Active backplate and AIO compatibility for Gigabyte 3090 Gaming/Eagle/Vision

Alphator

New member
Hi,

I am interested in watercooling a Gigabyte 3090 Vision OC (same PCB as gaming and eagle models) and I am very happy to see that you already have a waterblock available for this card (Article no.: 11942, EAN: 4250197119429). I would have a few additional question:

1) The 3090 requires active cooling on the back, at least in my case, and I saw in another thread that you are planning to have active backplates ( https://forum.alphacool.com/threads/active-backplate-for-inno3d-3090-ichill-x4.1994/ ). Do you have plans to make an active backplate for the Gigabyte 3090 Gaming/Eagle/Vision PCB?

2) I really like the concept of the Eiswolf 2, which removes a lot of the hassle in designing a custom loop. Another thread suggests you might have an Eiswolf 2 for the 3080 Eagle around July ( https://forum.alphacool.com/threads/eiswolf-2-for-inno3d-3090-ichill-x4.1895/ ). So just to confirm, do you have plans to release an Eiswolf 2 AIO for the Gigabyte 3090 Gaming/Eagle/Vision PCB?

3) Finally, if the two questions above are a yes. Will active backplates be compatible with Eiswolf AIOs or will they only be useable in custom loops?

Thank you for you time!
 

Thomas_S

... the nice marketing guy next door
Staff member
Hi, thanks for your interest. I'll answer your questions ;-)

1. Yes, coolers with active backplates are being planned. However, we have not yet decided when and how we will start.
2. Eiswolf 2 AIO for 3090 Gaming/Eagle with backplate will be available. However, there is no release date for this yet either. If everything goes as planned, we should be able to expect it in July.
3. they will also be usable in custom loops. All components of the Eiswolf are also part of our DIY programme (except the pump cover). No changes are planned.

I hope I was able to help you ;-)
 

Alphator

New member
Thank you for the quick reply Thomas!

This is great news and I am now waiting eagerly for these products.

One small point of confusion regarding question #3 though. I was wondering if I would be able to use the Eiswolf AIO alone and add an active backplate to it. I feel like this would be easier than to build a full custom loop. If this is not possible then it is probably smarter to just build a full custom loop and leave the eiswolf out.

Nevertheless, can't wait for these products to be ready!
 

Eddy

Iceman
Staff member
Since we are not sure wich kind of connection between backplate and cooler we will make..... i would say, with an eiswolf it will be maybe not possible to use the active cooled backplate.
 

Alphator

New member
Guten Tag,

Just doing a little 6 months check in. Are the active backplates still being planned? is there an estimated release date or timeframe? will there be an Eiswolf 2 solution with active backplate cooling?

I am very happy to see that the Eiswolf 2 is out for my gpu, just missing that last bit to make it worth it!

Danke!
 

Thomas_S

... the nice marketing guy next door
Staff member
Guten Tag,

Just doing a little 6 months check in. Are the active backplates still being planned? is there an estimated release date or timeframe? will there be an Eiswolf 2 solution with active backplate cooling?

I am very happy to see that the Eiswolf 2 is out for my gpu, just missing that last bit to make it worth it!

Danke!
The plan is alive & will be implemented in early 2022! However, integration into an Eiswolf 2 will not be possible.
 

Alphator

New member
The backplates are here! Thank you Thomas and Eddy for giving us hope in our time of need 😄.

Very happy that they arrived, very eager to order my full alphacool loop, but a little bit disappointed I missed the black friday discount :p.

Two small comments:

1) the webpages on alphacool and aquatuning seem to say it is compatible with eiswolf, although as you mentioned already it is not, so this might need fixing, here is the quote from the webpage:

Compatibility:
- Alphacool Eisblock Aurora Acryl GPX-N RTX 3090/3080 Gaming/Eagle with backplate (article number: 11942)
- Alphacool Eiswolf 2 AIO - 360mm RTX 3080/3090 Gaming/Eagle with backplate (article number: 14416)

2) Personally, I would like to use the G1/4 ports rather than the MCX 2 kit... it is a bit hard to gauge which fittings, extenders etc. I could use to connect the outlet of the gpu block to the inlet of the backplate... Might be interesting to have a little kit prepared for that or at least some guidance since you guys should have all the required parts at hand!

Thank you again guys!
 

Eddy

Iceman
Staff member
The active backplates are compatible to the Eiswolf, but only over the G1/4" conectors, not over the MCX adaptor. Over the MCX adaptor you are using a paralell flow and this works only with a stronger pump.
A kit only makes limited sense. You don't have to connect it the way you imagine, you can connect it the way you want. Depending on the design of the water cooling system, it sometimes makes no sense to go from the backplate into the GPU cooler or vice versa. It might also make sense to go from there into a radiator, CPU cooler or somewhere else before coming back to the actual GPU cooler. ;)
 

bobbySmith

New member
Finally!!!!!! Thanks Alphacool!

Main Setup:
GPU: GeForce 3090 VISION OC 24G
CPU: AMD 3950x
CPU Cooling: Corsair H150i Pro - Front of the case - Pull config. 360 Rad
MOBO: ASUS Rog Strix X570-E
RAM: 4x 16GB, DDR4-3200 Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro
Case: NZXT 710i

Initial GPU cooling setup:
- EKWB EK-Classic Kit S360 D-RGB (Push config to exhaust out the top of the case)
- MP5WORKS Backplate stuck to the back of the GPU

New GPU cooling setup:
- Alphacool Eisblock Aurora GPX-N Acryl Active Backplate 3080/3090 Gaming/Eagle
- Alphacool Eisblock Aurora Acryl GPX-N RTX 3090/3080 Gaming/Eagle
- EKWB EK-Classic Kit S360 D-RGB - Pump, Fans, and Rad (Push config to exhaust out the top of the case)

The testing was done with Nicehash quick miner as the temps during gaming are much lower and rending via Davinci resolve fluctuates a lot - custom control via MSI Afterburner.
As the old setup didn't cope well I didn't have the glass side panel and top panel on.

