All disclosures, notices and warranty conditions are being written on EKWB web page. Please check terms of use. Revision 1.1. Published on September 15
th
, 2015
Installation and mounting manual for EK-FC970 GTX ACX 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
Before installation of this product please read important notice, disclosure and warranty conditions printed on the back of t he 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 t o your CPU and/or motherboard’s circuit board (PCB).
3.
The EK High Flow and EK-ACF type fittings require only a small amount of force to screw them firmly in place since the liquid seal is ensured by the rubb er 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 GTX 970 ACX series graphics card.
STEP 2: PREPARING YOUR GRAPHIC CARD.
1. REMOVING STOCK COOLER: Remove encircled screws 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.
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 E – 0.5mm (RAM 8x), Thermal Pad G –1mm (120x24mm).
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-FC970 GTX ACX 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.
1:
Thermal pad E – 0.5 mm
(for memory IC):
2
1
1
1
1
2
2:
Thermal pad G – 1 mm
(for main VRM/MOSFET):
1
2
