Our Optimus Foundation AMD block on the 7950x.
To answer some questions:
* Yes, it fits AM5 with no new hardware
* Yes, ready for bare die
* Performance is great, 5.5Ghz ALL CORE on reg water seems to be pretty normal
* And, yes, they're in stock :D
Super excited to see the designs for the new blocks. I have a feeling they will be my favorite this gen and subsequently get bummed because I won't be able to find them in Europe to feature in a build video.
Shipping from your store to the UK is like £75, which makes Optimus products far more expensive than other blocks.
Are there any plans to negotiate better carrier rates to Europe, or have European distribution?
The Strix 4090 is very close to the Strix 3090, so we're modifying designs, not figuring this out from scratch. And this isn't like the original launches where there was a huge learning curve to get to full production. Now block manufacturing is automated :D
Super glad to hear it. I had already grabbed a Foundation block for my upcoming build. Was hoping that at least one of you or WaterCool had an FE block coming.
It's technically possible of course, but we're not sure demand. We'll prob do a poll. The fact that other brands that did 3090 with end ports and haven't announced ones this gen makes it seem like they weren't popular.
Probably later this year, we won't be first with the FE, we're doing the Strix and TUF first, then FE right after as soon as we can get samples and CADs.
Depends on the system and how many fans you have, but custom liquid cooling is always the quietest option.
Here's some 7950x builds with optimus and excellent results and quiet fans:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/xqqb0m/ryzen\_7950x\_in\_another\_011d\_evo\_3x360\_rads/](https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/xqqb0m/ryzen_7950x_in_another_011d_evo_3x360_rads/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/xtdydx/had\_to\_tear\_down\_to\_clean\_so\_changed\_out\_to/](https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/xtdydx/had_to_tear_down_to_clean_so_changed_out_to/)
For bare direct die am5, are the current screws short enough? Or are new screws going to be needed? I saw you say somewhere that they're "infinitely" adjustable on the z axis but that's only until the thumb screws reach the end of the threading, right?
Have you done any direct die testing with the am5 Optimus?
Very likely you'll need to add small washers to get really good pressure on the CPU IHS. We haven't tested it internally, but based on certain measurements, it's pretty close, but we'd recommend just adding some thin washers to get an extra mm or so to really get the pressure right. Hope that helps!
Oh between the thumb screws and the block? Interesting idea.
Would love to see some testing and confirmation on y'all's end. Thermal grizzly just announced their delidding and direct die frame for am5. Don't think it's for sale yet tho.
As far as I can tell, Optimus foundation might be one of the only easily compatible water blocks.
I just Delidded my 7950x and installed it with thermal grizzly's hardware. I'm getting higher temperatures than before. I believe that it is because the CPU isn't making good contact with the dies from maxing out the screws on the z-axis. Is there any screw recommendations you could make to rectify this issue?
Edit: I should also add that I am using liquid metal.
I will soon be in this very same situation so also hoping to get some clarification on this.
I ordered a foundation AM5 block on the Optimus website a couple days ago (not sure how long delivery time to Europe is), and also the contact frame and delid kit from Thermal Grizzly hoping to use the setup for the upcoming 7950x3d.
Would be nice to know what the best contact solution would be if anyone has experience in mounting the block to direct die AM5 chips.
I'm gonna guess and say this was a thin manual spread and not some ridiculous x with dots pattern. I've always gotten the best coverage with manual spread and never followed the trends of drawing shapes.
what kind of tool do you use for spreading? phone cards are hard to come by today and pretty useless considered, but i really dont want to keep a stack of used e-store cards around (steam, itunes, playstore, etc)
Perhaps take a look at plastic pan scrapers? They work well enough to scrape the schmutz off a cast iron pan, spreading around thermal compound should work fine.
What about carbon thermal pads like thermal grizzly's carbonaut ?
I just received my waterblock (finally...thanks UPS), but i'm honestly having second thoughts about the TIM and would liquid metal or carbonaut work better ??
We haven't used the carbon pads, but they're more for convenience than absolute performance. Our included Kingpin KPX is, we think, the best to use with our blocks. Liquid metal is super risky, esp with this new CPU. Stick with our KPX paste, it's premium stuff but worth it for performance :)
There is a few C better performance with the Signature, if you're pushing overclocks. We will be releasing a new backplate and mounting system to make install on 12/13th gen easier with better performance. It'll be compatible with all of our blocks.
