XSPC 290X & 290 Razor Waterblock Review and Fitting Guide

XSPC Razor R9 290 290X Review and Fitting Guide

Introduction

This review differs from most in that it will also serve as a fitting guide for the new Razor GPU water block from XSPC.  We’ve chosen the model designed to fit the AMD R9 290X/290 reference cards as we’ve already seen what a decent air cooler and an AIO solution can do to tame the temps of this much maligned chip, and wondered just what sort of impact a decent custom loop would have on those temperatures.

Whether you’re into water cooling or not it’s likely that you will already be familiar with the XSPC brand, and probably the Raystorm line of CPU water Blocks if not Razor GPU waterblocks in particular.  It is though easy to forget that it wasn’t too long ago that the scarcity of full cover GPU water blocks made this level of customisation the reserve of the high end builder and modder.  Thankfully this is no longer the case, with the Razor brand offering cooling solutions for a great many current and, thanks to a back catalogue, not so current cards.  XSPC haven’t been taking things for granted though, with the release of the latest in the Razor line XSPC have introduced an LED illuminated acrylic layer so that the Razor can now be matched up with the visual impact of the Raystorm CPU water block, enabling the system builder to carry the backlit LED theme through their water cooling build.  As well as aesthetic changes XSPC have also made changes to the internal architecture which should serve to further improve performance.

 

Technical Specification

 Manufacturer  XSPC
 Model Number  5060175585004
 Compatibility  Reference Design AMD R9 290X / 290 Graphics Cards
 Thread Size  G1/4″
 Number of Ports  7
 CrossFire Compatible  Yes
 Materials  Copper Base
 Stainless Steel Top
 Acetal Ports
 Package Contents  1 x Graphics Card Waterblock
 5 x G1/4″ Blanking Plugs
 Thermal Pads
 Thermal Paste
 Mounting Kit
 1 x Twin 3mm Blue LED

 

Special Features

  • CNC machined copper base

  • 0.5mm fins for high performance

  • Active VRM cooling

  • Stainless steel top

  • Acrylic layer with 3mm LED holes

Brushed aluminium faceplate