EK, the leading manufacturer of premium liquid cooling gear, is doing a mid-life upgrade of its Quantum Vector² graphics card water blocks. In order to ensure readiness with the latest technologies and upgrades for upcoming GPU launches, this mid-life refresh will be implemented only on certain Vector² water blocks.
The main upgrades include:
- A new stand-out end-piece design to shorten the water block
- A custom-made inner O-ring that prevents coolant from seeping between the channels and improves flow across the entire water block, focusing more coolant through the cooling fins
- New, high-performance pre-cut thermal pads
- A better-performing thermal paste
The first product to implement these improvements is the new Vector² EVO water block for Radeon RX 7900 XT (Sapphire Nitro+ and Pulse) and Radeon RX 7900 XTX GPUs that come with unique memory cache dies (MCD) next to the main chip – the Graphics Compute Die (GCD). The special cooling engine of the new Vector² EVO water blocks cools the MCDs, aside from the usual GPU components like VRM, VRAM, Voltage Controllers, and the chip die.
New Features of Vector² EVO GPU Water Blocks:
Focused Coolant Flow for Improved Performance
Something that will definitely be visible at first glance is the increased number of O-rings inside the water block. This feature prevents coolant from seeping between the micro-spaces of the acrylic top and the copper cold plate. The result is a focused coolant flow that ensures coolant is following its predicted path, including the microfins, resulting in improved cooling performance.
New Pre-Cut Thermal Pads
The new high-performance thermal pads have shown excellent results in thermal conductivity and squishiness, which is equally essential for good thermal transfer and ease of use during installation. They are pre-cut width-wise, significantly reducing the effort of installing them on your GPU, as they only require cutting in one dimension. This also minimizes the likelihood of users not cutting them properly, thus avoiding overhangs that could lead to poor contact between the GPU water block and the GPU.
Upgraded Stand-Out Piece
The well-recognized and unique stand-out piece is now smaller and more seamlessly integrated into the water block to increase compatibility by reducing the length of the GPU enclosure by 19mm.
New Thermal Paste
Engineered for efficiency and reliability, the EK-Loop Thermal Paste NGP features very low thermal impedance, ensuring effective heat conductivity and enhanced system performance. Its optimized formula offers excellent crumpling resistance and long-term stability.
EK-Quantum Vector² EVO for NITRO+ / Pulse RX 7900 XT/XTX D-RGB – Nickel + Plexi
The EK-Quantum Vector² EVO for NITRO+ / Pulse RX 7900 XT/XTX D-RGB – Nickel + Plexi is the first EVO water block to hit the market. It features full EK-Matrix7 compatibility and is engineered exclusively for Sapphire Nitro+ and Pulse Radeon RX 7900 XT and XTX GPUs. This liquid cooling solution encompasses a Vector² series water block and a black-anodized aluminum backplate in the same package. Like the rest of the Vector² series water blocks, its appearance is dominated by minimalistic straight lines, with the backplate extending around the side of the GPU to cover the PCB entirely.
What differs from non-Radeon 7000 Series Vector² water blocks is that the cooling engine for this water block has been rotated by 90°, making the fins perpendicular to the die. To achieve optimal delta, the coolant first flows over the Graphics Core Die and then over the Memory Cache Die. As a result, all Memory Cache Dies receive the same coolant temperature, facilitated by the high-precision 3D-machined acrylic jet insert.
The Vector² cooling engine combines the jet plate with a 3D-machined Plexi insert to improve flow distribution and thermal performance. This cooling engine is based on an Open Split-Flow cooling engine design, which proved to be a superior solution for GPU water blocks. It 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 EVO version of this cooling engine saw minor tweaks to boost performance even further.
All Vector² GPU water blocks use an 10 mm thick copper coldplate with a directly attached acetal terminal. The backplate is made of black-anodized aluminum, and the base is CNC-machined out of nickel-plated electrolytic copper. The backplate also provides additional passive cooling to the back side of the PCB, further improving the cooling capacity of the water block.
The D-RGB LED lighting is deployed on the longest edge of the water block for improved uniformity and brightness. The PCB and diodes are concealed inside a clean aluminum extrusion. Tactile magnetic covers conceal the terminal screws, allowing the branding to rotate when the GPU is inverted inside the case. 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. Using the same tool, you can also detach the power cable and tighten the standoffs more easily.
EK-Quantum Vector² Backplate
Each Vector² water block comes with a CNC-machined black-anodized backplate that includes captive nickel-plated mounting screws to replace the original black ones. It has an L-shaped profile that comes in contact with the water block’s base and encloses the entire GPU, thus increasing the cooling surface and providing even better performance.
Captive backplate screws simplify installation, ensuring the correct length is always used where necessary to avoid any user error or second-guessing.
EK-Matrix7 Standard
EK-Matrix7 standardizes the dimensions of the products, including the port position and spacing, making liquid cooling loop assembly easier and more intuitive. All Vector² products feature full EK-Matrix7 compliance in every axis, ensuring easy integration and alignment with all other EK-Matrix7 products. This brings perfect alignment of ports in both horizontal and vertical positions, meaning less time is spent on loop planning and tube bending, with the end result being an epic build.
Availability and Pricing
The EK-Quantum Vector² EVO for NITRO+ / Pulse RX 7900 XT/XTX D-RGB water blocks are available for order through the EK Webshop and Partner resellers. The table below shows the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP), VAT included.
| Name | MSRP (incl. VAT) | |
| EK-Quantum Vector² EVO for NITRO+ / Pulse RX 7900 XT/XTX D-RGB – Nickel + Plexi | 219.90€ |