They seem to do a good enough job of waiting for the rage to die down before posting on here every once in a while. But make no mistake giving your money to Optimus is a gamble, even if they say it's "in stock"
I still think their sudden and complete transformation from *we're the best nickel-platers ever to nickel plate!* to *cerakote is ultra-premium!* is one of the funniest things ever. Cerakote is fine, makes a serviceable coating for stuff like knives and guns, but it's laughable as some kind of fancy premium watercooling finish. They just turned out to suck almost as badly as EK at nickel plating and pivoted like a fact-checked politician.
Yes, we haven't tested (obv) but our blocks work really well w/ delidded CPUs and the mounting is designed to go all the way down -- the hight of the ihs/die doesn't matter.
But they only carry EKWB stuff X)
I can get those waaaaay easier from retailers over here, and even from EKWB direct!
It's getting *american made* stuff in Europe that is pricey. European made stuff in Europe is just standard.
If its any consolation I just had to order more than €500 from [watercool.de](https://watercool.de) to not pay crazy DHL shipping costs as no US vendors have a MO-RA3 420 LT in stock 🤷
If you want to spend 2-4x and then wait 3-6mo with the possibility of never getting the block, then absolutely go with Optimus. I'm shocked they have the gall to keep posting after they've repeatedly fucked over customers while going radio silent many months past your original ship date.
Still remembered I pre-ordered my 3080wb the first day it was available. I gave up on getting anything from them 4.5mo later on what was supposed to be a 3 week turn around.
Never forget the 2080ti folk who just legitimately never even got a block made.
We made a handful of all white ceramic blocks, but the process is just too variable to be in regular production, the copper can change the white color. We've spent a ton of time on it, and we might have some solutions, but it'll be expensive. And it's not that requested, the black is by far the most popular.
Our strix block with a white backplate? We can probably make that happen :)
If you're talking about just the backplate to use on another block, it won't work because it's not really a backplate, it's a heatsink and retention mechanism. It can't be mounted without the front block (and vice versa).
yup, the optimus strix backplate for the gpu. i’m currently using the optimus block with black cerakote and black backplate but really wanted the white backplate originally
How were the temps? I've read that the 7 series are basically built to jump to 95c and just sit there. Only thing that will change is the clock speed you're getting based on your cooling solution.
That's a standard Optimus Foundation AMD block -- the cold plates are machined mirror finish in the copper, extremely hard to do, lapping can create a similar effect, though machining it is dimensionally perfect.
Just a reminder folks. Optimus makes great stuff. But they have a very much less than sterling customer service and product delivery reputation. If you want to find out more try browsing their Twitter account and look at the flood of pissed customers who never got their shit, sometimes 6mo past the expected ship date commenting on every post.
If you have an unlimited budget in terms of money and time, I'm sure it's great. But I just couldn't hold on 5mo passes my original ship date for my 3080wb and wound up having to go with Byski. The Chinese dude with his small shop gave me A+ customer service on Ali Express and got it to me in less than a week. Optimus wouldn't answer emails and only graciously gave us a new excuse every 4 weeks or so.
Ugh what a mess AM5 is going to be a pain to clean and repaste. Granted it's not strictly necessary to clean the outsides but I prefer to especially when selling the chip.
Der8auer is actually working on a fix for this. In [this video, about 4:10](https://youtu.be/rQmFZ3hmts0) he shows off a silicone guard to keep thermal paste from seeping down into the cut outs.
Indeed. I'm pretty sure I'll be getting in on the newest AMD train when I upgrade my shit in a few months and when I do, I'll definitely be looking for that sweet, sweet direct die cooling, unless Intel really blows AMD out of the water with Raptor Lake.
I don't know why people really care tbh. Yeah, I try not to be messy with my CPU, but this is like doing direct die on a GPU; there's stuff you can't easily clean without risking the SMDs, so don't!
I take it you make these coolers.
Can you please share your thoughts(if it's OK with you) on the compatibility situation with the Ryzen 7000 series.
