EK launches its GTX 680 water block

Along with the awaited Kepler, the world leading water cooling equipment manufacter EK hasn’t missed the opportunity and launched its own water block: the EK-FC680 GTX.

This time around, EK is releasing a longer article, however this one presents to you the thermal and hydraulic characteristics of the company’s latest product. Here is the testing showing you what comes out of this water block.

The test has been conducted using the following water cooling components and measuring equipment:

• EK-FC680 GTX prototype (RTM) water block
• EK-RAD CoolStream XT 360
• 3x Yate Loon D12SH-12 120mm 2200rpm fans
• 2m 12mm ID tubing (1/2″ ID)
• D5 Vario water pump + EK-D5 X-TOP V2
• EK-RES X2 Multioption 250 Advanced
• EK-12mm High Flow fittings

Measuring equipment:

• Greisinger GTH 175/Pt J-type thermometer, calibrated
• Voltcraft IR-800 20D IR thermometer
• Digmessa digital flow meter FKHU series

Furmark torture benchmark which stresses the graphics card to the maximum was ran for more than one hour. Graphics card GeForce GTX 680, running at factory set frequencies and voltage (706/1502MHz, Vgpu = 0.987V) yielded the following results:

•  Tgpumax = 39°C
• Th2omax = 30.8°C
• dTmax = 8.2°C = ~ 8°C

The new 28nm litography offers great overclocking potential therefore we felt it is vital to test the cooling performance of our water block under such condition. Furmark torture benchmark which stresses the graphics card to the maximum was (again) ran for more than one hour in order to assume stability. Overclocking the graphics card from factory set 706/1502MHz (default Vgpu = 0.987V) to 1097/1752MHz (GPU/RAM respectively) with Vgpu voltage set at 1.15V and Power Target at 132% yielded the following result:

•  Tgpumax = 43°C
• Th2omax = 33.2°C
• dTmax = 9.8°C = ~ 10°C

Where Tgpumax is the highest temperature of the GPU core, logged by software; Th2omax is the highest temperature of the coolant measured by thermometer; dTmax is the highest delta (difference) between the GPU core temperature and the coolant temperature – lower is better.

Please note that the smallest resolution for Tgpu probe is 1°C therefore a rounding error is present. Considering this fact we can see that dT does not increase more than a 2°C even at overclocked conditions. The VRM (voltage regulation module) also remains cool, the hottest measured temperature was ~ 54°C (behind the MOSFETs, on the back side of the PCB; 60°C in overclocked mode).

The EK-FC680 GTX water block – like it’s Radeon cooling counterparts- excells in hydraulic performance chart. The design once again features very low flow resistance, somewhere in the range of the EK-Supreme HF CPU water block. As a result any medium performance water pump will run three or four of these water blocks yet still offer enough flow for optimal system operation. Picture below shows the hydraulic curve:

The testing was run by Niko “tiborrr” Tivadar for the EK Team.

Now listed on the EKWB e-shop, you can find the Copper Plexi version of the EK-FC680 GTX for the price of €84.95, the Copper Acetal version for €84.95 , the EN Nickel Plexi for €94.94 and the EN Nickel Acetal version for €94.94. The first batches have already been manufactured, they are assembled daily, however they’ll be available for purchase on the 2nd of April. Good news for those looking for better styling, a matching FC Backplate is also in the works and should arrive some sometime later.

Source: Press Release