Which 5870 waterblock?

GoogalyMoogaly · 31 Dec 2010 at 00:46

With any luck I'll soon be fitting a full cover waterblock to my 5870. Yay!

The thing is, the more I think about it, the more I think it might be harder than I first thought. How hard is it to fit a waterblock to a 5870? Remember this will be my first time.
How easy/hard is it to re-attach the stock cooler at a later date? Will I need more thermal pads to do that?
Got any tips?

And now to the thread title, which block is best?
The 2 I'm considering are the XSPC Razor 5870 and the EK FC5870 Plexi. The EK one looks better imo because of it's plexi top. Although I will only be using Bi-Distilled Water and a Kill-Coil, in a case with no side window. Still might be handy to be able to see inside. But the EK block is £10 more.

Also, is it worth getting an EK 5870 RAM backplate? Costs ~£12, is it worth it? Can it be used with the XSPC block too or only the EK block?

Thanks in advance.

TheCenturion · 31 Dec 2010 at 00:51

I personally don't like the look of either of them. But if there's no window, I'd go either with the cheaper one, or the one with better reviews. Backplates are usually aesthetic add ons rather than to improve cooling so if you've got no window, no point in having one.

mike gunnz · 31 Dec 2010 at 11:08

Dont forget you can reattach the stock back plate as well if you want to. However the custom back plates are much shinier and therefore better.

I'm toying with the idea of wasting 24 quid on a pair myself.

Just buy whichever block suits your wallet and your personal preference as they'll both do the job equally well. Given a choice I tend to go with EK.

Asto whether the back plate is interchangeable I don't know.

JeffyB · 31 Dec 2010 at 14:55

I have an acetal/nickel ek block with bacplate on my 5870 and have been very pleased with it. Build and finish are excellent with performance to match. It was not particularly difficult to fit but can be a bit fiddly. I have some detailed pictures of mine ( stripping card and fitting block) in my build log linked in my sig

GoogalyMoogaly · 31 Dec 2010 at 15:20

I didn't think about the extra weight of the backplate. I think the XSPC block is lighter, but that it doesn't cooler the VRMs quite as well. I think they're covered by the copper, but water doesn't flow over that section.

GoogalyMoogaly · 31 Dec 2010 at 23:37

Just had another thought...
Does anyone know if a reference length 5870 (11 inches?) will fit in a CoolerMaster 690 II case? Is there much room to spare?
I seem to remember readign that the 690 II wouldn't fit a 5970, but i'm not sure how much it wouldn't fit by and the difference in length between a 5970 and 5870.