Another beautiful product from Optimus

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Feb 6, 2013
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Optimus has released a GPU block for EVGA FTW 3080/3090 series cards. If you get the backplate it ain't cheap but, as a recent convert to their cpu blocks, I can tell you that the quality is not just skin deep. This block is great looking and oozes craftsmanship. Take a look: https://optimuspc.com/products/absolute-gpu-block-ftw3-3080-3090
Right now Nvidia is winning the "cool factor" in terms of water blocks. However, if Optimus releases a 6000 series block and Powercolor comes through with a liquid devil that doesnt cost a grand things may turn around.

I think it is really cool that Optimus chose to make a block for one of the cards from the only company, EVGA, that is offering pre-orders to registered customers first. I can't help but think that was a conscious choice. A compelling reason to give my money to both companies.
 
I'm not quite comfortable with them yet. I tend to go for old school companies that have been around for a while, not the new ones.

I also don't go for blocks with clear plexi tops.

It's nice to see that they aare building a fan base. Over time maybe they will sell something I want, and the fact that they are starting to have a presence may mean I will trust them over time.
 
I was going to try their CPU block for my upcoming build, but it was OOS. The GPU block looks nice as well, but given the price it doesn't make a ton of sense on anything less than a 3090.

I'm waiting on the Watercool block for my EVGA 3080 XC3. Watercool designed it to use the stock backplate, so it's rather economical as far as GPU blocks go.
 
I was going to try their CPU block for my upcoming build, but it was OOS. The GPU block looks nice as well, but given the price it doesn't make a ton of sense on anything less than a 3090.

I'm waiting on the Watercool block for my EVGA 3080 XC3. Watercool designed it to use the stock backplate, so it's rather economical as far as GPU blocks go.

Yeah, it looks like almost everything they sell is out of stock right now.
 
Yea those prices are even worse then EK.
The price is almost the same if you are buying an EK founders edition block with backplate. I agree it is a halo product, but they are a small, American company making it all locally and appear to be some good guys. I have griped here about water cooling prices trending up, but I have come around on Optimus.
 
They set everything to out of stock after finally saying hey being a month or two behind may not be the best look when it appears things are in stock. These blocks are also like a month behind already lol. They look nice but imo unless you got a 3090 it's not worth the cost.
 
It can be argued that no gpu block is worth the cost. I would say a 3090 is not worth the cost of a 3090 with a 6800xt/3080 already being capable of 4k gaming at half the cost, not to mention the impending 6900xt. I am willing to pay a premium for a premium/unique aesthetic. Dont get me wrong, if I can get the look I want for cheaper I am all over it. My goal is to game at 4k 70 plus fps all day at cool temps. Beyond that custom loop value becomes 100% about looks for me and the gpu block cost becomes irrelevant as long as it fits into my frivolous spending budget.
 
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It can be argued that no gpu block is worth the cost. I would say a 3090 is not worth the cost of a 3090 with a 6800xt/3080 already being capable of 4k gaming at half the cost, not to mention the impending 6900xt. I am willing to pay a premium for a premium/unique aesthetic. Dont get me wrong, if I can get the look I want for cheaper I am all over it. My goal is to game at 4k 70 plus fps all day at cool temps. Beyond that custom loop value becomes 100% about looks for me and the gpu block cost becomes irrelevant as long as it fits into my frivolous spending budget.
Yeah I get you there especially given the limited overclocking and already cool temps on the air cards. Main reason for a block it go to 2 slots to be honest LOL.
 
I’m a really big fan of the look of the optimus AMD block and Rez+pump I picked up last month. I would love to give a full review of the block... but I still haven’t secured a 5950 so it’s still sitting happily in the box.
 
I like the looks and it appears to be high quality, but I scratched them off my list of companies to try. Message them a few times here, overclock, and through their site, but they never responded. I’ll continued to use aquacomputer as they they have awesome customer service and products.
 
I may be in the minority here but I do not like the way the GPU block looks at all.

It looks to me like they took great pains to make the cold plate (and it is beautiful), then just phoned the rest of it in - big acrylic slab on front, big aluminum slab on back. The exposed PCB and the "thermal blanket" poking through the cutouts... eugh. For that price a block has to be beautiful, to me.

I honestly prefer the look of EK's basic nickel/acetal to the Optimus.
 
I honestly prefer the look of EK's basic nickel/acetal to the Optimus.
Nothing wrong with that. I respectfully disagree and I dont see any spot for exposed pcb in the pics i am looking at. There is a cutout for the 8 pins but that is the only exposure I see.
 
