Introduction

First, it was EK, and then EK again before we moved on to CORSAIR and a double dose of Alphacool. I am referring to the first five reviews as part of the 2021 TechPowerUp GPU blocks bonanza, and the final entry of the first set takes us back full circle to EK Water Blocks! Before you go on about favoritism, fret not as the next set involves Aqua Computer, Watercool, Bitspower, and Bykski coming up soon. So let's thank EK again for sending all the review samples to TechPowerUp!


I had previously mentioned how EKWB, now just referred to as EK, had two simultaneous lines before with CSQ and Clean CSQ design schemes, which turned into the flagship Supremacy EVO and budget-minded Supremacy Classic CPU block division. The company's aluminium-based Fluid Gaming line unfortunately has stopped being a DIY offering, now sticking to complete systems, but when Quantum came out as an updated product ID a couple of years ago, there was a ripe opportunity to have the previous flagship design be the new Classic. This is a simpler design that is more budget-friendly and has been expanded to an entire lineup including GPU blocks. Today, we take a look at the EK-Classic cooling solution for the NVIDIA RTX 3080 reference PCB, which is also compatible with the RTX 3090 reference, and pair it with the accompanying EK-Classic backplate.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

I was curious about how the packaging for the newer EK-Classic GPU blocks differs from the EK-Quantum Vector blocks, especially since my previous experience with the company's classic line resulted in a bare cardboard box with a large seal on it. Not much has changed, but the addition of a banderole has made things look so much better. There is still that huge seal featuring all the information seen on the box, with the background patterned black and white. There is a second, smaller seal on the side, and you need to cut through both to open the box and access the contents inside.


Opening the box, we see a familiar two-layer packaging with the installation accessories up top. This includes thermal pads that come in a ziplock plastic bag, and then a second pouch that contains a handy tube of thermal paste. There are plenty of screws of different lengths in addition to plastic washers, metal nuts, an L-shaped Allen key, two stop plugs, and a larger L-shaped Allen key for these plugs. If you are wondering why there are so many screws, you perhaps missed my rants in the previous two EK GPU block reviews. The company uses a more universal-style installation setup, now paired with an online-only manual, which results in a less-than-satisfactory user experience compared to the competition. A provided screw-size guide mitigates some of the confusion regarding which screws are which, but between it and the thermal pads that are left to the user to size and cut, things could definitely be improved.


The GPU block is in the bottom layer, and with foam sheets above and below to protect it in transit. It also comes inside a plastic wrap with a tamper seal, leaving tell-tale signs of opening it if the seal was applied well.