Closer Examination

As mentioned before, the EK-Supremacy Classic RGB comes in separate Intel and AMD versions, and I am mostly going to cover the Intel version given the nature of my test setup. It looks very much like the older EK-Supremacy EVO and even older EK-Supremacy, which I suppose is where the classic in the name comes from. We see a CNC-machined plexi top with a small brushed metal cover plate on the bottom to fit in better with EK's new Quantum design philosophy, but that plate also hides the RGB LED strip underneath. The EKWB badge here has the same new brushed finish as the EK-Velocity, and this means customers no longer have to worry about taking the protective blue sticker off the older glossy one. There are two well-threaded BSP G1/4" ports on the top, with markings etched into the plexi to indicate the direction of the coolant flow recommended by the company.


Taking a look from the side, we can see a 30 cm long flat ribbon-style cable with four wires in black insulation and an LED connector meant to be used with RGB LED headers on your motherboard or a compatible LED controller. This is not a digitally addressable RGB device, so keep that in mind when figuring out how to power and control the lighting on the block. Turning the block over, we see a large, colorful sticker with clear writing telling users to remove it prior to installation lest they inadvertently add a barrier against heat transfer. This sticker is used to protect the mirror finish given to the cold plate, which is very reflective, as seen above. There is a slight convex bow to mate with a convex/flat CPU IHS, and the installation mechanism should provide for good contact in the center and all the way to the corners.


One thing to note, going back around, is that the inlet port on the top is closer to the center here, which means some of the larger fittings (think 1/2" x 3/4" compression fittings) may not work out. These larger fittings are also out of style these days, however, since smaller diameter tubing and fittings are in fashion at the moment, and 12 mm hard line tube fittings work great, as seen above.


Disassembly of the EK-Supremacy Classic RGB not only retains warranty, but is also encouraged by EKWB to ensure you have the correct jetplate for your CPU socket. This is also why they provide the two other jetplates and a 2.5 mm Allen key, of which the latter is useful for removing the four screws on the bottom that secure everything in place. With these screws removed, all the pieces can be separated and here, we see that there are three RGB LEDs (compared to 24 RGB on the EK-Velocity RGB) on the side of the metal cover plate and facing inward.

The cooling engine has been simplified as compared to the older EK-Supremacy EVO. Gone is the implementation of the insert, and instead, we only have three jetplates to choose from (1.0, 0.3, and 0.1 mm thick), which influence the overall bow of the cold plate itself. The cold plate is slightly thinner than that of the EK-Velocity, at 5.60 mm vs. ~5.65 mm, and without extensions on the side as on the more expensive EK-Velocity, the microfins are simpler, too. These fins take up an area of ~30.5 x 32.5 mm vs. 30.5 x 34.6 for the EK-Velocity sans the extensions, which again falls on the lower side of average for recently released blocks in terms of fin density and height, as well as microchannel width. EKWB says they sought to have a simpler cooling engine with the EK-Supremacy Classic RGB, with an increased coolant flow rate than the older EK-Supremacy EVO with its replaceable inserts.


Here is a closer look at the AMD version of the block, which comes with the mounting hardware pre-installed and has the AM4 mounting bracket on it. There is also no need for a backplate in this case, and we have no spare jetplates given it only supports one CPU socket anyway; however, the rest of the block is identical to the Intel version.