Introduction

Thus far, all of my GPU water block reviews have been on the reference NVIDIA GTX 1080 PCB for which more companies offer compatible products simply because they sell more. For a change, I wanted to cover how companies handle third-party PCBs that differ greatly from NVIDIA's reference design, and what better way to do so than by using the popular ASUS Strix variant? This PCB design is wider, longer, and uses taller inductors, which are all a challenge to GPU-block manufacturers, and today, we do a two-in-one by comparing products from EKWB and Bykski. Thanks to both for providing samples for this test.


As an example, I have an image above of the "EK-FC1080 GTX Ti Strix - Nickel" installed on the card. The name is a handful, and the way these words are arranged doesn't necessarily make sense, but you can see immediately how the block design is more complex here in having to handle everything. For instance, consider the use of a thin stainless steel plate to allow the coolant to pass from one zone to another to accommodate the tall inductors where acrylic or POM acetal could not be easily milled, or having cutouts to make sure no capacitors hit the top.

When Bykski first came to the attention of the western world, similarities to EKWB were extremely easy to find, especially when it came to their CPU and GPU water blocks. Bykski did not have a good time then, and perhaps it was good that they waited for a few years before expanding outside of Asia since they now have their own distinct ID via their "FOUR" series to where they are legitimately a big brand where it counts. They have contracts with Colorful and Thermaltake, whereas EKWB has gone from strength to strength and has added contracts with ASUS and MSI, so the parallels continue. So let's us without much further ado begin our detailed look at both GPU water blocks now.

Packaging and Accessories- EKWB

EKWB recently updated their product packaging such that the colors are specific to the product category, with orange for the water blocks themselves. As such, we see a large box with an orange and white color scheme in use here, with the EK logo and product name on the front, along with which particular option of the block is inside (nickel plexi in this case). On the back, we see specs mentioned in multiple languages, along with EKWB's contact information at the bottom. Nothing but the pattern continues on the side, and we see two seals at each end which need to be removed/cut before it becomes apparent that we have only been looking at a sleeve all along.


The inner box is out of orange cardboard, and it is mostly plain-looking aside from the marketing features printed on the back. There is a single flap in the middle that acts as a final barrier to prevent the contents inside from coming loose. Opening the box, we see the accessories on the top compartment, if you will, with a reminder that EKWB sells more than just water blocks. Here, we get a printed installation manual (online copy here), two spare stop plugs, thermal pads, a 1 g tube of EK-TIM Ectotherm thermal paste, two Allen keys to aid in installation, and the installation hardware kit itself that has four different screw types, some metal nuts, and some PVC washers. You will not be using all of these as EKWB now provides a generic installation kit to be used with all their GPU blocks such that it makes more sense for them to save time here and provide more material at the volume of sales they are operating at. Hence why the provided installation manual is so important. The actual block is in the lower compartment with a thin foam sheet below for further protection.


EKWB also provided a backplate to go along with the water block, and we will be sure to use it in our testing as well. We can see that the product packaging follows a similar format with the orange color scheme, except that there is not enough to warrant a two-piece packaging here - cutting open the two seals here shows that we have two flaps on the packaging and all the contents inside this box.


EKWB has wrapped the contents in a plastic sheet with a tamper-proof seal on the end, and inside, we see the installation manual (online copy here) along with the installation hardware, which is item-specific in this case. As such, we get a thermal pad strip, two sets of metal screws, some metal nuts, and PVC washers.


The backplate itself came between two paper sheets to prevent any scratches to the finish due to the other components included here, and I received the nickel-plated aluminum backplate as seen above. EKWB also makes available a black anodized aluminum version should the shiny finish here not be to your liking. I will say that I was not sure I would like this nickel finish, and it definitely was hard to photograph without reflections of objects in it, but it has definitely grown on me and is my preferred backplate finish now. The reflections of the rest of your loop and the motherboard in it make for a look that is unique to this finish. There is a "Strix" marking etched into the bottom right, next to an EKWB logo sticker with a blue protective cover on it that can be peeled off to reveal a silver finish that goes well with the rest of the backplate. On the other side, we see sections raised relative to the plate of the backplate that will touch the back of the GPU PCB when installed.

Packaging and Accessories- Bykski

Byksi has had a big update to their product design and packaging in recent months, with their FOUR series of water blocks taking up the mantle of a flagship tier in their portfolio. The block they sent is part of this series, and the packaging adopts a black and blue color scheme with the Bykski logo printed in large blue to go along with a smaller version on the front and the Ice Dragon name in the bottom-right corner. Missing is the "FOUR" mention here, and I am not sure if Ice Dragon is a product series or not. On the side are technical specs as well as a label to indicate the exact model of the block inside. We also have two seals on the side that help keep the contents inside in check.


Opening the box, we see an installation manual inside a plastic pouch and lots of soft foam on the sides and bottom to protect the block with compartments cut into the foam for the rest of the accessories. Here, too, we have thermal pad strips, two spare stop plugs, and installation hardware which - surprise, surprise - is similar to EKWB's in that it is also a generic kit with more parts than what you need. Bykski has even gone further in making a single manual with instructions for all the GPU blocks of a generation, so you do end up with a large manual and having to figure out which part to refer to since there is not much English used. As seen above, the block itself is snug inside the packaging. No thermal paste is provided here though, so that is a minor con. However, Bykski did say that my sample shipped out just before they made the decision to bundle in RGB lighting and a controller with every block at the same cost, so keep that in mind.