ekwb EK-FC480 GTX Manual

All disclosures, notices and warranty conditions are being written on the back of the box. Released on 16th of April, 2010. Revision 1.1
Installation and mounting manual for EK-FC480 GTX water block
This product is intended for installation only by expert users. Please consult with a qualified technician for installation. Improper installation may result in damage to your equipment. EK Water Blocks assumes no liability
whatsoever, expressed or implied, for the use of these products, nor their installation. The following instructions are subject to change without notice. Please visit our web site at www.ekwaterblocks.com for updates.
Before installation of this product please read important notice, disclosure and warranty conditions printed on the back of the box or our home page.
The barb hose fittings require only a small amount of force to screw them in; otherwise the high flow fittings might break. These fittings do not need to be tightened with much force because the
liquid seal is made using o-rings. The use of an algaecide and corrosion inhibitors is always recommended for any liquid cooling system.
STEP 1: GENERAL INFORMATION. Sample picture of NVidia GeForce 480 GTX graphic card.
STEP 2: PREPARING YOUR GRAPHIC CARD.
1. REMOVING STOCK COOLER: Remove encircled
screws on the bracket:
STEP 2 cont.: PREPARING YOUR GRAPHIC CARD
1 cont.. REMOVING STOCK COOLER. Remove all encircled screws. All heat sink
assembly screws and backplate should be removed. There are 17 screws on the back of
the graphic card.
2. CLEANING THE PCB. Carefully detach the original heat sink after removing all
fasteners securing it to the board and bracket. Wipe off the remains (by using non–
abrasive cloth or Q-tip, as shown on sample photo) of the original thermal
compound until the components and circuit board are completely clean. EKWB does
not recommend using any liquids for removing paste.
3. APPLYING THERMAL COMPOUND
Apply thermal compound: lightly coat the GPU with for example Arctic Cooling MX2 ™ or
MX3 ™ thermal compound. Follow this link:
http://www.arctic-cooling.com/catalog/images/install_mx2_retail.pdf for detailed
instructions. EKWB recommends to apply thermal grease in cross form for best
performance (see sample picture).
4. CUTTING THERMAL PADS. Your block comes with thermal pads, which have to
be placed on chips (PLEASE REMOVE FOIL ON BOTH SIDES OF THERMAL PADS
PRIOR TO INSTALLATION. WARNING: DIMENSION BELLOW ARE SCALED.)
Thermal pads 1 ans 2 are 1mm thick. Thermal pad #3 is 1,5mm thick. Thermal
pads #1 need to be cut to 4 pieces for RAM modules. Thermal pad #3 has to be
cut to fit small mosfet chips.
STEP 3: INSTALLING WATER BLOCK
1. PLACING THERMAL PADS ON PCB. Place thermal pads on chips so that numbers
on chips match size of thermal pads. Thermal pad number 2 and 3 will have to be
cut by user to match all small mosfet chips (EKWB made sure users have more
than enough pads to cover all surfaces that need to be covered to make block fully
function). You can also use small drop of thermal grease on chips to make thermal
pads more adhesive.
2. PLACING GPU REINFORCE PLATE ON PCB. Place metal reinforcer on PCB
as shown on picture below and screw it in with enclosed M3x4 screws.
Make sure you use fasten screws equally and do not use too much force.
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
Orientation
is important!
2
2
1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1
Use 1,5mm thermal #3 pads only
on 6 encircled mosfet chips!
3
3

All disclosures, notices and warranty conditions are being written on the back of the box. Released on 16th of April, 2010. Revision 1.1
3. PLACING STANDOFFS ON BLOCK. Standoffs are obligatory to make this block
fully functional and safe mounting. Please use small amount of thermal grease on
standoffs and glue them so they are concentric with mounting holes. Once they
are stuck to block be careful not to move them.
4. ATTACHING BLOCK TO GRAPHIC CARD. By using Philips screwdriver screw in
enclosed M3x8 screws. EKWB recommends start screwing the screws around the
GPU core and continue outwards.
STEP 4: CHECKING FOR CONTACTS
Temporarily r emove the water block to check for uniform surface contact between the block and the components. Note the pattern of contact on a piece of paper. Then repeat
substeps in previous section to reattach the block. In case you can’t get good contact, please check again your thermal pad thickness our contact our support service.
STEP 5: POSITIONING FITTINGS
Please use spacer only on copper base if you use fitting with G1/4 thread longer than 5mm (see sample picture). Screw in the fittings and plugs (please use spacers only on
copper base for fittings). Use 6mm Allen key to screw in and tighten new EK-Plug G1/4. Attach the liquid cooling tubes and connect the water-block(s) into the cooling circuit.
EKWB recommends using high flow fittings with the EK-FC 480 GTX series water blocks. To ensure that the tubes are securely attached to the barb/fittings, please use hose
clamps or an appropriate substitute. The use of an algaecide is always recommended for any liquid cooling system.
You can use any hole as an inlet/outlet hole.
STEP 6: INSERTING CARD IN YOUR PC CASE
Carefully lift your card with installed block and insert it in your PC case. Please bear in mind that your card suddenly withstands extra weight thus again be very careful not to
bend it or cause any other unneeded moves that might damage your card or block during installation.
REQUIRED TOOLS AND MOUNTING SCREWS:
scissors philips screwdriver 11 x screws M3x8 DIN7985 4 x M3x4 DIN7985
Fitting
Gasket/O-ring
G1/4
Spacer
Plug
Use 11 screws M3x8
Plug
6mm Allen key
Use 2 PVC washers with
these 2 screws. This
way you will diminish
possibility of damaging
PCB due to high screw
tension.