EK Water Blocks released a monoblock for Asus’ top-end AM4 motherboard in April, and in early June, the company launched a monoblock for MSI’s flagship Ryzen board. Today, EKWB revealed the first Gigabyte AM4 monoblock, and it supports more than just Gigabyte’s top-of-the-line motherboard.
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.
The EK-FB GA AX370 Gaming RGB Monoblock is compatible with Gigabyte’s top three Aorus X370 motherboards, including the Gigabyte Aorus GA-AX370-Gaming K7, GA-AX370 Gaming K5, and the GA-AX370-Gaming 5.
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.
As with all EKWB monoblocks, the EK-FB GA AX370 Gaming RGB Monoblock is engineered to make direct contact with the CPU and voltage regulator modules to help eliminate the excess heat created by overclocking. 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.
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.
EK Water Blocks said that the EK-FB GA AX370 Gaming RGB Monoblock is readily available through the EK Webshop and its worldwide network of hardware resellers. The company is asking $137 for its Gigabyte X370 monoblock.
