So it’s been a while since we did a large news roundup, but as the holidays approach we are expecting news to start slowing down and being held for CES. So here’s whats new in the world of water cooling
GPU Blocks
As always when there is a new GPU launch like the GTX980/970 we see a bunch of new blocks. However Nvidia chose not to release a reference 970 at launch (though there finally is one) and so the only 970’s were custom PCBs and so water cooling support has been a bit muddled out of the gate. We already covered a bunch of the 980 blocks at launch so let’s cover what’s been updated since then:
Alphacool:
Alphacool updated their “hybrid/universal” solution for the GTX980 quite quickly as expected. There are two versions right now – the M01 is for the Asus Strix, while the M02 is for the reference cards. They both look similar:
Of most interest is that the backplate has been updated from the troublesome style we saw in the 290 review and this hopefully will solve all the compatability issues we had in the 290 full cover and universal block roundups. Yay for progress!
There will probably be more versions and you can find the compatability list for Alphacool and Nvidia GPU models here.
Bitspower:
Bitspower have still only shown renderings though they have been updated and there is a compatability list sadly no pics of the real block yet. Performance PC’s however claims to have stock:
Watercool:
There are no pics yet but Watercool’s compatability list says that a reference block is coming soon.
XSPC:
XSPC did launch their block and it’s available for purchase at reseller’s – here’s a pic and as expected it follows their usual style:
Now let’s look at the messy world of the GTX970. The reference GTX970 only just launched a few days ago and so far has only be seen at Best Buy of all places retailing at $379.99. It uses the same standard Nvidia cool that’s been in play since Titan. We have no word yet if this is compatible with Reference GTX 980 waterblocks. We would guess that it is, but we would also hold off buying a block until it’s known for sure.
Alphacool:
Alphacool has two versions launched already and a third “coming soon”. You’ll want to check the compatability list here.
The M01 covers many 970 cards and also some 670 cards. The M02 covers a few less 970 cards but also some 760 cards. The M03 covers the Gigabyte Gaming and Windforce cards.
The M01 weirdly has the ports coming out of the end of the GPU.
AquaComputer:
No word on GTX 970 blocks
Bitspower:
No word on Bitspower doing a 970 block, but then they didn’t do a 670 or 760 block which could have been repurposed as those PCB’s were reused by some companies for the 970 design.
EK:
EK usually supports almost every card under the sun. So far for the 970 we have:
EK-FC970 GTX TF5 which supports the MSI Twin Frozr V based cards. As always check compatability through their “cooling configurator”.
We then also have the support for the “Short Type” GTX 970:
And let’s not forget the 670 and 760 blocks also support some 970 cards too. As usual all these blocks come in a multitude of flavors, e.g. plexi or acetal, nickel or copper etc.
Koolance:
No word on GTX 970 blocks
Swiftech:
No word on GTX 970 blocks
Watercool:
Watercool actually launched 970 blocks before their 980 block. This is because again it’s a reworked 670/760 block:
This is also why it’s not quite as pretty as their recent acrylic blocks!
XSPC:
XSPC’s GTX 670 is compatible with some 970’s – you can find the list here. There is no specific design for the 970 though.
EVGA:
No word on a hydrocopper GTX 970 block
“Other” GPU blocks
Of course not everything is about Maxwell. EK also launched a block for Tonga – the R9-285:
And a single slot block for the FirePro W8100:
Other Waterblocks
Of course earlier in the month we had the paper launch of the Heatkiller IV. No other CPU blocks have been announced, however we do have some motherboard blocks. Mainly for X99.
As always let’s start alphabetically. Bitspower launched their Z97 range of monoblocks for ROG boards:
Z97 Impact courtesy of OC3D:
Z97 Hero/Ranger courtesy of OC3D:
Z97 Formula
Then there are the X99 blocks- Rampage V Extreme monoblock:
And the non ROG Asus X99:
Overall the look is really quite chunky now. Particularly that slab of gold.
So far EK have covered the MSI XPower VRMs with a pretty unique looking block to also cover the rear of the board:
A generic VRM heatsink for Asus X99:
As well as a full south bridge and VRM kit for both the Rampage V Extreme:
And the Gigabyte X99 boards:
We expect there to also be some monoblocks coming from EK too.
Sadly we have not seen any motherboard blocks from any other company. Companies should realize that by ceding this space they are losing sales on matching CPU blocks, VRAM blocks and even GPU blocks, particularly for motherboards that are popular amongst enthusiasts like the Rampage V Extreme.
Pumps
Alphacool have decided to launch a detuned version of the DDC called the DDC310. It’s a 10W version that comes with a built in heatsink
We’re a bit confused as to why. But you can see the full range here.
Pumps/Reservoirs/Rads
There have been very few radiators combined with pumps, however after Asetek threatened to sue Swiftech over the H220, Swiftech moved the pump from the cpu block to the Radiator. Now you can buy the radiators with their combined pump and reservoir out of the Swiftech kits seperately. We think this is great and really useful for SFF builds. Hopefully we’ll see a whole range of these. Currently the 140mm version sells for $90:
AquaComputer RGB Controller
RGB LED strips are all the range. Particuarly the cheap ones from ebay that come with a built in controller. AquaComputer however are looking to make your life easier, and interface with Aquaero setup meaning the color can change based on temperatures. The LED controller can even be controlled by your smartphone (although the chinese variants had this option too). However this board allows 4 strips to be plugged in easily at once which means less risk of you having to solder anything, plus it comes with a molex header unlike the chinese versions. No doubt it will be more expensive though.
That’s it for now!