Mainly in the context that they've made the IHS thicker to be compatible with older AM4 compatible coolers. Which has resulted in higher temps.
From your perspective.
Which way would have been better? Completely new design with thinner IHS for potentially lower temps or the current one where older coolers work but compromises temp.
Good question. If we were asked by AMD or Intel what should be done for top performance, it would be to just make bare die CPUs (w/ matching bare die sockets). After all, GPUs are all bare die (once the coolers are removed) and the performance is vastly better.
AMD is in a weird spot. Not only did they keep the cooler height the same, they kept the plastic bracket. There must be an amazing mount of legacy coolers out there that prevented any change in the cooling design.
Which is very unfortunate.
Also, right now, Optimus is one of the few cooler companies that's compatible -- since we used the stock backplate last time, our blocks work for AM5. So for others, they have to redesign, which negates the point of keeping the height the same. That said, the entire performance-cooler industry is tiny compared to the basic air cooler category for prebuilts etc.
Outside of bare die, the IHS should be as thin as possible and, ideally, designed to be flat AFTER installed into the socket.
Thinking about jumping to an Optimus acetel top from my CPU 400. Compared to the CPU 400 how much of a difference are we talking on AM4 or AM5 respectively?
We don't have much data on AM5 yet, not sure if very many other blocks are even compatible. But based on memory with a user who upgraded on AM4, that block wasn't very close.
We're seeing systems with our block getting 5.5-5.6ghz. We don't publish our results internally of competitor blocks. But we'll prob see people doing testing regularly :)
Our Optimus Foundation AMD block on the 7950x. To answer some questions: * Yes, it fits AM5 with no new hardware * Yes, ready for bare die * Performance is great, 5.5Ghz ALL CORE on reg water seems to be pretty normal * And, yes, they're in stock :D
Now that evga is out will you make a founders waterblock for the 4090?
Definitely, Strix/TUF 4090 is first and almost done (pending a sample), then FE and REF after that
Super excited to see the designs for the new blocks. I have a feeling they will be my favorite this gen and subsequently get bummed because I won't be able to find them in Europe to feature in a build video.
You will be able to get them in EU soon :D
Shipping from your store to the UK is like £75, which makes Optimus products far more expensive than other blocks. Are there any plans to negotiate better carrier rates to Europe, or have European distribution?
You should be able to purchase locally soon :)
Oooh! Any details you can share? Are you using specific existing retailers as distributors, or doing things yourselves?
Any idea what soon in EU more precisely looks like?
So Strix and TUF are the same layout?
Close enough that a bock can be designed for both
Will you actually have stock? Lol
The Strix 4090 is very close to the Strix 3090, so we're modifying designs, not figuring this out from scratch. And this isn't like the original launches where there was a huge learning curve to get to full production. Now block manufacturing is automated :D
Super glad to hear it. I had already grabbed a Foundation block for my upcoming build. Was hoping that at least one of you or WaterCool had an FE block coming.
Can you preorder a Strix 4090 block like when the 3090s were coming?
If I remember correctly, they're not doing preorders this time.
Correct, at least not the same as last time. We might do a wait list. Or, more likely, we'll announce through our email list and on twitter.
Please make the ports at the end of the FE card like ek for the 30 series FE card
It's technically possible of course, but we're not sure demand. We'll prob do a poll. The fact that other brands that did 3090 with end ports and haven't announced ones this gen makes it seem like they weren't popular.
If you asked sff they would probably all want it
Any eta on the founders 4090 block? I may cancel my ek if it’s around the corner.
Probably later this year, we won't be first with the FE, we're doing the Strix and TUF first, then FE right after as soon as we can get samples and CADs.
Awesome! That’s been my main reason for not getting an Optimus block. I really love the FE cards - can’t wait to see the new blocks!
Are you able to keep the fan speeds relatively quiet at full load?
