The Thermal Grizzly brand, known for its thermal interfaces, offers customers unusual water blocks that are designed to cool processors that do not have a standard heat spreader cover. The Intel Mycro Direct-Die RGB Pro V1 product is an evolutionary development of the previous water block in the series, surpassing it in cooling efficiency.
Image Source: Thermal Grizzly
The idea behind all such cooling systems is to eliminate several links in the heat transfer chain. The central processor is deprived of the standard heat spreader cover, the standard thermal interface is removed from the crystal, and the base of the water block is directly pressed to it through a new layer of thermal paste. In the case of the Thermal Grizzly product, the use of a “liquid metal” type thermal interface is implied, since it has optimal thermodynamic properties.
This water block is compatible with Intel Core processors from the 12th to the 14th generation inclusive. The sole of the water block is made of copper with a nickel coating, other elements are made of acrylic and aluminum. The water block has compact dimensions, which are not specified by the manufacturer, but they can be judged from photographs of the interior of the motherboard. The adjustable RGB backlight is powered and controlled via a standard 3-pin connector on the motherboard. The threaded holes of the water block are designed for fittings of standard size G1/4.
Compared to the original modification of the water block, the Pro version received an improved base design, allowing the number of tiny cooling fins to be increased by 43%. The configuration of the internal channels of the water block is optimized for working with pumps with moderate performance. In total, all these improvements reduce the processor temperature under load by 6 degrees Celsius compared to the base Intel Mycro Direct-Die water block model. The production of water blocks of the new model is established in Germany; in the company’s online store, the Intel Mycro Direct-Die RGB Pro V1 version costs $141.59 including taxes and delivery to the USA.