custom? cleaning? price to performance?

I see AIO for $60. curious. Ive never had a wc system. always air cooled

AIO is restricted to the CPU. As a whole, a well configured custom loops components will generally far outclass an AIOs aluminum rads, tiny blocks and weak pumps in both performance and quality. There are a few quality AIOs that have added qdcs for expansion and upgradability but they're no longer AIOs in anything but name at that point. The longevity factor of custom components is regularly 2 to 3 times that of an AIO. A custom loops components last 10-20 years when properly cared for. Pumps being the obvious outlier. Rads literally last forever. Blocks outlive their usefulness long before they're throwaway items. I'm running a DDC 3.2? (I forget) in my back up rig with a manufacturing date of 2006 or 8 as an example.

For some reason people love to try and compare AIOs and a custom loops performance. It's like comparing NCAAF to the NFL. Their similar but not at all on the same level.

I would go with whichever block you prefer, including the EK you have in storage OP. Finding parts for it should be easy and far cheaper than buying a new block. Performance will likely be within throwing distance of everything but the very best blocks available as well.

 

[A Computer Guy]

I would go with whichever block you prefer, including the EK you have in storage OP. Finding parts for it should be easy and far cheaper than buying a new block. Performance will likely be within throwing distance of everything but the very best blocks available as well.

I recently discovered Thermal Grizzly - AM5 Adapter & Offset Mounting Kit for $10. I wonder if it's compatible with original Velocity Block I snagged for $30 a few years ago? I'll have to do some digging on the web.