EK Goes Outside the Box With New Pass-Through PCI Expansion Slot

[GFreeman]

EK, the world-renowned manufacturer of premium water-cooling equipment, is introducing the specialized PCI expansion slot cover, the EK-Loop PCI Bracket Pass-Through. This cleverly designed PCI bracket provides an efficient solution for PC enthusiasts seeking to elevate their custom water-cooling experience by providing seamless connectivity for external cooling solutions, such as external radiators. With the EK-Loop PCI Bracket Pass-Through, users can maximize the potential of their water-cooling setup without being limited by the case size.

This specialized PCI expansion slot cover boasts two integrated pass-through fittings and a convenient cable management hole, ensuring a tidy and organized setup. With two G1/4" ports on each side, users can choose their preferred tubing type and size, granting them complete control over their water-cooling configuration. Specifically designed for this PCI expansion slot cover, the integrated pass-through adapter fittings ensure a secure and reliable connection. The cable management hole, equipped with a rubber gasket, protects cables from friction damage as they pass through the metal gap on the bracket.



A key highlight of the EK-Loop PCI Bracket Pass-Through is its user-friendly installation process. By occupying one unused PCI expansion slot cover, it effortlessly integrates into any setup. Unlike traditional methods that involve drilling holes through the case, this product streamlines the water-cooling setup process, saving users time and effort while ensuring no risk of voiding the warranty or compromising the resale value of the PC case.

Availability and Pricing
The EK-Loop PCI Bracket Pass-Through is made in Slovenia, Europe, and is available for order through the EK Webshop and Partner Reseller Network. suggested retail price (MSRP) for the EK-Quantum Torque Pass-Through G1/4 - Black is 28.90€, VAT included.

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[HBSound]

Thank you - I will take one!

 

[Canned Noodles]

Remember what they took from you…

 

[huggi]

Doesn't Alphacool and several other brands already offer this for years already?

Remember what they took from you…

Interesting to remember why grommets were a thing, then not a thing, and now could be a thing again: cases in the past were not designed for watercooling so they had limited space to mount radiators internally, hence the need to pass tubing outside to some external radiators. Then as AIOs and custom loop support became better to the point where dual 280s or dual 360s internally are quite common, the need for grommets decreased and they eventually disappeared. However, the recent generations of CPUs and GPUs have increased the heat load to the point where external radiators are becoming feasible again (not to mention an increasing interest in SFF/compact builds).

 

[Braegnok]

Doesn't Alphacool and several other brands already offer this for years already?


Interesting to remember why grommets were a thing, then not a thing, and now could be a thing again: cases in the past were not designed for watercooling so they had limited space to mount radiators internally, hence the need to pass tubing outside to some external radiators. Then as AIOs and custom loop support became better to the point where dual 280s or dual 360s internally are quite common, the need for grommets decreased and they eventually disappeared. However, the recent generations of CPUs and GPUs have increased the heat load to the point where external radiators are becoming feasible again (not to mention an increasing interest in SFF/compact builds).

I have the Alphacool passthrough on my AM5 chassis, it works very well.

 

[HBSound]

I have the Alphacool passthrough on my AM5 chassis, it works very well.

View attachment 317389 View attachment 317390

Do you ever have days you have to disconnect the water cool? Move your PC to do some quick work. Do the fans provide enough cooling during those moments?

 

[AnarchoPrimitiv]

I have the Alphacool passthrough on my AM5 chassis, it works very well.

View attachment 317389 View attachment 317390

What's aquacomputer control board do you have in there? Would you mind running over what it does and what you use it for? Sorry, very interested in their new RGB controller and want to talk to someone who has used their controllers before...

 

[bonehead123]

Dammit, I knew I should have patented this idea several years ago, when I created the same thing for a gamr client, using my dremel tool, about 10 mins of my time, a couple of fittings, and a blank metal pci slot cover...for which I only charged him $10 extra....

Oh well

 

[TechLurker]

Doesn't Alphacool and several other brands already offer this for years already?

Yep.

