Intel 13900KS Direct Die Cooling with EKWB Velocity² Limited Edition

KitGuru teamed up with EKWB to explore the possibility of direct die cooling the Intel 12^th generation core processors almost a year ago now. Since our initial videos on this things have moved on quickly with Intel launching 13^th Generation Core processors too. Today’s video looks at the final limited edition version of the EKWB  Quantum Velocity² Direct Die CPU water block which is compatible with both 12^th and 13^th gen Intel Core processors but how does direct die cooling compare to other solutions and will it stand up to the test?

Watch via our Vimeo channel (below) or over on YouTube at 2160p HERE

Timestamps:

00:00 Start
00:43 Story so far
01:12 A look at the special edition kit
02:45 EK Delid Tool and accessories
04:05 The block and other bits
06:21 Availability and upgrading
06:50 check out the other videos
07:19 Testing and Installation / baselines
10:52 Delidding process – 13th Gen
13:57 We ran into a problem
15:12 Delidded in the end
15:50 Preparing the board / CPU install
18:44 Block Install
20:28 Performance results

It’s almost a year since we approached EKWB about exploring the possibility of direct die cooling Intel’s 12th-generation Core processors. Initially, we thought this would be an experiment that might not come too much but in the end, it has turned out to be a fully fledge EKWB product. EK was so excited about this idea that they even brought in legendary overclocker and direct die cooling expert Roman “Der8auer” Hartung to collaborate on the development of the product.

We previously released a couple of videos on this subject showing some initial thermal testing of the Core i9-12900K and looked at an early prototype version of the Velocity² direct die block. Throughout the development process KitGuru tested various revisions of the direct die kit and provided essential feedback to EKWB. Der8auer released a video on his own Youtube channel looking at the performance of the final prototype just before EK launched the retail versions.

Initial testing from Der8auer looked positive but there were some teething problems along the way. EKWB seems to have ironed out those problems now and we just received our Limited Edition Gold version of the kit. Our limited edition kit is number 1 of 100 so one of the first to roll off the production line. In the video, we take a look at what comes in the kit, delid an Intel Core i9-13900KS and compare EK’s direct die cooling solution against other types of cooling including a 360mm AIO and a standard EK-Quantum Velocity² water block.

With the EK-Quantum Velocity² D-RGB Direct Die block installed it is clear to see the advantage of direct die cooling intel 13^th generation processors. With the CPU frequency and vcore voltage fixed the direct die block produces a CPU package temperature approximately 14°C lower than both the AIO and standard Velocity² water block which is impressive. The risk of damage occurring from delidding a CPU with this kit is minimal due to the design of the CPU and delid tool, so the reduction in temperature and potential performance gains are well worth the effort.

Direct Die Test System Specification:

• CPU – Intel Core i9-13900KS
• Motherboard – Z790 Aorus Master
• Memory – 32GB Kit (2 x 16GB Modules) Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB DDR5-6000
• Graphics Card – Zotac RTX 4070 Ti AMP Extreme AIRO
• Storage – 500GB Corsair MP600 PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVME SSD
• CPU Cooler – Various
• Power Supply – Seasonic Prime TX-1000 80+ Titanium 1KW
• Chassis – Open Test Bench
• Chassis Fans – N/A
• Operating System – Windows 11

The EK-Quantum Velocity² Direct Die D-RGB – 1700 Limited Edition kit is unfortunately out of stock now but customers can order the EK-Quantum Velocity² Direct Die D-RGB – 1700 Nickel + Plexi version from the EK store HERE priced at €167.98. An EK-Quantum Velocity² Direct Die – 1700 Upgrade Kit for users that already own a standard Intel LGA1700 Veloicty² block can also be purchased separately HERE for €92.35 and the EK-Quantum Velocity² IHS Removal Tool – 1700 (CPU delid tool) is also available separately for €62.94 HERE.

KitGuru says: Check out the video for the full lowdown on the kit, what’s included and how it works. If you are thinking of direct die cooling an Intel Core 12^th or 13^th Gen CPU this could be just the job for you.

Become a Patron!