4090 Water Blocks

[Celeron_Phreak]

Which block did you order? My 4090 block shipped from EK in 20 days back in January when I ordered.

I ordered the MSI 4090 X Trio ABP set, the order was placed on January 3rd.

It was delivered today. I don't see any damage, surprising since it was just a box in a box, without any additional packing material.

 

[FoldingAddict]

Pretty weird. Exact same one I ordered, almost a month after you, and mine came over a month ago lol.

 

[Celeron_Phreak]

Pretty weird. Exact same one I ordered, almost a month after you, and mine came over a month ago lol.

Very strange indeed. I kept getting emails that the availability date was being pushed out, until the end of March, where I didn't get a backorder update. Instead, two days after the availability date, they let me know it shipped.

 

[Celeron_Phreak]

I can confirm that the MSI 3090 Suprim X 2-slot IO cover WILL work with the 4090 Gaming X Trio card. It is pretty much the same as having a 4090 Suprim X liquid cooled card, which comes with a 2-slot IO cover.

The ports line up and the cover plate mounts perfectly. It does have a few extra holes, but nothing that prevents it from doing it's job. Here are some pictures of the 3090 IO cover on my 4090 Gaming X Trio.

 

[EarthDog]

Makes sense... the outputs are the same from these two gens.

 

[Celeron_Phreak]

Makes sense... the outputs are the same from these two gens.

I know there are a few threads on reddit asking about why the EK blocks do not come with a two slot IO bracket. I was able to confirm that the only blocks that EK includes a replacement IO bracket for, is the FE and the ASUS. The MSI, Gigabyte and the Zotac blocks do not include an IO bracket.

With the weight of the active backplate block sets, mounting the card horizontally is a bit sketchy, due to the amount of weight on the PCI-E slot, and how much sag there is once mounted. Even using a GPU support bracket, the bracket starts to take a lot of weight at the end and itself takes up the sag, but not without putting a lot of force against the thin metal on the back of the case.



Because of the concerns of horizontal mounting, and the feedback I have received and what I have read from others, is vertical mounting these active backplate cards is a much safer idea, BUT it is impossible in many cases, because the stock IO cover is a three slot, and the majority of vertical mounts are two slot. So the solution ends up being to have an overhang by one slot, if the vertical mount allows for it, or to cut the IO bracket down, voiding the warranty.

 

[Zerileous]

Are active backplates needed for 40 series? I would be so mad if I spent $200+ on a block and they couldn't be bothered to include an updated IO cover. I got one with my Vega block from EK years back.

 

[Celeron_Phreak]

Active back plate is not really necessary, as the 40 series does not have rear mounted vram. It does help to suck heat from the the card on both sides, but the difference is negligible if you are just wanting stability of the card, as the single sided blocks cam keep the cards around or under 60c.

This was my no compromises build, and I was shooting for the lowest temps I could get within reason on an open loop.

 

[Woomack]

I hate how EK is selling backplates as a separate product when all other brands sell whole GPU blocks with backplates cheaper. On the other hand, sometimes you don't have choice as not every manufacturer supports all graphics card models. For some cards like RTX3060 ITX-size or R9 Nano, I had to order blocks from Bykski as only they had them. Also, as much as I dislike EK, then they usually keep the highest quality. There are exceptions.

 

[Celeron_Phreak]

I hate how EK is selling backplates as a separate product when all other brands sell whole GPU blocks with backplates cheaper. On the other hand, sometimes you don't have choice as not every manufacturer supports all graphics card models. For some cards like RTX3060 ITX-size or R9 Nano, I had to order blocks from Bykski as only they had them. Also, as much as I dislike EK, then they usually keep the highest quality. There are exceptions.

I originally wanted to try out an optimus block, as I have heard nothing but fantastic reviews about them. Unfortunately they did not release anything for the MSI cards this time. It seems odd to be, but I guess the founders and asus really do have the higher market share