When I went about doing a big GPU block roundup, I knew I had to prepare for a few sticker shocks with many blocks increasing in cost owing to the rising material cost over the last couple of years, especially for copper and aluminium. The average GPU block now costs $150+, and many do not include a backplate at that price point, either. Watercool is one of those selling the backplate separately, but I was not expecting the all-new Heatkiller V to be one of the least expensive GPU blocks by itself for the acetal/copper version. The German company thus ends up being one of the more affordable options this time around, and perhaps having a smaller payroll to deal with helped here.

This is all the more impressive given the Heatkiller V is, at least in my opinion, the best-looking and feeling GPU block of this generation I have tested to date. Thanks to an enthusiastic marketing rep, I ended up with not only the ACRYL NI-BL block for the reference RTX 3080 but also the ACRYL NI for the EVGA XC3 variant, which allowed a closer look at two different versions for the RTX 3080 family this time around. Both are gorgeous, use the most metal of any of the other blocks tested to date, and are the furthest thing from cheap subjectively. You will pay more for these versions, and do shop around since some resellers in the US seem to be selling them for far more than others. The product segmentation makes sense in terms of aesthetics and other tangible changes, including ARGB support with the higher-end options.

There is the new cooling engine with a more vertical split around the core and patterned flow around the VRAM modules, which helps eek out top place thus far for GPU cooling with a block by itself, as it is only bested by the EK block and active backplate combination. VRAM cooling is very good, too; however, VRM cooling and liquid-flow restriction end up marginally worse than average. The ARGB lighting comes in the form of twenty LEDs, which results in a very impressive light show of only minimal differences across the top. The lighting may also be powered and controlled from your motherboard for easier coordination with other RGB products.

I don't see much of a reason to get the EK blocks this time around since the EK-Quantum Vector costs more for the respective GPU block and backplate unless you fall in one of two categories: The first would be if you need the EK active backplate, especially in the case of the RTX 3090. The second and far more significant one comes in the form of Watercool being late to the party and also supporting far fewer GPU SKUs. I suppose if you were one of those who only recently got their hands on the RTX 3080, it's not as big a deal, but the delays with getting the products out have led to many frustrations and sales elsewhere already. I understand Watercool is working on improving this, and the sooner, the better.

Compared to the others, Alphacool again enjoys the benefit of more GPU support and is more competitively priced. The Alphacool blocks also adopt a novel coolant flow that keeps pressure drop low. The side-port acetal option is a contender, but I think the equivalent plexi top version just looks too busy, and it doesn't perform as well. CORSAIR is the real competition here, with pricing that includes a backplate by default, but without any real cooling on the back. The build quality is quite decent there, but the Heatkiller V just oozes more in person. Overall, I am quite happy to recommend the Heatkiller V GPU block if you are in the market for one.