Closer Examination

The EK-Quantum Magnitude CPU block has several more top options than usual for such products, with EK offering not only the usual acetal and plexi tops but also a "full-nickel" which is nickel-plated brass really, and another metal top in the form of a satin titanium finish that's likely nickel plated on passivated brass. There is also a Lignum edition using a machined walnut wood top for those who want to have wood in their system. I have the plexi top version here as evident from the photos above, and all versions use this clean square form factor that I have come to associate with EK's CPU blocks all the way back from my very first proper review quite a while ago of the EK-Supremacy EVO. Also helping maintain the design ID is the expected EK badge at the bottom right corner used for branding, with Magnitude also etched on the mounting bracket frame itself along the side. There are two BSP G1/4" threaded ports on the top that are spaced far enough apart from each other and the edge to allow all typically used fittings these days to be installed easily—gone are the days of large 3/4" x 1/2" soft tube compression fittings and even large quick connect fittings! The port spacing as well as the block height itself is designed for compatibility with EK's Matrix7 product raster. Note the absence of in/out markings here though—the port on the left as seen in the images above is the preferred inlet in this configuration, however it can be swapped around by the end user easily, as we will see shortly.


A look from the side reveals more about the modular nature of the EK-Quantum Magnitude which has not only the aluminium frame acting as a mounting bracket but also an inner accent piece in a nickel-plated brass finish. The other pre-assembled versions of the Magnitude have different accents, and even the frame switches from this native silver on the aluminium hold-down bracket to a black-anodized finish on some of them as an aesthetics choice. There is a cutout at each corner for the installation hardware and EK's taken advantage here to allow for the attached cable from the integrated RGB LEDs to come out of a small gap between the frame and the accent piece/top enclosure itself. The cable is 50-cm long and terminates in a standard 3-pin connector going to your motherboard's own 3-pin, 5 V addressable RGB LED header.


Turning the block around, we see a plastic sticker over the cold plate that protects it during transit, with a warning reminding users to remove it prior to installation. The EK-Quantum Magnitude comes in either copper or nickel-plated copper cold plate options and I have the latter here in this "nickel/plexi" variant. EK says this cold plate design is their first produced with a lathe-turned base for a curvature to better fit the CPU IHS and is one of the reasons why there are separate blocks for the different CPU sockets. The cold plate contact surface is machined quite flat and is smooth to the touch, albeit you can see machining marks in the absence of a further polish, which some might take as not feeling premium enough. On this note I can guarantee that you won't notice any performance difference whether the cold plate is polished or not. There are also two deliberate marks on the cold plate and frame to help end users identify the correct orientation of the cold plate during any re-assembly, if done. This mark also confirms the use of a curved (convex shape) cold plate, as opposed to a flat one.


Disassembly was done after all testing was completed, something EK promotes given how the EK-Quantum Magnitude is meant to be a heavily customizable block in both function and form. Indeed, the provided Allen key helps remove the four socket head screws on the back that hold everything together, but do take photos at each step to make sure you put back everything correctly. The cold plate comes off along with the frame/mounting bracket piece allowing for a a closer examination at the deliberately machined cutouts which will be handy for installation, as we will see on the next page.


Then we get to the rest of the components in the form of the actual top, the insert piece, the flexible LED PCB, and the aforementioned accent piece that the LED PCB goes into and allows for the 30 individually addressable RGB LEDs here to shine light inwards through the plexi top. The insert is an idea EK had used for a while now to try and get socket-specific flow and mounting optimization and the EK-Quantum Magnitude takes this further by also accounting for thermal dissipation paired with an optimal jet plate thickness—all of 0.6 mm in this case. There are O-rings on either side of the insert and another on the underside of the top all to help keep the coolant flowing through the desired pathways. What you can also do now is effectively swap the orientation of the block as well as the desired inlet/outlet pathway, as outlined in the manual, so as to allow for the desired plumbing pathway in your loop and not worry about any lost performance. You can also swap out the accent piece based on the spare parts sold by EK. I also decided to rotate the LED PCB around to where the cable was now exiting from another side for easier cable management on my test bed. You will notice EK also sells conversion kits allowing the same Magnitude block to cool other sockets that are compatible with the same cold plate design, or even replacement tops, should you wish to go with acetal or metal versions instead.

The cold plate on this LGA 1700 version has a light convex bow to it as previously discussed. You can still purchase a flat copper or nickel-plated copper cold plate for use with lapped IHS CPUs though, and this is another point of customization available on the Magnitude series. The stock cold plate measures in at 56.3 mm across and 3.35 mm (3.55 in the contact area) thick, which is above average and can be a larger barrier to heat transfer all else being equal. Given the recessed fins and channels relative to the base of the underside of the cold plate, I am unable to reliably measure the thickness of the two as well as the height of the fins, but this does help counter the thicker cold plate in bringing the additional heat transfer surface area closer to the CPU IHS. A cursory examination reveals consistent machining with channels that are thick enough (400 µm rated between 260 µm thick fins) to allow coolant to flow through without as big a pressure drop as one would think upon first glance. The fins occupy an area of 43.1 x 35.3 mm, which does involve some of the staggered steps at the corners and further adds to the active hear transfer area compared even to the newer design of the EK-Quantum Velocity².