RBX vs. White Water

[Dark Ember]

Hey guys...

Just wondering if any of you have seen any comparisons between these 2 blocks. Before the RBX came out, I was pretty sure that the WW was pretty much the performance king of (affordable) water blocks. Since the RBX seems to have a similar design, I was curious as to whether that block was approaching, equal, or better in performance than the White Water. Thanks!

 

[B2BigAl]

You can read this thread from ProCooling I managed to dig up.

http://forums.procooling.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=8498

From what I've seen, they are right on par with eachother. Some reviews have shown one block besting the other by ~1C and vice versa. Personally, I would get the RBX because I like the interchangable nozzles, and the WW I got from DTEK was very poorly manufactured.

 

[Dark Ember]

Originally posted by B2BigAl
Personally, I would get the RBX because I like the interchangable nozzles, and the WW I got from DTEK was very poorly manufactured.

Yeah, I heard that when they were first being produced, they were poor quality, but now claim to have fixed their problems.

I also thought the different nozzle thing was very nifty! Just one more thing to customize... eh?

 

[MrHappyGoLucky]

Originally posted by Dark Ember
Yeah, I heard that when they were first being produced, they were poor quality, but now claim to have fixed their problems.

Nothing 5 minutes with some 600 grit sandpaper couldn't fix but yes the finish is much better now. The only thing people bitched about was the lapping. Nothing to do with quality of the block itself.

Originally posted by Dark Ember
I also thought the different nozzle thing was very nifty! Just one more thing to customize... eh?

Each time you open that block you risk a leak. I don't think it was a good idea. I would have rather seen them complete the R&D and make a block that works instead of hurrying this to market. Not only do you risk leak of the o-ring, you risk a bad remount that could smoke the chip, or a leak at one of the barbs. I know everyone here is an expert but things can happen each time you touch the setup.

 

[Dark Ember]

Originally posted by MrHappyGoLucky


Each time you open that block you risk a leak. I don't think it was a good idea. I would have rather seen them complete the R&D and make a block that works instead of hurrying this to market. Not only do you risk leak of the o-ring, you risk a bad remount that could smoke the chip, or a leak at one of the barbs. I know everyone here is an expert but things can happen each time you touch the setup.

Indeed, I didn't really think about it that way. You bring up a very valid point, that yes, the RBX is customizable in that respect, but you could be taking a giant risk in doing so. But hey, its not like we haven't taken risks when it comes to cooling our computers before, right? The question is, does this risk bring you high enough performance to warrant you taking it? i.e. does the RBX with different nozzles perform better than the WW?

 

[B2BigAl]

The main thing the nozzles are for is to help customize it for different pump setups. A low pressure pump can be used with a different nozzle to help performance and flowrates, obviously the same thing goes for a higher pressure pump as well. From what I've read, the smallest nozzle( I believe #4), gave the best results but requires a powerful pump, and the plate with the multiple holes (remniscent of the cascade) gave the worst results. The only thing that would worry me with this block would be cracking the polytop when tightening it back down, so if you decide to get an RBX, I'd go with the brass topped one.

Nothing 5 minutes with some 600 grit sandpaper couldn't fix but yes the finish is much better now. The only thing people bitched about was the lapping. Nothing to do with quality of the block itself.

Last time I checked, a poor lapping job had a LOT to do with the quality of the block. And actually, it was quite a bit more problematic than just a simple 5 minute fix. I could set my WW on my glass table and rock it back and forth like a see-saw, because the base plate was so convex. Not to mention the horrid lapping job and barbs being loose. It took me 2 hours with 400 grit paper to even get the thing flat, I can't believe I didn't sand all the way through the damn thing. Sorry to rant, but man that pissed me off, after I spent over $70 for that block and it was such a POS. To their credit though, I have heard they fixed the problems people were complaining about.