Closer Examination

So what is an active backplate, I hear you ask? Different companies have different interpretations, and EK integrated an actual water block into the backplate. At first glance, it looks similar to the block EK made for the Intel 750 SSD, or even something more of an enterprise solution. But this is far simpler than that, and we will get to it shortly. There are two versions for the reference RTX 3080/3090 PCB, with either an acetal top or a plexi top. Both get a nickel-plated copper cold plate only, which EK no doubt decided on to keep things simple on what is an extremely niche product.

Ten H2.5 mm screws go through the plexi top and into the metal cold plate to secure and keep everything together, with a large O-ring to keep the liquid flowing through where it should without leaking out. The see-through top allows us to get a good look at the coolant moving through if colored, as well as the RGB lighting from eight D-RGB LEDs shining into the block from the side. An acetal accent piece on the end houses these LEDs underneath, and an EK badge has been placed on the corner as well. A closer look shows the machining marks on the backplate, which are practically invisible when installed in a case.


Compared to the design language adopted by EK in the Quantum Vector GPU blocks, things are simpler with aesthetics that are more in line with the EK-Classic series. The acetal piece on the front is not used as an accent, but, rather, to hide the PCB with the d-RGB LEDs. Funnily, this smaller block has more LEDs than the actual GPU block with only five LEDs, though. A flat ribbon cable coming out the bottom ends in a 3-pin 5 V connector. You need a compatible D-RGB header to power and control the lighting, which most motherboards these days include, or a dedicated lighting controller.


The I/O terminal is a rectangular cuboid, which is again closer to the EK-Classic than EK-Quantum series, but I forgot all about the actual shape once I laid my eyes on that massive plexi terminal. Keep in mind that this active backplate is meant to be used with a compatible EK-Quantum Vector GPU block, with this terminal replacing the stock one on the GPU bock. As a result, it is wide enough to accommodate both blocks and ensure flow across the two. This is also where we see a pathway going from one block to the other, which means the two blocks end up in series flow. The terminal is polished nicely, as is the rest of the plexi top that gives us a first look at the cooling engine employed. Out of the box, there is a cover plate on the bottom with three screws going through the terminal and into it.


Turning things around, we see a QC sticker on the side of what is ultimately a cold plate now. It is still based on the regular EK-Quantum Vector backplate, having a similar design we saw already. Engravings on either side of the recess accommodating the GPU core and other components soldered onto the PCB say this is indeed an EK-Quantum Vector product made for the RTX 3080/3090. The contact surfaces do not get a mirror polish, but are quite smooth to the touch, which will work just fine with thermal paste. More machining marks here, but these are buffed for a smoother contact surface with the thermal pads and, in turn, the VRAM/VRM modules. As seen above, some raised sections assist with this. There is one section where the plating is less than satisfactory, though. I am not sure whether that QC sticker is there because this is functionally irrelevant, as there is no contact with coolant here. It is still an ugly blemish I don't want to see, especially on what ends up being an expensive niche product for those with the money to spare.


As per usual, disassembly was done after all testing was complete, and the hex tool provided with the EK GPU blocks works well for removing the ten screws on the top that hold the block together. Once done, the top can be removed completely for closer examination, which reveals polishing everywhere, including above the channels for the coolant pathway, an improvement over what we saw with the EK-Quantum Vector GPU block. Note also that as with the GPU block, the terminal piece is separately screwed into the cold plate. It is at this point that we find out the cold plate is just inserted into a frame of sorts, which also comes off easily.


This frame is actually exactly the same backplate we saw paired with the EK-Quantum Vector GPU block. So EK took an existing nickel-finished backplate to match the nickel-plated cold plate for the block section, cut it out in the middle to accommodate the GPU block itself, and retained the rest of the backplate to make this a full-cover, full-length backplate. Neat, if I say so myself! The cold plate for the block section is relatively simple and adopts a serial-flow pathway rather than the split central-inlet flow on the GPU block itself. The coolant flows from the left (or right), goes over the VRAM modules on the back if present, and through the GPU core on the back before completing the route on the other side over more memory modules and exiting the block to either enter the GPU block or exit the sandwich and move on to the next major component of your watercooling loop.


There are all of five wide fins here, which I can't even call microfins. This is in contrast to the 27 microfins which increase the contact surface area for heat dissipation from the GPU core on the GPU block. Between the fins are microchannels so wide that there is barely going to be an increased pressure drop with the GPU block and active backplate compared to the GPU block by itself. Don't expect to see much more cooling for the core with this, although the increased coolant flowing through on both sides does mean there is more coolant mass and material to take up heat.