EK watercooing ...

[Saracen999]

Anyone (like me) planning a PC build and even thinking about using EK products for watercooling might well be smart to wander over to see the video Steve Burke at Gamer's Nexus has just released, titled "EK is Imploding".

I won't even try to describe what it's all about but it is starting to look like it just might be an Artesian level of GN expose. Steve is not sounding very happy with them.

This one is really fresh of the presses at the time of his post, it having gone up about an hour ago. If nothing else, it has certainly resulted in me, ummm .... reconsidering possible cooling vendors.

[Ttaskmaster]

Jason at JayzTwoCents also shared his experiences.

So glad I went for AquaComputer stuff instead, although I think my GPU block is EK but I didn't have a choice on that one.

[Saracen999]

Jason at JayzTwoCents also shared his experiences.

...

He's not very happy with them either, is he? Shame, because the actual products seem to be very highly regarded (though I seem to remember him saying they'd been slipping a bit.

It's always a shame when a company with excellent products seems to get messed up by what appears to be truly lousy management. It'll be interesting to see how EK handle this mess going forward. Jayz had what seemed to me to be some pretty good if basic advice for them. Wonder if they will (or can) implement it?

[Ttaskmaster]

EK have always been a sort-of benchmark, in terms of performance, at least in my experiences.
They aren't the prettiest, unless you're into voxel graphics and the like. The kit is very blocky and the RGB always feels tacked on rather than implemented with any consideration for aesthetics or impact on other components. However, they were good enough to get started with, until they started doing loads of slight variants at much higher prices.

[jimborae]

Oh dear, most of my blocks are EK, never had any issues and I've used them for years so I'll watch this with interest. Thanks

[Ttaskmaster]

I think the products are generally OK, it's just the company behind them that has some issues.

[Saracen999]

There's another video from GN as a follow-up, and in my opinion, for what that's worth, things are way WAY murkier than it initially seemed. Jayz isn't the only other 'party' stepping back: it seems igorsLAB (not sure if there's an English langage version of that) have some issues with them, and derBauer made a statement on his EN version (and presumably the DE version) about cancelling his cooperation with EK.

I watched and tried to follow the GN material, but it gets convoluted, to say the least (despite having trained some years back as a Chartered Accountant) and it seems, reading between the lines, that even now were getting the tip of the iceberg.

I was hoping this would get somehow sorted out and I could keep EK on my 'likely brand' list but at this point, I'm not confident it will be, and frankly even if it does look like it, I'm pretty risk-averse these days (anything for as calm a life as possible) so no way would I touch their products with a bargepole. For my needs, it's either alternative brands (if I can find suitable) or just revert to a far simpler plan A - air cooling. Probably the latter - Noctua or similar.

Oh well.

[Rob_B]

Lots of weird business /accounting things going on which could be innocent but it's certainly looking dodgy.

[Saracen999]

Some of those 'things' might be innocent .... maybe. But if they are it looks like a huge level of incomptence by management. I'm more inclined, as a matter of personal opinion, to regard some of those complex company structures rather more cynically than that they just kinda accidentally created them.

Either way, it's enough for me to shy away from even considering taking the chance.

[Percy1983]

It certainly doesn't look good, such a shame as it seems great products will be lost due to bad management.