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EKWB Lays Off 25% of Workforce, Blames Lower Watercooling Sales

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Too many skus, need one water block to work on all models of a gpu chip then higher margins, less development.
 
D

Deleted member 24505

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Just buy Byski or barrow stuff. Used both and they are fine for less than 50% the cost of EK. I have a EK CPU block, the RGB led strip on it failed, they sent another, guess what.....It has failed again. I have taken it off. I have switched my res/pump combo from EK FLT to a AQ ultitube as the EK had zero isolation from the case, now i cannot even hear the pump even on 100%, how hard would it have been for EK to do the same. I am using EK rads as they are pretty good and imo a rad is a rad (guess i will get proven wrong, shrug) but for a couple of degrees difference, buy the ones you like or are available.

The temps and sound of my PC gaming can not be matched or beaten on air, and that is why i have a custom CPU/GPU loop. Also if you have a beefy GPU, why would you want possibly 300w of heat dumping into your case relying on your case fans to get it out, when with my loop it is immediately dumped out of the case.

EK certainly need to look at their prices and quality a tad.

Too many skus, need one water block to work on all models of a gpu chip then higher margins, less development.

unfortunately that is not really possible. There are generic blocks but they are usually GPU only and don't cool the ram or vrm. If all GPU's where the same it would work but they are not.
 
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Personally, I'm not going to pay 28%(345€) of the price I shelled out for an already overpriced video card(MSRP price) for waterblock and backplate.
Especially since its resale value is practically null. In my experience I know that video cards with custom loop WBs sell for less than air cooled ones.
100% agree
Just buy Byski or barrow stuff. Used both and they are fine for less than 50% the cost of EK. I have a EK CPU block, the RGB led strip on it failed, they sent another, guess what.....It has failed again. I have taken it off.
Barrow have a copy of EK torque adapters, which is nice
 
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It's hard for me to know what's going to happen. EK is one of the few manufacturers in high-quality PC cooling equipment, and wages the price of its targeted production . All contractors, however, are pulling products to their norm and only complicating supply and development .
Here is an account of importing foreign grip every once in a while from China! And the price of products and services has jumped 30 to 50% and also more in Europe.
 
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This is what happens when you think you have pricing power when you don't.
 
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Ouch, feel bad for the employees but the block prices are Insane. For very little improvement in temperature and a block that costs a little over 2x as much as my 1080Ti one... I've had to make a hard pass.

It's not worth it.
 
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Just buy Byski or barrow stuff. Used both and they are fine for less than 50% the cost of EK.
This: I bought a Byiski from Ali Express for my Vega 64 and had it sitting around for a while. I built a mining rig and used the Vega 64 with the Byiski block. My GPU temps are 56 C while mining. That is actually quite excellent as the HBM sits under the GPU.
 
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So, I feel less than fantastic about the people let go.

At the same time, it's been years since overclocking really benefitted from simply slapping a water block onto the components for most consumers. Let's be real here, the 2xxx series (sandy bridge) was the last time that Intel really made an absolute banger (for the purposes of overclocking). Every subsequent generation has either required that you fix their garbage paste, or otherwise jump through hoops.

Despite this, they've managed to sell insane amounts of stuff...with what appears to be significant profit margins based upon the manufacturing costs and continuing push for lower quality controls and process controls. Read: the coating issues and general push for more cost generationally. This seems more driven by high end GPUs...but when a GPU costs as much as two consoles it's hard to see "normal" gamers shelling out that money...let alone another 25-50% on a custom water cooling loop.


As someone who still has a couple of their components, I'm really disappointed with their more recent offerings...and they state that a 25% loss in personnel is somehow a pivot rather than a deeply concerning lack of manpower. It's funny...most companies are stating that they cannot get labor. EK is stating that 25% of their company isn't necessary...and then turning around and reinforcing their commitment to innovation, which is a costly thing. It's high risk, but high rewards. It kinda seems like a shrinking viable market, competing with the idiot resistant AIOs being sold, and a general requirement to compete with much lower cost air cooling is making the marginal benefits of custom water cooling not viable.
I say this, while running a 3930k that most definitely benefitted from being run under water, and constructed a decade ago with EK fittings. That said, the last time I reached out for water cooling was 8 years ago with the initial terrifyingly bad Intel thermal paste between the IHS and chip design. I've got nothing since Ryzen 1 that really saw the need for water cooling...but also haven't touched thread ripper or the high end Intel stuff. That said, when a decade of progress makes a $600 processor get comparable core counts to a $230 one (3930k versus 5600x) it's hard to see why I'd spend all that money on custom water instead of plowing it into a better set of components. Hate to say this, but when computers last 3-5 years it's really difficult to invest hundreds into any component.


