EK Water Blocks Quantum Line EK-Quantum Magnitude, 1700, Lignum Edition, Walnut

We are at a weird time where most newer CPU blocks are way more expensive than older ones and yet some continue to defy the odds and are priced well under $100. Then there's the EK-Quantum Magnitude that goes the other direction and then some. Back when the block first launched for LGA 115x and LGA 20xx CPU sockets, people had sticker shock at seeing a $300 CPU block—granted this was the fully decked out version—when the likes of Aqua Computer, Watercool, XSPC, and Bykski were doing full metal blocks for a third the cost or lower. Yet the Magnitude line consistently sold out for months to where clearly demand was higher than supply. Fast forward three years and things have stabilized on a few different fronts. Many CPU blocks are either discontinued or cost ~20-30% more and the $10 incremental cost hike the EK-Quantum Magnitude has has makes it feel less over priced relatively. It does not change the fact that even the least costly Magnitude is quite expensive though, and it's impossible to recommend it to everyone as a result. EK still deserves recognition for following through on its modular concept with the EK-Quantum Magnitude whereby customers can purchase—for additional costs that are themselves non-negligible, mind you—replacement tops, inserts, and even conversion kits. This very nickel/plexi LGA 1700 block can be made to a full nickel top AM4/AM5 block with a flat copper cold plate, for example. I could also get a diffuser accent piece rather than the opaque one here if I was in the mood for a fancier light show. Then there's the part where you can easily re-orient the top and insert to allow for your preferred inlet/outlet ports in horizontal or vertical configurations quite easily, and I also mentioned how I switched the LED cable direction too this way to make it more conducive for my use case. The EK-Quantum Magnitude makes use of this customizable design to put out a socket-specific block that has outperformed the others tested in this roundup and the design remains impressive enough. This is also the first time that a non-metal top block has had better thermal cooling than multiple metal-top blocks in my testing protocol which favors the latter, so that's worth pointing out too. There's obviously a lot to like here and the EK-Quantum Magnitude has become a platform for the company to maintain as its flagship line for those who want the best performing block, or at least close enough. It's just in need of a revamped installation mechanism now to remain in the contention for me and no doubt many others.