EK Water Blocks (Finally) Releases A Gigabyte X370 Monoblock

AMD launched the Ryzen platform in late February, and hardware started to land on store shelves in early March. Not long after the announcement, EKWB revealed on social media that it planned to build monoblocks for AM4 motherboards. It took the company nearly two months to release the first AM4 monoblock, which supports Asus’ ROG Crosshair VI Hero AM4 motherboard. The EK-FB Asus C6H RGB Monoblock arrived in late April and started shipping on May 12. In early June, EKWB revealed the first MSI AM4 monoblock. The FC-FB MSI X370 Xpower RGB monoblock, as the name suggests, supports the MSI X370 Xpower Titanium motherboard.

Those monoblocks were designed to fit specific motherboards, and don’t offer universal support for other AM4 boards in either manufacturer's lineup. However, Gigabyte builds its X370 motherboards with familiar layouts, so a design for one board would necessarily support additional options. EK Water Blocks revealed its first monoblock for Gigabyte X370 motherboards, and it supports three of the company’s AM4 motherboards.

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EK Water Blocks builds all its CPU and GPU water blocks with the same design parameters. The company mills its water blocks from electrolytic copper, which is then plated with a nickel coating. Every EKWB water block features a low resistance design that allows you to run your loop with low-powered pumps or in reverse without negatively impacting cooling performance. EKWB doesn’t offer opaque tops for its monoblocks; all EKWB monoblock designs feature clear acrylic tops to let you see the fluid flowing through the internal channels.

You probably guessed from its name that EKWB’s Gigabyte AM4 monoblock includes integrated RGB lighting. Earlier this year, EKWB revealed that it's supporting the RGB craze that's taken the PC industry by storm over the last two years. The company developed a shroud that holds a short LED strip that's compatible with RGB systems from major motherboard manufacturers. The EK-FB GA AX370 Gaming RGB Monoblock includes one of EKWB’s LED strips, and the shroud includes the Aorus logo, which illuminates when you turn on the light strip. Because the top of the block is clear acrylic, the light shines through and illuminates the fluid in the block.

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Kevin Carbotte is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware who primarily covers VR and AR hardware. He has been writing for us for more than four years.

3 Comments Comment from the forums

Wisecracker

... EKWB said the new monoblock features a re-engineered cold plate design, which provides better surface contact with the integrated head spreader found on Ryzen CPUs.

That integrated Ryzen head spreader really is something special. Good for EKWB engineers...

:)

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msroadkill612

surely they dont really use water for coolant? The snap indicates not. Dumb name if so.

Speaking as a ~newb, would it not be better to spend a bit more on a modular cooler & also cool gpu & chipset & maybe nvme ssd?

Separately, i would think a simple fan on the underside of the cpu would have good effect?
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durahl

It's usually ordinary distilled / demineralized water with additives to prevent corrosion / algae growth and sometimes pigments for colorization though I've seen some whacky stuff back in the days where people used liquid metal with special pumps for a shiny metal effect in their tubes / reservoirs.

Depending on what look you're going for a Monoblock can make things a lot easier.
Here's mine without one requiring 6 connections in total to do the job of some Monobocks only requiring 2: http://imgur.com/3bck03l.jpg
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