Nothing wrong with that. I respectfully disagree and I dont see any spot for exposed pcb in the pics i am looking at. There is a cutout for the 8 pins but that is the only exposure I see.
The acrylic top is transparent. You will see PCB wherever there is not coldplate.

I'm on a Discord with the gentleman who sent his 3090 in to Optimus to assist their design of the block, so I've seen a number of pictures of it.

No bearing on the quality of the product, but Optimus also jerked him around for a week or two, promising ship dates that didn't happen, and then when they did ship they didn't send his air cooler back.

Following him through that rollercoaster has negatively impacted my opinion of them as a company as well.
 
when they did ship they didn't send his air cooler back.

Following him through that rollercoaster has negatively impacted my opinion of them as a company as well.
Man that sucks, did he end up getting it? would be a bummer to have a card but no way to run it.
 
Man that sucks, did he end up getting it? would be a bummer to have a card but no way to run it.
The cards sent to optimus received a pre installed block for free when returned by optimus. Following the thread on OCN, some people were, uh, irritated, when they didn’t get their card back as quickly as they wanted with the free block.
 
The cards sent to optimus received a pre installed block for free when returned by optimus. Following the thread on OCN, some people were, uh, irritated, when they didn’t get their card back as quickly as they wanted with the free block.
Yeah, he did eventually get the card back with block.

And he, specifically, was irritated that he didn't get his card back as quickly as they told him he was going to get it, multiple times. In the last couple weeks of their interaction, Optimus promised him a return shipment on four or five different dates.

He's a reasonable guy and didn't expect it to turn around instantly. Likely wouldn't have minded it taking an extra week and a half. His gripe (and the mark against Optimus in my book) was their broken promises that they just shouldn't have made in the first place. Lip service is lame.
 
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First blocks (not mine, blatantly stolen from overclock.net thread) arrived yesterday for a number of people who ordered in batch 1. Looking really nice

1608239175207-png.png
 
View attachment 310309

Thanks, perfect photo to express how I feel about those blocks
I thought the same thing at first, and then thought about it a bit. Probably best to have something to cover the right side of the PCB, but there doesn't seem to be anything worth cooling over there. Wouldn't want to expand the block that far over if there isn't anything to cool given the cost and the fact its already essentially 5 pounds. Black Acetal might have been better on the right half?
 
I thought the same thing at first, and then thought about it a bit. Probably best to have something to cover the right side of the PCB, but there doesn't seem to be anything worth cooling over there. Wouldn't want to expand the block that far over if there isn't anything to cool given the cost and the fact its already essentially 5 pounds. Black Acetal might have been better on the right half?
I think the whole block is missing a cover over the front that frames the waterways and covers the ugly PCB. I'm not griping that they didn't extend the copper specifically, just that the ugly PCB with the thermal blanket poking through the cutouts is visible.
 
View attachment 310309

Thanks, perfect photo to express how I feel about those blocks
Now I see what you were talking about. I still think it looks really, really good. I love the uniformity and the size of the water channel and the exposed pcb makes it look industrial. The acrylic looks incredibly thick, like a custom block as in a hydrocopper or a liquid devil. I own both those blocks and the difference in acrylic between those and a vanilla EK block is massive.
I get your point, though. It would be nice to see some sort of copper plate with a logo, maybe even offer custom, over the exposed pcb, at least as an option. Regardless this make an evga 3080 ftw and this block my number one choice at the moment.
 
They could put a mirror plate from the backplate onto the front side that might look nice.
 
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I have the EK block on the way for my XC3, and while I was originally going to get acetal, I had a last minute change of heart and ordered acrylic. The EK block has a similar exposed section of the PCB. I wondered about painting the PCB side of the acrylic. Masking it off cleanly would be important, but if done well it could look nice.

In hindsight, I probably should have just ordered the acetal one 😆
 
A piece of vinyl would do nicely. I couldnt tell you where to look anymore but i worked for a company that custom printed vinyl for things like that.
 
I don’t believe I’m going to say this... but it’s a bit of a shame you can’t attach the RGB strip built into the card into that little bit of plain plexi on the right. I would so love to have ENDGAME lightly engraved into the plexi so it could be lit up by a RGB strip. Black out the rest of the plexi, so just the RGB engraving glowed...
 
I don’t believe I’m going to say this... but it’s a bit of a shame you can’t attach the RGB strip built into the card into that little bit of plain plexi on the right. I would so love to have ENDGAME lightly engraved into the plexi so it could be lit up by a RGB strip. Black out the rest of the plexi, so just the RGB engraving glowed...
Nothing wrong with tasteful lighting. RGB doesnt have to mean turning your pc into a disco ball.
 
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