Okay, so the questions posed on page one were answered. The two blocks use significantly different designs, so it is not a case of EK engineers coming over to CORSAIR and doing what they did before. With CORSAIR, their aim was to have a more user-friendly installation while offering a lower-cost alternative. The Hydro XG7 RGB 10-Series has higher GPU compatibility and a lower price point. Perhaps it was because of the different power delivery aboard, going from the RTX 2070 to the 2080 and 2080 Ti/Titan RTX, and ensuring that the pre-applied thermal pads were still a thing meant having different SKUs, which turned into dedicating a different production line to each of these blocks and drove up cost. The equivalent for the RTX 2070 costing less because of a smaller block is indicative of this.

In contrast, EKWB chose the approach of having the same cooling engine for more GPUs, which meant the end user had to work out how to install it amid the common hardware provided and no paper manual, but with more choices of top and cold plate and the option to go with or without RGB. As such, you can get away with a $140 EK block without a backplate, and it would be the less expensive offering, but an equivalent version with the backplate would also be closer to $200. The EK block fared better in every single test, only just but still, yet I would be hard-pressed to recommend either based on pure performance or coolant flow restriction alone. It is interesting that two different design philosophies end up faring so similarly anyway, which has it come down to what you prioritize. If you want a lower barrier of entry in both cost and effort, go with the CORSAIR GPU block. However, you may want to pony up the extra after all if you want more choice in appearances, especially if the CORSAIR aesthetic is not to your liking and you are perhaps not a fan of iCUE.