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Posted this on my blog but I figured it might be a good read for here too if anyone is looking for a good i7 waterblock.
After upgrading to EVGA GTX580s, I had a water cooling loop setup but not in use. I couldn't let that go to waste, so I ordered an EK Supreme Rev2 waterblock last week. I ordered the Nickel/Acetal model (acetal top plate, full nickel plate). FedEx dropped it off today, and I got it all setup and working tonight. I may have cheated slightly on the 24 hour leak test - but I know all of my major components don't leak, and I couldn't sit and stare at it until tomorrow, so after 3 hours I fired it up. Hopefully that won't come back to bite me in the ass.
Here's some pictures of the EK unit:
The waterblock itself is almost a work of art. The base is incredibly polished as you can see above - the finish is as reflective as a mirror. The entire construction is top notch, easily on par if not better than the Bitspower blocks I had on my 5870s. It looks great in my case with the all black construction and barbs.
My only complaint is the mounting system that EK employs. Mounting this block to your motherboard is a mess of washers, screws, nuts and thumb screws. It works, but I had to stare at the directions for a bit to figure it all out. And tightening it down requires way more force than I was expecting. I had to mount the block 3 times. The first mount I used way too much thermal paste and didn't have a good seal with the CPU, and temps were high 80s. The 2nd mount I did not have it tightened down evenly and my temps were across the board. Finally on the third mount I cranked the thumbscrews down a lot more than I felt comfortable with it now ideals in low 30s C and hits around 70*C load (tested at 4200MHz, 200x21, 1.32v, in Prime95 Blend mode). This is around a 20*C reduction from where I was at under air cooling and I doubt I will even break 55-60C under normal gaming loads now. A huge improvement, and my case looks great now to boot.
Mounting complaints notwithstanding, I think it's a great product at a good price (I paid $80 at FrozenCPU).
Full PC shot:
More pictures on my blog www.thetechaddiction.com.
After upgrading to EVGA GTX580s, I had a water cooling loop setup but not in use. I couldn't let that go to waste, so I ordered an EK Supreme Rev2 waterblock last week. I ordered the Nickel/Acetal model (acetal top plate, full nickel plate). FedEx dropped it off today, and I got it all setup and working tonight. I may have cheated slightly on the 24 hour leak test - but I know all of my major components don't leak, and I couldn't sit and stare at it until tomorrow, so after 3 hours I fired it up. Hopefully that won't come back to bite me in the ass.
Here's some pictures of the EK unit:
The waterblock itself is almost a work of art. The base is incredibly polished as you can see above - the finish is as reflective as a mirror. The entire construction is top notch, easily on par if not better than the Bitspower blocks I had on my 5870s. It looks great in my case with the all black construction and barbs.
My only complaint is the mounting system that EK employs. Mounting this block to your motherboard is a mess of washers, screws, nuts and thumb screws. It works, but I had to stare at the directions for a bit to figure it all out. And tightening it down requires way more force than I was expecting. I had to mount the block 3 times. The first mount I used way too much thermal paste and didn't have a good seal with the CPU, and temps were high 80s. The 2nd mount I did not have it tightened down evenly and my temps were across the board. Finally on the third mount I cranked the thumbscrews down a lot more than I felt comfortable with it now ideals in low 30s C and hits around 70*C load (tested at 4200MHz, 200x21, 1.32v, in Prime95 Blend mode). This is around a 20*C reduction from where I was at under air cooling and I doubt I will even break 55-60C under normal gaming loads now. A huge improvement, and my case looks great now to boot.
Mounting complaints notwithstanding, I think it's a great product at a good price (I paid $80 at FrozenCPU).
Full PC shot:
More pictures on my blog www.thetechaddiction.com.