EK’s premium water blocks from the Quantum product line boast two new iF Design Awards for 2022. These prestigious awards signify the top-tier levels of design delivered by our products to both consumers and the design community. Not only are the Velocity² and Vector² water blocks having aesthetically pleasing looks to deserve these awards, but they also bring patent-pending technologies and valuable features to the table.
EK-Quantum Velocity²
In the case of our latest CPU block release, Velocity², we wanted to achieve a completely smooth top with no visible screws or mounting mechanism and to step away from the traditional look and feel of the classical mounting mechanism. To make the installation process practical and, at the same time, meet socket specifications, the tensioning screws are held under load by the spring that is nested inside the water block top. This allows the mounting screws to reach the load length of the spring with very little thread engagement, ensuring that the block is mounted evenly. The simple flanges prevent over-tightening, reducing the risk of common user errors and eliminating any rotating parts that might damage the PCB.
All these improvements that the patent-pending EK-Exact Mount system brings led to a mounting design that retains and improves the product’s expected functionality and visual appearance. It can be implemented across multiple socket specifications with identical parts while staying aesthetically true to the concept.
EK-Quantum Vector²
The 3rd-generation Vector GPU water blocks have received quite a few upgrades in terms of aesthetics and functionality. The most significant upgrade refers to the stainless-steel jet plate, which is now replaced by a more complex 3D machined acrylic with a tapered inlet cavity to distribute the flow better. This technological change brought the intended visual effect and improved the hydraulic performance and the thermal performance by 1.6°C.
The approach to active backplate cooling has also been redefined with the help of the newly developed EK-Direct Link technology. This is the first multiple block solution on the market to implement the conventional 4-port terminal layout. It allows serial and parallel connections from adjacent or opposing sides of the block. We made this possible by adding a machined brass insert that, in a diagonal manner, directly links the water block to the active backplate inside the acetal terminal. Direct Link proves invaluable when incorporating an Active Backplate (ABP) with a distribution plate or a vertically mounted GPU.
EK-Matrix7
Both of these award-winning product categories, Velocity² and Vector², are supported by EK-Matrix7. The most significant change we’ve made over the last year doesn’t involve a single product but rather how they relate to one another. Since any custom liquid-cooling loop is built from multiple EK products, the most valuable distinction in aesthetics and ease of use comes from the sum of all the parts. To address this, we initiated Matrix7, a system that standardizes products’ dimensions, as well as port position and spacing, making the assembly of liquid cooling loops more intuitive and easier than ever before.