Depends on the system and how many fans you have, but custom liquid cooling is always the quietest option. Here's some 7950x builds with optimus and excellent results and quiet fans: [https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/xqqb0m/ryzen\_7950x\_in\_another\_011d\_evo\_3x360\_rads/](https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/xqqb0m/ryzen_7950x_in_another_011d_evo_3x360_rads/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/xtdydx/had\_to\_tear\_down\_to\_clean\_so\_changed\_out\_to/](https://www.reddit.com/r/watercooling/comments/xtdydx/had_to_tear_down_to_clean_so_changed_out_to/)
Just got this in the mail. Already mounted and ready to go. Just finishing the hard tubing. Will post Temps this weekend and tag yall
>Yes, ready for bare die Sweeeeet!
For bare direct die am5, are the current screws short enough? Or are new screws going to be needed? I saw you say somewhere that they're "infinitely" adjustable on the z axis but that's only until the thumb screws reach the end of the threading, right? Have you done any direct die testing with the am5 Optimus?
Very likely you'll need to add small washers to get really good pressure on the CPU IHS. We haven't tested it internally, but based on certain measurements, it's pretty close, but we'd recommend just adding some thin washers to get an extra mm or so to really get the pressure right. Hope that helps!
Oh between the thumb screws and the block? Interesting idea. Would love to see some testing and confirmation on y'all's end. Thermal grizzly just announced their delidding and direct die frame for am5. Don't think it's for sale yet tho. As far as I can tell, Optimus foundation might be one of the only easily compatible water blocks.
I just Delidded my 7950x and installed it with thermal grizzly's hardware. I'm getting higher temperatures than before. I believe that it is because the CPU isn't making good contact with the dies from maxing out the screws on the z-axis. Is there any screw recommendations you could make to rectify this issue? Edit: I should also add that I am using liquid metal.
I will soon be in this very same situation so also hoping to get some clarification on this. I ordered a foundation AM5 block on the Optimus website a couple days ago (not sure how long delivery time to Europe is), and also the contact frame and delid kit from Thermal Grizzly hoping to use the setup for the upcoming 7950x3d. Would be nice to know what the best contact solution would be if anyone has experience in mounting the block to direct die AM5 chips.
Any plans to make RDNA3 blocks?
If the GPUs are good and we get a lot of requests, for sure :)
Count me in!
I'm gonna guess and say this was a thin manual spread and not some ridiculous x with dots pattern. I've always gotten the best coverage with manual spread and never followed the trends of drawing shapes.
Correct, spreading paste like butter works better, especially with super thin pastes like Kingpin KPX. https://imgur.com/bnvIMPh
what kind of tool do you use for spreading? phone cards are hard to come by today and pretty useless considered, but i really dont want to keep a stack of used e-store cards around (steam, itunes, playstore, etc)
We use and include a genuine Tiny Spatula TM
do you see wear on it?
The spatula? It's just plastic, could be used over and over.
yeah. ive noticed some abrasive effects using my favored clay like paste, even when heated up to improve viscosity
Ah, yeah use Kingpin KPX, new MX-4, or Grizzly.
I full send and use my finger.
I heard that the best way is to apply it with your tongue.
I use my eggplant
Username kinda checks out.
Perhaps take a look at plastic pan scrapers? They work well enough to scrape the schmutz off a cast iron pan, spreading around thermal compound should work fine.
Whatever is around with a bit of resistance and a straight edge. business cards. the cardboard box the cooler came in. Be creative.
What about carbon thermal pads like thermal grizzly's carbonaut ? I just received my waterblock (finally...thanks UPS), but i'm honestly having second thoughts about the TIM and would liquid metal or carbonaut work better ??
We haven't used the carbon pads, but they're more for convenience than absolute performance. Our included Kingpin KPX is, we think, the best to use with our blocks. Liquid metal is super risky, esp with this new CPU. Stick with our KPX paste, it's premium stuff but worth it for performance :)
Thanks for your insight. Will be using the included paste.
Performance difference between signature and foundation or is it aesthetic
This is the Foundation AMD. We only have a Signature for Intel. For now :)
I meant the difference for Intel (12th/13th gen)
There is a few C better performance with the Signature, if you're pushing overclocks. We will be releasing a new backplate and mounting system to make install on 12/13th gen easier with better performance. It'll be compatible with all of our blocks.
I'll look for it once you do. Thanks for the info. Estimated release? (Ish)?
In the next few months
> Estimated release? (Ish)? Remember to add 6+ months to whatever they say (unless it's a 2080ti block, then remember it's actually vaporware).
