EK vs Phanteks GPU block for Asus Strix

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Apr 5, 2016
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Hi all! I'm shopping for a block for my Asus Strix 1080ti, and while not reference design, it appears that EK, Phanteks, and Bitspower all make blocks for it.

Bitspower is out of the question; it just looks like butts to me.

I'm most partial to the Phanteks block, but have read they've had quality issues. EK's block would be my second choice aesthetically, but I've come to understand that EK's quality is pretty consistently good.

Any opinions from owners of those blocks, for the Asus ROG Strix 1080ti?
 
I've got the Phanteks for the Asus Strix 1080Ti OC but it is still in its box since I am just putting my rig together these days. I am going through several mods to my case so things got delayed.

Anyway, it looks solidly built to me, great packaging and you can use your stock back plate with it too. I liked its design better than EK and I mostly got it to avoid air turbulance and heat from the fans.
I am sure the EK is fine too but check out whether there is a way to use the stock backplate (I like it better than the EK) and also check the serial number on your card since there were some issues with some batches and the EK blocks (info on their product page).
 
I've got the Phanteks for the Asus Strix 1080Ti OC but it is still in its box since I am just putting my rig together these days. I am going through several mods to my case so things got delayed.

Anyway, it looks solidly built to me, great packaging and you can use your stock back plate with it too. I liked its design better than EK and I mostly got it to avoid air turbulance and heat from the fans.
I am sure the EK is fine too but check out whether there is a way to use the stock backplate (I like it better than the EK) and also check the serial number on your card since there were some issues with some batches and the EK blocks (info on their product page).
Thanks for the input. I did check the serial number on my card and it looks like EK's block will be fine. Asus changed PCB design unexpectedly at some point in December, and EK's blocks no longer fit their cards... EK is making a version 2.0.

The Phanteks does look nice. The only thing that concerns me is HardOCP's review. It had fitment issues. How long until you install yours?
 
Thanks for the input. I did check the serial number on my card and it looks like EK's block will be fine. Asus changed PCB design unexpectedly at some point in December, and EK's blocks no longer fit their cards... EK is making a version 2.0.

The Phanteks does look nice. The only thing that concerns me is HardOCP's review. It had fitment issues. How long until you install yours?

I am still at least a week away from powering my new PC and I need to first test my card before I dismantle it (and void warranty). Have you searched for other users with the same block? Besides the one here I could not find any other incidence reporting issues while fitting the block. Wasn't the HardOCP's review about the Founders edition anyway?

Overclockers UK lists this block and they mention that it fits nice even with the new Asus PCB.

Here you can see a customer review on overclockers.uk

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/phan...h-rgb-lighting-chrome-wc-018-pt.html#comments

There is no mention of any issues during installation while he mentions it was very easy to install.

Here is a youtube video with it:



And another one:


I see no issues anywhere that is why I bought it. Perhaps the founder's edition was different.
 
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BTW mine does not have the laser etched Strix logo on it that must have been added later but no big issue - I won't do a vertical mounting and I don't like too many logos either.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I guess the reviewed one on HardOCP was the Founder's edition, but if there's a misaligned mounting hole on that one, it makes one wonder whether it was a design error or just sloppy manufacturing, y'know? Still, glad to see and hear that the Strix versions tend to install without issue.

Now to decide if I want the black or chrome one... =)

Edit: two more questions, if I can bother you a bit further. These Phanteks blocks can be disassembled completely for cleaning, right? Also, is the RGB cable the standard 4-pin plug or is it Phanteks proprietary locking connector?
 
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Yes I can see that there are screws everywhere to open it up and clean it. As for the cables there are 2 sets. One has plugs for the block strips on one end and a phanteks connector to the other. The other cable connects to the phenteks connector of the first cable and then to the motherboard via a normal RGB 4 pin cable (12V).

As one of the youtube video mentions though if we want to plug it on our GPU we need to cater for the extra long cable. I think I am going to do some DIY here and change the connector to avoid too much slack on the cable. They should have Strix specific cable in the package so we could plug it directly on the Asus Card but it's not the end of the world.

BTW I got the chrome one since it reflects more light than the black one. Other than that both look very nice.
 
Yes I can see that there are screws everywhere to open it up and clean it. As for the cables there are 2 sets. One has plugs for the block strips on one end and a phanteks connector to the other. The other cable connects to the phenteks connector of the first cable and then to the motherboard via a normal RGB 4 pin cable (12V).

As one of the youtube video mentions though if we want to plug it on our GPU we need to cater for the extra long cable. I think I am going to do some DIY here and change the connector to avoid too much slack on the cable. They should have Strix specific cable in the package so we could plug it directly on the Asus Card but it's not the end of the world.

BTW I got the chrome one since it reflects more light than the black one. Other than that both look very nice.
Perfect. I've already got some Phanteks Halos in my rig, so the Phanteks style connector is perfect.

I'm probably spring for black, because my rig is all black/steel/nickel. I'm also open-air vertically mounted in a Thermaltake Core P5, though, so our applications are probably a little different.

Thanks for all your help! I think I'll be very happy with the block. =)
 
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