Introduction

We recently took a look at the first of the new Classic product line from EK Water Blocks with the EK-Supremacy Classic RGB CPU water block, a minimalist block design relative to the EK-Velocity offering most of the features at a lower price point. The EK Classic lineup also includes a GPU block for NVIDIA's RTX 2080/2080 Ti reference PCB, which I have here, but have no plans of testing at the moment since I don't have a compatible GPU, so we move on to the third and last entry for now with the reservoir and pump combo unit. This completes the core lineup offered in this series and is as critical a component to a watercooling loop as the others. Thanks again to EK for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp.


If you thought the CPU block name was long, I am sure you agree this is just silly. The so-called EK-XRES 140 SPC PWM Classic RGB is a mouthful and a half, but there is no denying that it, once again, does the job in telling us what it is all about. We know, for instance, that the reservoir section is 140 mm tall (although the actual dimensions are longer given it houses a pump as well) and uses the EK SPC-60 PWM pump. It also has RGB lighting support because RGB is clearly classic in 2019, and is marketed as an entry-class cooling solution for value-oriented customers. The full name on the EK website is even longer and tells us that the reservoir tube is made out of acrylic, which is as expected for this product class. So we begin the review as we always do, which is with a look at the specifications below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

After having checked out the EK-Supremacy Classic RGB block, packaging for this EK-XRES 140 SPC PWM Classic RGB reservoir/pump combo unit was no surprise. Indeed, we again have a plain cardboard box of a rectangular cuboid in shape with a small seal on the front and top that has some of the information pertaining to the product on it as well. We see, for example, a small render of the product and technical specifications for those who want to know more when coming across it in brick and mortar stores.


Cutting open the seal and opening the box, we see multi-level cardboard box packaging to help separate the accessories from the reservoir. We are greeted by two separate plastic pouches thus, which include a foam-based anti-cyclone insert, a flat ribbon-style PWM extension cable with all black insulation and headers, which leads me to believe there is a shorter cable on the actual pump than usual, two Allen keys to aid in installation and disassembly, and a set of metal screws and washers with spares for when you want to affix the reservoir in place.


Underneath, in the bottom layer, is the reservoir/pump combo unit wrapped inside a piece of foam to add some protection during transit. The acrylic nature of the reservoir is more forgiving with this arguably worse packaging than I would have liked, and it did arrive in perfect condition all the way from Slovenia as well. The product comes, as with most EK products these days, in a plastic wrap that has a seal on it to indicate whether it has been opened or not.

Missing in the packaging is a hard copy of the installation manual, which is why the QR code was placed on the packaging. EKWB expects users to access it on their phone or other devices already ready to go, and the online copy can be found here. I do not agree with this decision as I feel that components that are required for a PC to work are better off with a printed manual, and no one should assume their customer has access to another device. That said, installation is pretty trivial in this case given the nature of the predominantly assembled product out of the box, so I will not be taking off "points" in this case.

I will also mention at this point that the product page mentions a 120 mm fan hole mounting frame that is included, and there are some images of it on said page as well. It was not included in my review sample, and I have contacted EK to get clarification on this.