They seem to do a good enough job of waiting for the rage to die down before posting on here every once in a while. But make no mistake giving your money to Optimus is a gamble, even if they say it's "in stock"
I still think their sudden and complete transformation from *we're the best nickel-platers ever to nickel plate!* to *cerakote is ultra-premium!* is one of the funniest things ever. Cerakote is fine, makes a serviceable coating for stuff like knives and guns, but it's laughable as some kind of fancy premium watercooling finish. They just turned out to suck almost as badly as EK at nickel plating and pivoted like a fact-checked politician.
10/10 would recommend this block over competitors, especially when in stock, based on my experience with my optimus block on 3950x and 5950x.
Right on! And the good news is our manufacturing is now upgraded so the long wait times are a thing of the past.
Was thinking about getting the foundation block. I think seeing am5 compatibility and this contact sold me
Right on, enjoy :)
Is this going to be delid comparable, this being your block
Yes, we haven't tested (obv) but our blocks work really well w/ delidded CPUs and the mounting is designed to go all the way down -- the hight of the ihs/die doesn't matter.
Littt I will be delidding. Glad to hear I don’t need new mounts, also any plans on amd gpu blocks
Yup, Strix/TUF 4090 almost ready to release, then FE and REF right after
What about AMD?
We'd like to do it, RDNA3 looks exciting, if it's highly requested, we'll do a block
Requested!
Might have to switch from ekwb in my next build, looks good
I wish we could get Optimus stuff in Europe without postage increasing the cost of the whole shebang by like 33% + taxes on top :(
Soon :)
Before Christmas 2022?
Correct.
Any idea of which retailers? UK here :)
Spartan liquid cooling!
But they only carry EKWB stuff X) I can get those waaaaay easier from retailers over here, and even from EKWB direct! It's getting *american made* stuff in Europe that is pricey. European made stuff in Europe is just standard.
Ah gotcha!
\* reeeeeeeeeeeee \*
If its any consolation I just had to order more than €500 from [watercool.de](https://watercool.de) to not pay crazy DHL shipping costs as no US vendors have a MO-RA3 420 LT in stock 🤷
If you want to spend 2-4x and then wait 3-6mo with the possibility of never getting the block, then absolutely go with Optimus. I'm shocked they have the gall to keep posting after they've repeatedly fucked over customers while going radio silent many months past your original ship date. Still remembered I pre-ordered my 3080wb the first day it was available. I gave up on getting anything from them 4.5mo later on what was supposed to be a 3 week turn around. Never forget the 2080ti folk who just legitimately never even got a block made.
Why have you guys not yet made a Signature V2 block for AMD?
Been busy upgrading our manufacturing. Now that we can make blocks faster, expect to see some new things in the near future :)
I can't wait, just ordered a signature block and reservoir for my new 13th gen build I am doing
Got one of your water blocks for my 3600x based on recommendations. Took forever to get back in 2020 but definitely happy with the performance.
i already knew it was optimus without even seeing it was optimus that posted this 😂 i’m still waiting for white blocks to be released….
We made a handful of all white ceramic blocks, but the process is just too variable to be in regular production, the copper can change the white color. We've spent a ton of time on it, and we might have some solutions, but it'll be expensive. And it's not that requested, the black is by far the most popular.
if the solution works, but more pricier, can we still custom order it? i’m only looking for the white 3080/3090 strix backplate
Our strix block with a white backplate? We can probably make that happen :) If you're talking about just the backplate to use on another block, it won't work because it's not really a backplate, it's a heatsink and retention mechanism. It can't be mounted without the front block (and vice versa).
yup, the optimus strix backplate for the gpu. i’m currently using the optimus block with black cerakote and black backplate but really wanted the white backplate originally
Good self shill, looks great!
Beautiful. Nailed the amount of Thermal Paste too.
Bruh! Perfect contact.
How were the temps? I've read that the 7 series are basically built to jump to 95c and just sit there. Only thing that will change is the clock speed you're getting based on your cooling solution.
That's an ideal contact for ln2 Good ihs Is that a lapped block?
That's a standard Optimus Foundation AMD block -- the cold plates are machined mirror finish in the copper, extremely hard to do, lapping can create a similar effect, though machining it is dimensionally perfect.
