i have 3 reserved for monday shipping already, frozencpu.com and performance-pcs.com both will have them very soon!
http://www.ekwb.com/news/278/19/EK-s-fourth-GTX-680-water-block-arrives-EK-FC680-GTX-FTW/
 
i would like to thank performance-pcs.com for looking into these and working with me to find and order them as soon as they could!
 
they have always done great for me!

I tried to order direct but they only had 1 in stock, so performance said they would hold 3 of the batch they got for me until monday.

I ordered from EK web store and got it Friday.  Got it installed Saturday.  Temps are 29C idle, 54C Furmark in OC Scanner (27" ISP monitor).
Thing is, EK makes a decent and heavy block that performs well but the rest of the design is lacking.  There are no provisions for installing the EVGA back plate with this block.  The EK block uses provided M3 screws and the back plate takes M2.5.  You can not fit the M3 screws through the back plate because the screw head is too wide.  I had to buy 3M x 5mm long screws to go through the back plate (screws sit on top of the back plate TEM holes).  Here is another kicker.  There is no screw holes in the block to attach to the rear bracket like the HC.  EK provides a screw and nut to reattach the PCB to the card bracket but this does nothing to support the block to the bracket.  There is tremendous sag from the block and it actually bends the PCB drastically near the rear bracket.  I had to purchase a card jack (card holder) from Power Color to help support the card.  If I had to do it over again I would surely buy the EK block again but that is only because EVGA does not make a HC block for this card.

that is a pretty good looking block.
 
Performance-pcs is a great site, I had a issue with hose clamps from them recently that they were very nice about resolving.  Plus if you call them it's easy to actually talk to someone on the phone.

wrinvert

got the new blocks installed......

 
You're gonna need at least another 240mm rad to keep all those GPUs properly cooled, and that case isn't going to do it for you, unless you do heavy modding or add an external 360 or 480 rad on the top or back. I know because I have that case, which is why I'm considering switching to the NZXT Phantom 820, that case is sexy! 

Thanks for checking this out. I ordered 2. Can't wait to get them in a few days :)

Not a lot of people dropping $X more on Classifieds I guess. Plus EVGA already has a block for the classified cards

etomms

Any chance you could give details what you did to fit the blocks with backplate please?  I have a stripped down card here with M3 6mm screws (as suggested by EK) that don't fit because of the recessed sockets on the backplate.  Any tips you can offer would be much appreciated!

i went to the hardware store and bought longer screws (m3 8mm) then used 1 plastic washer with each (the 8mm is a hair long so the washer took up the depth). the holes that the block didnt use i bought nuts for the stock screws and reused them.
 
6 screws m3 8mm
7 (i think) nuts m2.5 - 4 around the chip(i had to file these screws down just a touch so they didnt hit the block) and 3 random holes.
 
side note the evga stock 680 block has a nice plate that goes around the chip, it would be awesome if you could buy just that piece from them for these blocks.

tdhess

I received my blocks today and noticed that the GPU cut is really rough (i.e. I can feel the ridges when I run my finger over it, and they stop if I try to drag a nail). Other than that, looks to be fairly well-made. The occasional semi-stripped screw for the acetal part.

Definitely going to lap that contact part out a bit, and would recommend others do the same.

i really thought about doing this myself but got lazy, ive lapped all my other chips and cooler by band. its always helped some.

Took the time to do them both completely tonight. Started with 600 W/D to take the deep backlash out then went to 1000, 1500 and finally 2000.  End results are this: (sorry for the crappy images, cell phone pic as it's 1 AM)
 

 
Before I started the GPU portion was exactly like the ribbing on both blocks, as you can see from the second image. It's almost like they rushed the production to fill orders. Either way, not a big issue.
 

 
 
Major note to anyone thinking about lapping any sort of block. Make sure you're using a flat piece of material that doesn't have any burrs or gouges on it, otherwise those will go through the paper and you'll end up with an uneven surface. I typically use a piece of hardwood that has been flattened on a sander if I need to do GPU blocks, otherwise a countertop with the paper taped to it will work fine.
 
Hope someone benefits from this. I will post what I did with the backplate when I go to mount the blocks. Probably won't be for a couple weeks though as I'm waiting for fittings to arrive.

Andrew_K

Wood is not really flat, especially when you are trying to get a perfectly flat lapped connection surface. 

tdhess
Major note to anyone thinking about lapping any sort of block. Make sure you're using a flat piece of material that doesn't have any burrs or gouges on it, otherwise those will go through the paper and you'll end up with an uneven surface. I typically use a piece of hardwood that has been flattened on a sander if I need to do GPU blocks, otherwise a countertop with the paper taped to it will work fine.

Hope someone benefits from this. I will post what I did with the backplate when I go to mount the blocks. Probably won't be for a couple weeks though as I'm waiting for fittings to arrive.

 
Gotta read the whole thing. Hardwood that has been cut properly is more than flat enough. If this were on a weekday I would have simply gone to a friend's fab shop and grabbed a piece of scrap 1/4 or 1/2 aluminum, but it was a weekend and I don't have that sort of thing at home.

Finally had a chance to put these cards under water today. Install was a breeze. A little annoyed about the lack of support for the stock backplate, however a trip to the hardware store will fix that. Running with them off for the time being until I have time to put the fasteners in.
 
Very happy so far, sitting at a happy 23C/24C on idle, ambient's is just about 20C.

the nuts right around the chip you will not be able to use washers do to clearance. but the screws that go through the back plate you can use washers if you like. honestly ive done 10-15 both with and without using the washers and have never had an issue. 

My cards arrive back from RMA tomorrow....cannot wait to get them back, and under water!!!
 
Very close to picking up a 3rd card. What's the consensus here? Serial, or parallel?