I wonder how much stock OCUK has had of EK this year?
They still seemed reasonably well stocked (about as well as they normally have been on the past) but I imagine the 5000 series GPU launch might really show the cracks... if EK hasn't collapsed already before then.
Personally waterblocks at £230+ for GPUs when the actual gen is doable on air (4090 apart), pretty much limited people going for a new build. For those who already own most parts, still acceptable.
Tried the other day just spec a custom loop, using Alphacool, which should be cheaper. Triple 360 + AM5 + 4080 + reservoir/pump and fittings (soft tubing). Almost £700, including the 10% off that was available at the time.
That money alone would allow me to upgrade the 4080 to a 4090 or upgrade my Dell 1440p 27” to a 32” 4K 144Hz + 360mm AIO and change.
If I had bought and AIO of EKWB, through OCUK, I wouldn’t be panicking assuming there’s a bigger chance to solve any warranty until the seller is managing it. But after that period, I can bet my wages EKWB won’t be around much longer.
What will bury the company, on top of their incompetence, is the actual cost of money, allied to the reduced disposable income.
Much larger businesses collapsed when they couldn’t access “cheap” money to simply carry on rolling their debits, loan to pay a previous loan at very low APR. On top of that, people who struggled last winter, will be much more careful this year, even if things doesn’t look as bad (my opinion or simply got used to it now).
And the last string, competition from other manufactures (Arctic and Thermalright, as more known brands, also Deepcool if available).