Roman Hartung der8auer visited the TechN booth at Computex, where he got acquainted in detail with the new CBO Link+. It is a water cooling system originally designed for video cards, in which you can replace the water block, but keep the pump and radiator. Theoretically, a similar approach is possible with Alphacool’s Eisbär CBO, but Link+ differs in several details.
To reduce the cost, the water block is an aluminum stamping. However, in the two-piece O-ring insulated water block, quite complex 3D structures can be seen. Moreover, there are pockets that play the role of reservoirs. Similar pockets are provided in the radiator.
You can also note the system of quick fasteners, which allows you to easily integrate the water block of the video card into the circuit. The pump is located on the radiator, you can add another radiator to the circuit or replace the video card or water block. In this case, you won’t have to change the entire CBO, with the exception of the water block, all other components will remain in place.
The quick mount system works a little differently than we’re used to. A module with input and output holes is inserted from the end of the video card, after which it is screwed. At the same time, the fasteners prevent liquid leakage when you connect the water block or turn it off.
In the first performance tests, CBO was able to cool the Radeon RX 7900 XTX to a GPU temperature of 48 ° C, the hotspot temperature was 75 ° C.
As for the price, the manufacturer has a few tricks up its sleeve. The combination of a radiator and a pump costs no more than any other CBO. And the water block of video cards should cost much less due to aluminum stamping. The solution itself will not be sold by TechN, the company is currently looking for partners who can offer video cards with a similar cooling system. In the future, the CBO circuit can be expanded.
