All disclosures, notices and warranty conditions are being written on EKWB web page. Please check terms of use. Revision 1.0. Published on November 12th, 2014
Installation and mounting manual for EK-FC980 GTX Strix 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.ekwb.com for updates.
Before installation of this product please read important notice, disclosure and warranty conditions printed on the back of the box.
Before you start using this product please follow these basic guidelines:
1. Please carefully read the manual before through before beginning with the installation process!
2. Please remove your motherboard from the computer to assure safest mounting process in order to prevent any possible damages to your CPU and/or motherboard’s circuit board (PCB).
3. The EK High Flow and EK-CSQ type fittings require only a small amount of force to screw them firmly in place since the liquid seal is ensured by the rubber O-ring gaskets.
4. The use of corrosion inhibiting coolants is always recommended for any liquid cooling system.
STEP 1: GENERAL INFORMATION. Sample picture of GeForce 980 GTX Strix series graphics card.
STEP 2: PREPARING YOUR GRAPHIC CARD.
1. REMOVING STOCK COOLER: Remove encircled screws on the
bracket and on the backside of the graphics card.
STEP 2 cont.: PREPARING YOUR GRAPHIC CARD
1 cont.. REMOVING STOCK COOLER. Remove the stock GPU HSF and backplate assembly. Remove
all encircled screws attaching the backplate and VRM heatsink to the circuit board as well as two screws
attaching the I/O bracket to the HSF.
2. CLEANING THE PCB. Carefully detach the original stock cooler
after removing all screws securing it to the board. 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 recommends the use of
denatured alcohol for removing TIM leftovers.
3. APPLYING THERMAL COMPOUND. Wipe off the
remains (by using non–abrasive cloth or
q-tip
) of the
original thermal compound until the components and
circuit board are completely clean. Apply thermal
compound: lightly coat
NVIDIA
GPU chip with enclosed EK-TIM
Ectotherm thermal grease. 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, some of which are already pre-cut. Others
have to be cut to smaller chunks in order to cover all the VRM components such as MOSFETs and drivers.
PLEASE REMOVE THE PROTECTIVE FOIL FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE THERMAL PADS PRIOR TO
INSTALLATION. Replacement thermal pads: Thermal Pad D –0.5mm (RAM 8x), Thermal Pad A –0.5mm (100x16mm).
STEP 3: INSTALLING THE WATER BLOCK
1. PLACING THERMAL PADS ON PCB. Place thermal pads on chips
so that numbers on chips match size of thermal pads. EKWB made
sure users have more than enough pads to cover all surfaces that need
to be covered to make block fully functional). EKWB recommends using
small drops of electrically non-conductive (for example: EK-TIM
Ectotherm, Arctic Cooling MX-2 ™, MX-4 ™ or GELID GC-Extreme™)
thermal grease on each phase regulator (that is being covered with
thermal pad) in order to even further improve the thermal performance
of the EK-FC980 GTX Strix series water block.
2. PLACING THE BLOCK ON TO THE GRAPHICS CARD. Carefully position the water
block with preinstalled 2.5mm standoffs on to the graphics card. During this process please
make sure you align mounting holes on the PCB with holes on the water block (same
applies for other tops). Also pay attention not to use too much force by pressing the block
down to the PCB. Chip dies are prone to cracking.
forget to remove
stock-glued
washers from the
front side of the
(for memory IC):
2: Thermal pad A –0.5mm
(for memory IC):