Alphacool has the real nice Panamax/Panama HF 38 PCI passthrough, and can even use larger G 3/8ths fittings if the adapters are removed.
Koolance has an old passthrough that also had a slot for a serial port.
Watercool used to have a similar PCI passthrough like Alphacool's, but didn't have the massive high-flow channels that Alphacool's did.

Having owned all 3, Alphacool's is hands-down the best. The issue is removing stuck fittings, since the adapters are more likely to screw off compared to the G1/4 fittings. Koolance's was novel in that it just relied on very high friction press-fittings to get keep it together and had an open slot to pass through wiring or another tube if needed, but it was a PITA trying to take off fittings without accidentally pulling it apart at the slot. Watercool's was nicer than the Koolance's, but a common fix was to try and bore out the PCI plate a bit more for slightly less restriction using a dremel.

Interesting to remember why grommets were a thing, then not a thing, and now could be a thing again: cases in the past were not designed for watercooling so they had limited space to mount radiators internally, hence the need to pass tubing outside to some external radiators. Then as AIOs and custom loop support became better to the point where dual 280s or dual 360s internally are quite common, the need for grommets decreased and they eventually disappeared. However, the recent generations of CPUs and GPUs have increased the heat load to the point where external radiators are becoming feasible again (not to mention an increasing interest in SFF/compact builds).

We're coming full circle to having separated Radiator/Fan complexes (or chillers) again. I wonder if there will be a revision of the classic MO-RA3, which has been the most popular external rad for years. Both versions generally rivaled 3x 360s or 3x 420s in terms of cooling performance.

 

[Broken Processor]

Time to break out my zalman reserator tower.
I use to overclock using these back in the day by using bags of ice as needed.
The built in pump was rubbish so I took it out and used a D5 in the pc. It was honestly amazing fun to use.

 

[ypsylon]

This is a bit of hit and miss.

Hit if you have no issues with clearance between slots and cards.

Miss if you do.

This is much better product: https://shop.watercool.de/PCI-Slot-Pass-Through

POM core and you can use slimmer fittings if used between cards or in super narrow spaces.

Obviously best idea are simple holes drilled into the wall as cases had for years until they disappeared for some weird reason.

 

[Random_User]

Remember what they took from you…
View attachment 317387

"Everything new is well forgotten old"

Also this PCI bracket might be more suitable to be placed into vertical mount slots, instead of the ones that can be used for extension cards, but also for safety reasons.
It won't be a surprise, if this will make an influence on the case manufacturers, to add more vertical slots for this exact reason.

Dammit, I knew I should have patented this idea several years ago, when I created the same thing for a gamr client, using my dremel tool, about 10 mins of my time, a couple of fittings, and a blank metal pci slot cover...for which I only charged him $10 extra....

Oh well

Are you upset you can't charge your clients more?

 

[Braegnok]

Do you ever have days you have to disconnect the water cool? Move your PC to do some quick work. Do the fans provide enough cooling during those moments?

I can disconnect chassis from the MO-RA 420 Pro,.. the external lines going into chassis have QC connectors.

However with the water lines disconnected,.. I would not start system, as CPU, GPU are both water cooled.

 

[HBSound]

I can disconnect chassis from the MO-RA 420 Pro,.. the external lines going into chassis have QC connectors.

However with the water lines disconnected,.. I would not start system, as CPU, GPU are both water cooled.

Thank you so much!

 

[Braegnok]

What's aquacomputer control board do you have in there? Would you mind running over what it does and what you use it for? Sorry, very interested in their new RGB controller and want to talk to someone who has used their controllers before...

Aquaero 5,.. You can find a complete functional description here: https://aquacomputer.de/aquaero-5.html

 

[Nordic]

Remember what they took from you…
View attachment 317387

I HATED those things. They would fall off during the build or in 2-3 get hard and brittle.

 

[HBSound]

When using an item like this, how do you create a buy pass IF you already have an existing loop in the system?

What if you inserted something like this into the system so that one day IF your cooling needed some external help - how do you have access?

As I think about this, you insert something like this into the loop. The current loop is no complete? How do you by pass something like this an keep the loop active?