Launch-day buyers: How long do waterblocks lag cards?

[VanGoghComplex]

I've never bought a card on launch day before, but am willing to take the plunge this time. I know I want an FE due to waterblock compatibility and silicon binning, and I'm ready to retire my 1080ti, which has been working overtime to keep up with 3440x1440 @ 144hz.

I'm all set to F5 camp on Nvidia's store with my debit card in my hot little hand, but once I actually click "confirm," then what? Can I count on the big players like EK, Heatkiller, XSPC and the like to have blocks available for purchase that same night? If not, how long does it usually take? Should I plan to run the card on air for a few weeks or months?

 

[harmattan]

If the 30xx cards become available by mid-Sept as rumors suggest, you should see blocks start showing up late Nov/early Dec. They will almost certainly not be available day 1 (I don't recall a block ever being available at launch), and you should plan on running air for a while. Normally, EK is first out the door.

 

[newls1]

you'll see water blocks about a week or 2 after cards release. never had to wait longer then 2 weeks for a WB release for a new card i bought.

 

[Hakaba]

For EVGA specifically, the 1080 Ti released 10 March 2017, with a hydro copper variant released 10 July 17.

 

[VanGoghComplex]

Thanks guys! Looks like I should gear up to temporarily plumb my loop bypassing the GPU, or just get an air cooler to pop on the CPU until water blocks come out. The nice thing about my external rad setup is that converting to air cooling in the case is relatively easy. Appreciate it!

 

[Damagedgoods420]

I'm going to wait as long as it takes for the heatkiller block to come out. I'll be damned before I use an EK block.

 

[alxlwson]

I'm going to wait as long as it takes for the heatkiller block to come out. I'll be damned before I use an EK block.

Still stuck in the past?

 

[VanGoghComplex]

Still stuck in the past?

I'm doing the same. Don't have anything in particular against EK, I've just been so blown away by the quality of every Heatkiller product I've purchased, I want to give my GPU the love.

 

[Nimisys]

Still stuck in the past?

Sometimes Quality of Service is more important than the Quality of Product.

 

[alxlwson]

Sometimes Quality of Service is more important than the Quality of Product.

I had to replace a noisy pump on a bayres. EK said they didn't have any in stock to replace. So they called a microcenter close to me and arranged a swap. Had to drive an hour and a half, but better than having to wait for shipping from Lithuania. Pretty good service if I say so myself.