Many of us love a custom loop. But when it comes to simplicity, we’re happy when we see manufacturers unveil graphics cards that come with a water block installed from the factory, just like the Gigabyte RTX 2080 Super Gaming OC WaterForce announced today.
The liquid cooling block that comes on the new Gigabyte card features a totally different design than you would get from a specialist water cooling manufacturer, clearly being styled far more to Gigabyte’s image than the basic designs we’ve come to expect from the specialists. We have to say, Gigabyte's offering looks pretty stylish, especially with how the RGB lighting is implemented.
The block cools the GPU, memory and VRM circuitry. It comes with standard G1/4” threads for fittings, so it should slot right into your custom loop without any issues.
As far as specifications go, the GPU aboard is clocked at 1,845 MHz, which is just 30 MHz above the reference specification. The 8GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 15.5 GHz. For VRM circuitry, Gigabyte equipped the card with 12+2 phase power delivery, which when paired with a great liquid loop should provide ample stability and overclocking headroom.
Do note that technically a company can’t void your warranty over installing a different cooling solution, but that doesn't mean you won't incur headaches trying to invoke that right.
At the time of writing, Gigabyte has not announced availability or pricing yet, but expect a premium for the integration of a water block. However, we expect that it'll still be cheaper than buying a custom air-cooled card and replacing the cooler.
