AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XT and Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics cards are over a month away, but the first water blocks for the red company’s flagship offerings should be available by the time the boards hit the market. Since AMD’s new Big Navi 31 graphics processor uses a multi-chiplet design, these water blocks must use a new layout.
Just hours after AMD held its RDNA 3 launch event, EKWB introduced its first EK-Quantum Vector² water blocks for the reference design Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics cards. The water blocks are designed to cool down Navi 31’s main graphics compute die (GCD), memory cache die (MCD), its voltage regulating module (VRM), and GDDR6 memory. AMD’s new range-topping Radeon RX 7900 XTX is rated for up to 355W thermal graphics power, so it will clearly benefit from liquid cooling.
Because AMD’s Navi 31 GPU consists of up to seven elements (one GCD and up to six MCDs), EK had to re-engineer its Vector² design. First up, it rotated its Open Split-Flow cold plate by 90° to make fins perpendicular to the die (normally, they are parallel to the die). Secondly, it rearranged liquid flows so that the coolant flow over the graphics core die first, and the memory cache die after. Meanwhile, the flows are arranged so that all MCDs get the same temperature coolant. Thirdly, it increased fin density from 0.6/0.4 to 0.4/0.26mm to account for the increased power dissipation of the multi-chiplet Big Navi.
Like other Vector² water blocks, EKWB’s EK-Quantum Vector² RX 7900 XTX D-RGB water blocks use 11mm-thick nickel-plated electrolytic copper with a directly-attached plexiglass (transparent) or acetal (black) terminal. The water blocks are compatible with regular fittings, so the owners of custom liquid cooling systems should have no problems using them. In addition, all Vector² water blocks are bundled with EK-Quantum Vector² backplate that provides additional passive cooling and rigidity to the graphics card.
EKWB’s EK-Quantum Vector² RX 7900 XTX D-RGB with plexiglass or acetal terminals are now available for preorder from the company’s website for ~$240/€240. The manufacturer plans to ship them out in early December, so by the time AMD ships its reference Radeon RX 7900 XTX cards on December 13, EKWB’s water blocks will be in the hands of early adopters.
