In today’s landscape of bewilderingly diverse high-end and bespoke PC cooling solutions, a new reference GPU on the market inevitably means that some stunning new aftermarket coolers will follow very soon after. With last week’s launch of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti cooling specialists have been eager to show off exactly what they have in mind for the truly select individuals who look at this GPU and think to themselves ‘you know what, this half a pound of copper and aluminium just isn’t enough’, instead opting for slightly more… exotic solutions.
Now chiefly known for their innovative PC cases after cutting their teeth on high-end CPU cooling, Phanteks last year diversified into GPU cooling with a selection of waterblocks tailored to various popular versions of the GeForce GTX 1080. Not only were Founders Editions of the GTX 1080 catered to, but also the ASUS Strix, EVGA FTW, GIGABYTE G1 and MSI EDITION variants. This week they’ve become the latest manufacturer to offer up a tribute to the cooling gods and the needs of high-performance NVIDIA-powered gamers, through their evocatively named Glacier G1080Ti Founders Edition.
The Glacier G1080Ti Founders Edition is a full-cover waterblock compatible with GTX 1080 Ti and TITAN X (Pascal Edition) GPUs built to the NVIDIA reference specification, offering high-end cooling support for these powerful pixel pushers. The design allows for the cooling of all surface-mounted components on the card PCB, including not only the GPU and memory but also the often poorly-served VRM and associated power circuitry. Improved overall cooling should allow the performance of the card to reach heights unseen by the reference cooled model.
In striving for best possible long-term reliability Phanteks have opted for VITON sealing from the Automotive and Aerospace Industries, chosen for their durability and resistance to aggressive fluids. The waterblock also features the option of either Satin Black or Mirrored Chrome finishes, depending on your personal tastes and the aesthetic needs of your system.
In trend with motherboards and GPUs released in the past 18 months, and like their GTX 1080 waterblock, Phanteks have also integrated RGB lighting into the waterblock. This lighting is natively compatible with the RGB lighting headers on Phantek’s own range of chassis, and can be supported by ASUS ROG AURA or MSI Mystic Light 4-pin motherboard header systems using an adapter.
The Glacier G1080Ti Founders Edition is set for release this April, priced at £129.99/€149.90 (inv. V.A.T.) and covered by a two year limited warranty. For more information visit phanteks.com.
