EKWB Liquid Cools MSI's Radeon R9 290X Lightning

By Niels Broekhuijsen
published

You can now liquid cool MSI's R9 290X Lightning with a water block from EKWB.

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.

Niels Broekhuijsen
Niels Broekhuijsen

Niels Broekhuijsen is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He reviews cases, water cooling and pc builds.

5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • falchard
    Anyone else think the price of the 290X and the waterblock was $191.73? Then were immediately reminded of the logical reality.
    Reply
  • Shankovich
    Any chance this will fit on the FirePro W9100?
    Reply
  • ekagori
    So you get 2 lighting for about $1400, add $400 for 2 water blocks plus another $150 - $200 for a custom water loop for a total of ~$2000 and all of a sudden the 295X2 seems like a bargain.
    Reply
  • AndrewJacksonZA
    The unit itself is made of copper, though it is plated with nickel to prevent erosion.
    "Erosion" or "corrosion?"
    Reply
  • WithoutWeakness
    Any chance this will fit on the FirePro W9100?
    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.
    Reply