EKWB Liquid Cools MSI's Radeon R9 290X Lightning
EKWB has announced a new water block for an R9 290X card – the rather beefy R9 290X Lightning from MSI.
The water block, which will be known as the EK-FC R9-290X Lightning, is a full-cover water block that cools all the critical components of the graphics card. These include, of course, not only the GPU, but also the memory and VRM circuitry. Over the GPU there is a 0.6 mm microchannel structure, which will ensure that heat is transferred to the water more efficiently.
The unit itself is made of copper, though it is plated with nickel to prevent erosion. Some parts of the block are finished with black POM Acetal plastic, which will look quite nice in most systems. Unlike with many other water blocks, EKWB hasn't listed variants with different appearances, probably because it's not expecting to manufacture a lot of these, so you'll have to make do with this design. Personally, I find this the most attractive one.
Pricing for the unit is set at $191.73, and it is available immediately from the EKWB webshop.
"Erosion" or "corrosion?"
Not a chance. The MSI Lightning Edition cards use custom PCBs with additional VRM phases and a totally different component layouts than the reference cards. There is a small possibility that a reference R9 290X waterblock may fit a FirePro W9100 but it will depend on the differences in component layouts between the circuit boards for the cards.