EK Launches Special Edition Water Blocks for AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX GPUs

The long-awaited December 13th has finally arrived with the latest AMD Radeon RX 7000 Series GPUs being released. More good news is that EK, the premium water-cooling gear manufacturer, is ready with the EK-Quantum Vector² water blocks for the reference models of the new AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX GPUs. The compatible water blocks can be found HERE.

But to celebrate the availability of these GPUs, EK Water Blocks is making a limited run of these special AMD Radeon Edition GPU water blocks. This water block fits reference PCB designs of the Radeon RX 7900 XTX GPUs, but we recommend you refer to the EK Cooling Configurator for a precise compatibility match.

This AMD Radeon Edition Vector² water block effortlessly solves the issue of excessive heat generation during high load on the GPU. This liquid-cooling solution cools the graphics compute die, voltage regulation module, voltage controllers, the VRAM, and the MCDs on the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphic card.

“We are thrilled to have collaborated with AMD, creating these Special Edition water blocks,” said Kat Silberstein, CEO of Americas at EKWB. “Aside from effortlessly solving the issue of excessive heat generation during high load on the GPU, EK’s innovative product design ts AMD’s Radeon RTX 7900 XTX GPU’s like a glove. The combination of AMD’s best-in-class products paired with EK’s creative, innovative design is, yet again, another win-win combination.”

The new Radeon RX 7900 XTX GPUs have GCD manufactured in a cutting-edge 5nm process, allowing a 54% improvement in performance per watt. While the GPU is efficient, it still uses more power than the previous generation. At 355W total board power, it is packed in the smallest package to date, but its 300mm² GCD contains 165% more transistors per mm² than the previous generation. This means that these GPUs feature 58 billion transistors for 61 TFLOPs of performance, all the more reason to get them water-cooled.

EK-Quantum Vector² RX 7900 XTX AMD Radeon Edition
A special effort went into designing and engineering this water block as it features a black anodized aluminum cover with a cast acrylic window revealing the cooling engine. In contrast to other Vector² water blocks, the cooling engine has been rotated by 90°, so the fins are perpendicular to the die, which is optimal for the chiplet design. For optimal delta, the coolant flows over the graphics core die first, and then goes over the memory cache die, resulting in all MCDs getting the same temperature coolant.

There are no assembly screws visible on the front side of the water block, which is inspired by the aesthetics of the stock AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX air cooler. This design also allows for the absence of screws in the Plexi top.

A single O-ring design creates the seal between the coldplate and the water block top, reducing the number of failure points and providing confidence during customization and maintenance. Tactile magnetic covers conceal the terminal screws, allowing the branding to rotate when the GPU is inverted in the case.

The custom-designed black anodized aluminum backplate also imitates the look of the original graphics card using 3D engraved shapes. The backplate acts as additional passive cooling power for the components on the PCB’s backside and comes with pre-installed captive backplate screws that simplify the installation.

To complete the package, the water block is delivered with a black single-slot PCIe adapter that can replace the stock two-slot plate. While the water block is made out of several high-grade aluminum pieces, none make direct contact with the coolant, so there is no fear of galvanic corrosion. The coldplate is CNC-machined out of pure electrolytic copper, and its final form is a 9mm-thick nickel-plated piece of art. An acetal terminal is attached directly to it to create a robust assembly.

The addressable D-RGB strip with 9 LEDs is laid on the bottom part of the water block, and it’s completely concealed by the aluminum cover, hiding all potential and unwanted LED hotspots.

The Vector² cooling engine combines the jet plate with a 3D-machined Plexi insert to improve flow distribution and thermal performance. It is based on the Open Split-Flow cooling engine design, which proved to be a superior solution for GPU water blocks. The cooling engine is characterized by low hydraulic flow restriction, meaning it can be used with weaker water pumps or pumps running on low-speed settings and still achieve top performance.

The Vector water block actively cools the GCD, VRAM, power stages, inductors, voltage controllers, and MCDs. The backplate, on the other hand, passively cools the PCB hotspots on the backside of the GPU core, VRAM, and the VRM (voltage regulation module).

The implemented Vector² cooling engine uses a novel 3D-machined acrylic insert to improve flow distribution and thermal performance. The asymmetric shape of the jet insert helps distribute an even flow between the first and last copper fins, while the fin structure geometry has been optimized to provide even flow distribution with minimal losses and enable optimal performances even in reversed water flow scenarios.

The GPU water blocks have a specific cutout that enables you to utilize the included multi-use tool to decouple the PCIe safety on the motherboard and easily unplug the GPU. The same tool can also be used to detach the power cable and tighten the standoffs more easily.

The EK-Matrix7 Standard
Even though this cooling solution is a tailor-made Special Edition product, it is still an EK-Matrix7 foundation water block. Matrix7 standardizes the dimensions of water-cooling products, including the port position and spacing, making liquid cooling loop assembly easier and more intuitive. EK-Quantum Vector² GPU water blocks follow the EK-Matrix7 standard, seamlessly integrating with EK-Reflection² distribution plates. This enables perfect port alignment in both horizontal and vertical positions, meaning less time is spent planning the loop and bending the tubes, with the end result still being an epic build.

Availability and Pricing
The EK-Quantum Vector² RX 7900 XTX AMD Radeon Edition water blocks are available for pre-order through EK Webshop and Partner resellers. The first water blocks will start shipping out in late January 2023. The table below shows the manufacturer-suggested retail price (MSRP), VAT included.