Introduction

Late last year saw the start of our latest round of CPU water block reviews focusing on Intel's LGA 1700 platform. It began with the EK-Quantum Velocity² that is a socket-specific design which makes for a unique, clean installation up front. Soon after we examined blocks from CORSAIR, Raijintek, and Alphacool (twice) and today we complete the round by circling back to EK with its flagship series—the EK-Quantum Magnitude.


If the name is familiar to you then it might be because the EK-Quantum Magnitude was previously reviewed when the product line first launched in early 2020. This was a time when EKWB had gone through some personnel changes in its R&D team and the new people in charge felt they had something to prove. I thought the concept of the EK-Quantum Magnitude back then was quite innovative, and it did test very well on an older CPU platform too. Thanks to EK for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp as we see how the modular design holds up with Intel's newest mainstream CPUs in our review, which begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

The EK-Quantum Magnitude CPU block shipped directly from EK's HQ in Slovenia in a nondescript box that had plenty of packing materials inside to protect the product box itself, which in turn adopts a familiar design as seen on other recently covered EKWB items. On the front is the company logo and product name along with a render of the product inside. Marketing features in multiple languages, a list of contents, some notes on the block for newcomers to the market, and contact information for the company are found on the back. A sticker on the side confirms the exact product model here with tech specs to go with it, and a QR code that leads you to the product manual, now no longer printed and included in the box. Open the box from either side and now you can pull out an inner cardboard box with the EK logo and side flaps to help keep the contents inside in place. Opening this box, we see a layered approach to the unboxing experience with cardboard used to separate the contents. There is a reminder about EK having other products for sale under their banner should you want to stick to one company for the entirety of your DIY custom watercooling needs.


The EK-Quantum Magnitude is quite socket-specific, as we saw on the previous page, although it doesn't go the way of the EK-Quantum Velocity² in having pre-installed mounting hardware. Instead, we see the block placed in a thick foam piece with the associated cable going down into the lower compartment where there is even more foam and further compartmentalization to host the accessories. These include the necessary equipment to install the block on Intel's LGA 1700 CPU platform in the form of an L-shaped Allen key, a tube of Thermal Grizzly TIM, springs, screws, washers, and an Intel socket backplate with associated rubber gasket. This newer backplate is different from that which I saw used on previous EK blocks for older Intel platforms in being thicker, but does look and feel quite rough and unrefined, although I anticipate it will work perfectly well.