Will I see any performance benefit WCing a 1070 Strix OC?

.:SAmSuNG:. · 27 Feb 2017 at 14:34

Ive just bought a Asus 1070 strix to replace my 780ti Sli set up which are both watercooled. Looking on the EK site it looks like a block and backplate is going to cost the better part of £150.

The rest of my system is watercooled so probably going to have to buy it anyway but was wondering will I see any performance benefit?

Radox-0 · 27 Feb 2017 at 14:51

From putting various 1080's under water and I expect the 1070 will behave similar, you will get a more consistent Boost clock speed when you overclock. On even the best air coolers, the boost will vary slightly and drop after extended periods, but under water it reaches maintains the boost very nicely.

IMO from a pure performance gain, its not really worth it for the price for the very slight better OC you will be able to maintain over the already decent Strix cooler, but as I am sure you are aware, with watercooling the other part of the value comes from the silence and aesthetics.

Legend · 27 Feb 2017 at 16:44

Phanteks have a block now, and you can use the Strix backplate with that... saves a few quid and looks nicer keeping the RGB.

Benefits will be seen in silence above all else. I have the same card, and it's the noisiest thing in my system, as I have my CPU in a loop. I deliberately left the Strix out of it, as I wanted to wait and see what the 1080Ti or VEGA brought to the table. Still unsure what I will do, but if I keep the Strix I am definitely going to watercool it. Once you're used to a full loop, it's VERY hard to go back.

.:SAmSuNG:. · 27 Feb 2017 at 19:35

That phanteks block looks nice. Is it out of stock or just not released yet?

Legend · 27 Feb 2017 at 19:47

.:SAmSuNG:. said:
That phanteks block looks nice. Is it out of stock or just not released yet?

Not released yet, but soon.

pastymuncher · 27 Feb 2017 at 19:59

My 1070 is watercooled and the biggest gain as already mentioned is a higher stable boost clock. Mine is mostly at 2012mhz with the occasional dip to 2000mhz after the water in the loop warms up a bit over a long gaming session. That's the biggest difference by watercooling it. My stock cooler was already very cool and quiet but the rest of the system is water cooled so I purchased a block at the same time as the card. I use the cards stock backplate with my block and it was no problem fitting it. After all, the block has to use the holes already in the card so the worst that can happen is that you will need slightly longer screws.