BlastFlow Siberian Modular VGA Waterblock

Installation:

Moving onto the block’s mounting system; it’s interesting, but there are a few problems. Vadim is aware of these issues and during a conversation with him, he said the issues will be fixed when the block enters full production next week.

The first problem we found was that some of the edges on our engineering sample were a little sharp and, while we were careful not to cut ourselves on the block, we can see that it is certainly possible.

We also found the block quite difficult to mount, mainly because it was incredibly fiddly with some tiny bolts – it was definitely harder to fit than Danger Den’s GeForce 8800 GTX block that we have compared the BlastFlow Siberian waterblock to.

We found that we had to improvise a little because the washers supplied with the bolts simply weren’t big enough and slipped inside the slits that make the block universal. We ended up using a much larger rubber and then stainless steel washers to ensure the fit gave a good contact.


In the end, the fit was nicely snug and the modular system works really well as it allows you to check the contact of everything as you progress. The aluminium base was very well machined, even if it is quite simply done. The large base screws provided could use some nylon or soft plastic washers to cushion the bolt against the PCB surface, though.