Stealth CPU water block hides tubing behind the motherboard

[Shawn Knight]

Editor's take: PC hardware enthusiast der8auer recently took a closer look at a prototype water cooling block that relocates the cooling tubes for a much cleaner look. It's not terribly practical in its current state, but it sure looks awesome.

The unique block was first seen at Computex earlier this year and comes from the crew over at Modding Café. The stealth tubing water block features a two-part design that repurposes a motherboard's heatsink mounting holes as avenues for liquid to pass through from the backplate to the front of the block, which makes contact with the CPU.

The whole thing is done up in acrylic and looks absolutely incredible. There's even a built-in visual flow meter so you can be sure coolant is flowing properly and an LED strip for illumination.

As der8auer highlights, however, the block is far from a commercial-ready product in its current state and could benefit greatly from some refinements. A redesign of the rear backplate would certainly go a long way to improving compatibility as the current iteration would need ample space between the motherboard and case.

Another potential concern is the diameter of the tubing the liquid has to pass through. It's pretty narrow which will limit the flow rate and ultimately, hinder cooling. Unfortunately, there's no real workaround here that is readily evident and as you can see in the video, performance wasn't all that great. Poor performance could also be at least partially attributed to the off-the-shelf block from Bitspower that was used in the prototype that didn't appear to be milled very well.

der8auer hints that the concept could be taken further and perhaps released under his Thermal Grizzly brand if demand is there. So, what do you think?

Again, this likely wouldn't be a great fit for the average consumer or for extreme overclockers seeking the absolute best possible performance. But for minimalists or those that otherwise dislike cable clutter, it seems like this could be a viable option? What do you think would be a fair price point?

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https://www.techspot.com/news/99663-stealth-cpu-water-block-hides-tubing-behind-motherboard.html

 

[kira setsu]

I don't understand the "clean case" craze, I always thought one of the points to building a pc, especialy in these glass cases, is to show off all the components and tech you have, neat cable management, custom cables, in my case a boatload of storage and the largest gpu I could acquire etc etc.

if you got it flaunt it I say.

 

[TheBigT42]

That isn't going to fit in 99% of cases

 

[VariableSpike]

That isn't going to fit in 99% of cases

And even in one's that maybe would like the lian li dynamics, the motherboard cutout wouldn't have enough clearance, and you'd have to take out the hard drive cages

 

[toooooot]

I don't understand the "clean case" craze, I always thought one of the points to building a pc, especialy in these glass cases, is to show off all the components and tech you have, neat cable management, custom cables, in my case a boatload of storage and the largest gpu I could acquire etc etc.

if you got it flaunt it I say.

Some people say, hide CPU all together on the back. I mean it would be even cleaner.
We have two kinds of people. One that puts every component in and forgets what's in.
And the other buys every part to look nice and go well with other parts.
Personally, I do not like this device. But if he can make some cash selling it, best luck ot him

 

[Kam7r]

I don't understand the "clean case" craze, I always thought one of the points to building a pc, especialy in these glass cases, is to show off all the components and tech you have, neat cable management, custom cables, in my case a boatload of storage and the largest gpu I could acquire etc etc.

if you got it flaunt it I say.

or they could just buy a case without a glass panel ... problem solved and cheaper

 

[herpaderp]

They really should've highlighted and used 72pt font to emphasize the PROTOTYPE nature of this exhibition piece

 

[wizardB]

Easiest way to hide if you don't like the look is to get rid of the glass,back to metal cases. I personally like the look of the tubing etc gives it a steam punk look.

 

[herpaderp]

I personally like the look of the tubing etc gives it a steam punk look.

Only if you run copper or black EPDM rubber + caterpillar clamps.

 

[MyIOnU]

The whole point having the inlet right on top of the block to create strong water jet to cool down faster. This is a nice design, but it will hinder the effect of cooling, since the water flow will not be strong.

 

[mcnabney]

The water flow will be severely limited by those four (two going each way) narrow pipes that penetrate the board. The Ryzen chips will always perform (throttle) up to the temperature limit. I'm curious how much boost this setup gets.

 

[ggfstuart]

This article is so misleading its not funny. Maybe instead of going off another video maybe wait till you get a sample.

This block is absolutely amazing, the installation process is so well thought out.

As for flow rate. There's actually 2 ins and 2 outs and flow is actually amazing. Nothing compared to restrictive items like blocks or QDCs.

 

[wizardB]

Only if you run copper or black EPDM rubber + caterpillar clamps.

I soldier end caps on 1/2" and 3/4 copper tubing and drill and tap for various fittings, time-consuming but a great hobby. Oh and copper heater cores from cars are my rads.

 

[herpaderp]

I soldier end caps on 1/2" and 3/4 copper tubing and drill and tap for various fittings, time-consuming but a great hobby. Oh and copper heater cores from cars are my rads.

I'm getting worked up over here . Even though I dislike working on larger, actual plumbing projects, I do like messing around with PC-related projects