[The EK-QuantumX Delta TEC water block is a rather unusual CPU cooler developed by EK in collaboration with Intel. Just by looking at it, you can tell that this is no ordinary chip chiller, because it uses Intel Cryo Cooling technology to achieve sub-normal CPU temperatures by combining thermoelectric cooler (TEC) plates and advanced monitoring.

Thermoelectric cooling, also known as Peltier cooling, uses an electric current passing through two different conductive thermoelectric materials to absorb heat on one side of the cooler and expel heat on the other side. Peltier effect coolers tend to be very effective, compact, and quiet, but require some clever workarounds to deal with condensation, thermal diffusion, and energy loss below ambient temperature.

In this case, EK uses an integrated insulating shroud to isolate the cooling surface from the PC interior, minimizing the risk of condensation adversely affecting other PC components. In addition, a large vertical block on top of the cooler is used to monitor and regulate the chiller vitals to minimize condensation buildup.

Heat generated by the TEC plates themselves is dissipated by the liquid cooling loop itself, which, being a copper and nickel component, should fit nicely into the common water cooling loops found in high-end PCs today.

This is all part of the careful balancing act that must be maintained to keep the Peltier cooler cool and dry under the chips. [As a result, once the QuantumX Delta TEC is up and running, it should provide excellent cooling performance. The cooler is built with Intel's 10th generation Comet Lake chips in mind and features compatibility with the LGA 1200 socket.

But to get the privilege of such a neat sub-ambient solution, you'll have to pay: the EK-QuantumX Delta TEC costs €349.90, and of course you'll need a copper liquid cooling loop to connect it, which is not cheap!

EK-QuantumX Delta TEC is priced at €349.90.

EK's approach is not the first attempt to use a Peltier cooler on a gaming chip; most use a large radiator to disperse both the heat from the CPU and the heat generated by the cooler itself, but there have been several attempts in the past to use thermoelectric conversion There have been several attempts to use thermoelectric conversion in the past. Obviously, the EK approach is a bit cleaner with a pair of liquid-cooled fittings, but there is no escaping the relatively high energy and heat demands of Peltier.

But who says the PC game must always make perfect sense?