Bitspower ROG Full Cover Blocks Rampage Formula Hero Ranger Gene & Impact

Introduction

Bitspower have extended their range of full cover motherboard water blocks into MATX and ATX boards. They have made a start by offering a block for ALL of the current Asus Republic of Gamers range and we have got all of them to show you here today. As you will see later on the larger boards Bitspower have designed a unique acrylic panel to link the more mainstream CPU & Mosfet blocks together to give you a unique looking block set capable of cooling multiple components with only a single inlet and outlet to keep your hosing extra tidy.

Asus Maximus VII Impact

We make a start with the Asus Maximus VII Impact mini ITX board, Bitspower did release a block for the Z68 Impact and a few other manufacturers followed suit afterwards. Its a simple yet ingenious design that a single block cools the CPU, the chipset and the the power reg riser card with a single inlet and an outlet for your loop keeping things extra tidy. Graphics cards are becoming cooler and quieter with every generation….. apologies… Nvidia Graphics cards are becoming cooler and quieter with every generation so it’s not a necessity to watercool them nowadays which is a big help when it comes to owning an ITX board and case with limited room for large or multiple radiators.
 

          

Z97 Maximus Gene

The Gene is the only MATX board currently in the ROG line up with nothing concrete about a Rampage X99 version being released. The Bitspower logo on the chipset block and PCB cover can have an LED fitted but it sadly does not come included. 

          

Z97 Maximus Ranger & Hero

The Maxumus VII Ranger and Hero both share the same block and this can be seen in the ‘HR’ prefex of the product number. The Chipset block and PCB cover is much bigger where this is an ATX board and really helps clean the lines of the board up a great deal.

          

Z97 Maximus Formula

The M7F or the Maximus VII Formula is the only one of the ROG boards to come with native watercooling support. We think the stock cooling works really well with the design of the board, but there is always a lot of scaremongering about the blocks being hard anodised aluminium and galvanic corrosion. What the Bitspower block does bring to the party is a much simpler form of hosing, no “end of bar advise” about corrosion and the option of the clear tops to show off your coolant or the black/red options if you would rather keep things more minimal. A great touch is the fact the blocks actually work in conjunction with the original back plate / armour.

          

X99 Rampage Extreme

On to the star of the show, the Rampage V Extreme. First off for the eagle-eyed among you the ‘mosfet’ heatsink to the left of the board is missing and has no form of waterblock…. That’s because its just there for show and does not actually make contact with anything on that side of the board at all. There is a heatpipe that goes to the top mosfets to help dissipate the heat created from there but seeing as now we have a waterblock there’s no need for anything on that side of the board and we think this really helps clean up the lines of the board. The R5E does how ever have a chipset cooler added into the mix. If you look at the bottom of the main acrylic block you can see the coolant channels going down into the main motherboard heatsink. The X99 chipset when being really pushed can get a bit warm so this will help keep things a touch more stable over time. The chipset cooling is probably why this PCB cover sadly does not come with the option to light up the Bitspower logo although we do think it could have at least had a sticker or something there to show off what the brand was and try and keep the design with the other MATX & ATX boards united.
 

          

Video

Conclusion

We we first saw the original Z68 Impact block from Bitspower it was love at first sight. The newer Z97 board continues with the same simplistic looks and could really make a difference if your looking to build a high performance and low noise ITX gaming rig.

The rest of the range is a new bold step for Bitspower and since the first sneaky peak we were graced with a few months ago we knew we had to get these in the office to show them off. If you want a very-boiled-down simple explanation what BP have done is designed an acrylic top plate to link a more traditional CPU and Mosfet (plus chipset on the Rampage) blocks together. This allows a much cleaner look and hosing thanks to their single input and outlet. Yes it’s simple but it’s the simple things that count and we think this could be a game changer that a lot of the other manufacturers are all going to be releasing their own versions of. The kits are available with clear, black or red acrylic tops which will help them be integrated into almost any design. We asked for the clear versions which not only make it easier for you to see the coolant channels and what’s underneath but the possible fun you could have when running coloured coolant through these.

The blocks were easy to fit but if you are a novice please take your time and read the instructions. If you get stuck or worried then you can always head to the OC3D forums and ask for some advice. Please, for safety sake, leak check for at least 24 hours without your system being powered up. Use a 24 pin jumper tool to start your PSU and Pump and make sure no other cables are connected. If you want to test the system with the board fitted just remove the PSU to behind your case to make 100% sure no drips can find their way inside.

Performance will always be so varied depending on the hardware you use, volts you run in your overclock, rads/fans etc so we really didn’t feel the need to go anal about all of this. If you run a quality pump, bleed the whole system out and set your system up correctly this will be an absolute pleasure to use but more importantly….to look at. That for us is what watercooling is almost all about.

All in all we absolutely love the Bitspower full cover blocks especially the new MATX and ATX versions. We cant wait to see what gets released next…… Ok Ok we cant wait to show you what gets released next!

Discus the Bitspower Full Cover Water Blocks in the OC3D Forums.