I guess EK is gambling on progress slowing down over time. If that was your gamble, it makes perfect sense to diversify now, and make products that are cheaper. Shed your skilled labor force, claim it's the Coof, and come back with a competitive product in a lower bracket where anything goofy you've done is overlooked. Then, over years, degrade the product to be 110% of the performance of cheaper stuff at 130% the price because of name recognition. I believe in the business we call this the Dutch gamble. Let me explain, in about 2010 Dutch investors bought up the primary cookie manufacturer which competed with Pillsbury in the US. They immediately cut costs by compromising their premium brands with bad input materials, but retained the premium price tag. Their gamble was consumers would still think the brand premium...so profit margins would go up. This worked for a time, until they actually made cookies that were at Pillsbury quality levels, at which point their perception became even worse than Pillsbury because of the huge up-charge. They then had to under-cost Pillsbury to remain afloat, making overall profit margins tank. Pillsbury managed to ignore all changes, become viewed as a premium brand, and get a bunch of new customers because the Dutch investors gambled that increased profit margins would trump Pillsbury, and they would never have to compete with them as a "premium" brand...despite their removal of all premium qualities. It almost sounds like EK is lining this up...but what do I know?
 
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At the same time, it's been years since overclocking really benefitted from simply slapping a water block onto the components for most consumers. Let's be real here, the 2xxx series (sandy bridge) was the last time that Intel really made an absolute banger (for the purposes of overclocking). Every subsequent generation has either required that you fix their garbage paste, or otherwise jump through hoops.
5820k, 5960x was not the banger?

5820k the best modern intel cpu with highest longevity, outperforms ryzen 3600X, while released in 2014
same with 5960x(E5-1660v3) 80-110$ now
 
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Just finished building a complete EK water cooling kit for fun on their site and it would cost about 900 euro! :confused:

I remember doing pretty much the same build mid 2018 and it seems prices have gone up by at least 50%.
 
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Hi,
Ek tax did this to them :laugh:
 
D

Deleted member 177333

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Ya I just was pricing out a new CPU block as I'm upgrading in about a week...the block was more expensive with another $25 in shipping versus a Corsair block which is cheaper and has free shipping. I decided to give the Corsair a try this time. Love EK, but I don't think a 40-50% upcharge is worth it. Hope they can get their prices down a bit and get better shipping costs.
 
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Ya I just was pricing out a new CPU block as I'm upgrading in about a week...the block was more expensive with another $25 in shipping versus a Corsair block which is cheaper and has free shipping. I decided to give the Corsair a try this time. Love EK, but I don't think a 40-50% upcharge is worth it. Hope they can get their prices down a bit and get better shipping costs.
They are charging way too much for their product offers. $400 Euros for a Distro plate is ridiculous. In terms of accessibility and pricing Corsair has them beat hands down. I like EK for the little things like single slot bracket but they want too much money and I have already had a block fail and them basically blame me for it even though G 1/4 is supposed to be a standard so quality is no different.
 
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100% agree

Barrow have a copy of EK torque adapters, which is nice
How is this nice?
A company actually invests in designing something, it looks awesome amd and different than everything else on the market.
Has to lay off people for not reaching certain sales, but hey, it's nice that a Chinese brand with no imagination, support team, proper webshop, or a human approach to employees ... rips off designs from others and sells it for less.
How the F is that nice!?!??
 
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Hi,
Copying someone else's products is the best form of flattery, it's up to the original designer to take action if they don't it's their problem like caselabs and thermalfake

EK made their pricing bed employs get to lay in it
They chose overly complicated expensive manufacturing design and it's hurting their sells period.
 

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@Steamroller , if the deleted posts haven't been clue enough - it's time to stop personally attacking other forum members, if you wish to continue being one.
 
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