MSI Afterburner config:
-300 Core clock
+1000 Memory clock
Power 69%
Fan 96% only relevant for the initial setup

Old setup/ Initial cooling setup:
Memory Junction Temp: 100C (yeh wasn't too happy with those temps)
Core Temp: 46C

New setup:
Memory Junction Temp: 66C
Core Temp: 31C

WOW!!!!! A massive 34C reduction of the memory junction temps!

So anyway: I've now got the case fully closed up again, increased the OC and still running at below 90C on the memory junction. Mining at 120MH/s vs the previous max of 84MH/s

In short: For me it's made a massive difference and I'm very very happy.

Feedback: The assembly is pretty easy.
When sandwiching the PCB with the active backplate it was fairly difficult to get it make good contact on the back memory pads. I had to weight it down for quite a while to squish the other pads so that I could then fully screw it down. There could probably be some optimisation on some of the pads as i think it's the ones near the screws and the massive one to the back of the GPU Core that blocked it at first.

Getting the card out of the case will be a pain as it's almost impossible to get to the PCI-E locking mechanism. I removed the metal M.2 heatsink from the motherboard in the top slot so that I have a slightly better chance of getting it out in the future by wedging something down there.

Clearance, this is tricky. I used a 90 degree rotating connector on the active backplate. This sits incredibly close to the retaining screw of the CPU cooler. I can only barely get a piece of paper between the 90 degree connector and the screw from the CPU assembly. Not ideal but luckily it just about fit.
The one thing I still need to do is replace the power connector with cable. Currently I'm using the weird cable connector that came with the GPU. That doesn't look nice and doesn't feel good.

Screenshot 2022-02-15 at 17.06.08.jpg
 

DarkBytes

New member
Finally!!!!!! Thanks Alphacool!

Main Setup:
GPU: GeForce 3090 VISION OC 24G
CPU: AMD 3950x
CPU Cooling: Corsair H150i Pro - Front of the case - Pull config. 360 Rad
MOBO: ASUS Rog Strix X570-E
RAM: 4x 16GB, DDR4-3200 Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro
Case: NZXT 710i

Initial GPU cooling setup:
- EKWB EK-Classic Kit S360 D-RGB (Push config to exhaust out the top of the case)
- MP5WORKS Backplate stuck to the back of the GPU

New GPU cooling setup:
- Alphacool Eisblock Aurora GPX-N Acryl Active Backplate 3080/3090 Gaming/Eagle
- Alphacool Eisblock Aurora Acryl GPX-N RTX 3090/3080 Gaming/Eagle
- EKWB EK-Classic Kit S360 D-RGB - Pump, Fans, and Rad (Push config to exhaust out the top of the case)

The testing was done with Nicehash quick miner as the temps during gaming are much lower and rending via Davinci resolve fluctuates a lot - custom control via MSI Afterburner.
As the old setup didn't cope well I didn't have the glass side panel and top panel on.

MSI Afterburner config:
-300 Core clock
+1000 Memory clock
Power 69%
Fan 96% only relevant for the initial setup

Old setup/ Initial cooling setup:
Memory Junction Temp: 100C (yeh wasn't too happy with those temps)
Core Temp: 46C

New setup:
Memory Junction Temp: 66C
Core Temp: 31C

WOW!!!!! A massive 34C reduction of the memory junction temps!

So anyway: I've now got the case fully closed up again, increased the OC and still running at below 90C on the memory junction. Mining at 120MH/s vs the previous max of 84MH/s

In short: For me it's made a massive difference and I'm very very happy.

Feedback: The assembly is pretty easy.
When sandwiching the PCB with the active backplate it was fairly difficult to get it make good contact on the back memory pads. I had to weight it down for quite a while to squish the other pads so that I could then fully screw it down. There could probably be some optimisation on some of the pads as i think it's the ones near the screws and the massive one to the back of the GPU Core that blocked it at first.

Getting the card out of the case will be a pain as it's almost impossible to get to the PCI-E locking mechanism. I removed the metal M.2 heatsink from the motherboard in the top slot so that I have a slightly better chance of getting it out in the future by wedging something down there.

Clearance, this is tricky. I used a 90 degree rotating connector on the active backplate. This sits incredibly close to the retaining screw of the CPU cooler. I can only barely get a piece of paper between the 90 degree connector and the screw from the CPU assembly. Not ideal but luckily it just about fit.
The one thing I still need to do is replace the power connector with cable. Currently I'm using the weird cable connector that came with the GPU. That doesn't look nice and doesn't feel good.

View attachment 3671
hey dude, looks great , can I ask what tubing and fittings you used ?
 

bobbySmith

New member
hey dude, looks great , can I ask what tubing and fittings you used ?
Alphacool EPDM Tube 13/10 - Black 3m
Some of the old fittings from EKWB EK-Classic S360 Kit (For the backplate 2x 90° + 2x straight to connect to the radiator)
4x Alphacool Eiszapfen 13/10mm 90° rotating G1/4 - Deep Black
 
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