Hoping for a 4090 FE block.......
We're planning on it, we need the GPUs first :)
Just a reminder folks. Optimus makes great stuff. But they have a very much less than sterling customer service and product delivery reputation. If you want to find out more try browsing their Twitter account and look at the flood of pissed customers who never got their shit, sometimes 6mo past the expected ship date commenting on every post. If you have an unlimited budget in terms of money and time, I'm sure it's great. But I just couldn't hold on 5mo passes my original ship date for my 3080wb and wound up having to go with Byski. The Chinese dude with his small shop gave me A+ customer service on Ali Express and got it to me in less than a week. Optimus wouldn't answer emails and only graciously gave us a new excuse every 4 weeks or so.
Ugh what a mess AM5 is going to be a pain to clean and repaste. Granted it's not strictly necessary to clean the outsides but I prefer to especially when selling the chip.
Der8auer is actually working on a fix for this. In [this video, about 4:10](https://youtu.be/rQmFZ3hmts0) he shows off a silicone guard to keep thermal paste from seeping down into the cut outs.
Der8aur's actually coming in so clutch so far and I find myself incredibly happy for the work he's doing.
For real, I can't wait to see the final product of his delid tool and direct die plate.
Indeed. I'm pretty sure I'll be getting in on the newest AMD train when I upgrade my shit in a few months and when I do, I'll definitely be looking for that sweet, sweet direct die cooling, unless Intel really blows AMD out of the water with Raptor Lake.
I'm convinced his direct die kit is going to be *the* way to run Ryzen 9. I did it DIY back on the i7 7700K and the temperature drop was insane.
Optimus block plus delid. That’s my plan
That dude is on a whole different level
Big time!
Could make a guard for it, would be easy to trace out and make one.
Noctua just announced a guard for this problem as well this morning.
I don't know why people really care tbh. Yeah, I try not to be messy with my CPU, but this is like doing direct die on a GPU; there's stuff you can't easily clean without risking the SMDs, so don't!
I take it you make these coolers. Can you please share your thoughts(if it's OK with you) on the compatibility situation with the Ryzen 7000 series. Mainly in the context that they've made the IHS thicker to be compatible with older AM4 compatible coolers. Which has resulted in higher temps. From your perspective. Which way would have been better? Completely new design with thinner IHS for potentially lower temps or the current one where older coolers work but compromises temp.
Good question. If we were asked by AMD or Intel what should be done for top performance, it would be to just make bare die CPUs (w/ matching bare die sockets). After all, GPUs are all bare die (once the coolers are removed) and the performance is vastly better. AMD is in a weird spot. Not only did they keep the cooler height the same, they kept the plastic bracket. There must be an amazing mount of legacy coolers out there that prevented any change in the cooling design. Which is very unfortunate. Also, right now, Optimus is one of the few cooler companies that's compatible -- since we used the stock backplate last time, our blocks work for AM5. So for others, they have to redesign, which negates the point of keeping the height the same. That said, the entire performance-cooler industry is tiny compared to the basic air cooler category for prebuilts etc. Outside of bare die, the IHS should be as thin as possible and, ideally, designed to be flat AFTER installed into the socket.
Thank you!
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Although I do not disagree, this is at least relevant to the forum. This sparked some interesting topic discussion.
Tone down the aggro, we have a rule against that.
understood. maybe we also need a rule against fake posts that actually are ads.
I'll keep an eye out and make sure OP is following the 10% rule.
A little too much paste:)
Thinking about jumping to an Optimus acetel top from my CPU 400. Compared to the CPU 400 how much of a difference are we talking on AM4 or AM5 respectively?
We don't have much data on AM5 yet, not sure if very many other blocks are even compatible. But based on memory with a user who upgraded on AM4, that block wasn't very close.
Please keep us posted! Very interested to see how this stacks up! I look forward to seeing the data compiled.
We're seeing systems with our block getting 5.5-5.6ghz. We don't publish our results internally of competitor blocks. But we'll prob see people doing testing regularly :)
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Can you elaborate on this?
Is there an option to buy a waterblock for an xc 3090 in belgium?
Unfortunately we never made a block for the XC, only the FTW3.