RTX 2060 Extreme Overclocking, EVGA Epower V and Modwater Testing - Video Podcast

Due to the current travel restrictions the Hardware Asylum Duo could not get together like they normally do at the Hardware Asylum Labs to record the monthly podcast.  So, they decided to hit up a web conference and talk some tech.

RTX 2060 KO
First up is EVGA RTX 2060 KO Overclocking with LN2. The KO is performance limited with no wiggle room in the power target.  This was done mostly to ensure the smaller cooler could keep temperatures in check but also reflects on the architecture of the card, smaller vrm, down market product, etc.  Thing is with a little cold you can get some extra performance however, the challenge is how to mount the LN2 container and still ensure that temperatures can be maintained.

EVGA EPower V
In the early days of overclocking there wasn’t much available from the factory.  The cards were typically designed off a reference spec with a modified BIOS and fancy sticker.  As a result overclocking performance was often limited by the onboard VRM and whatever power protections were put in place. 

Overclockers with electronics experience were able to get around these protections with volt mods and creative ways to disable the OCP (OverCurrent Protection) but could not do much with the VRM.  That is until someone had a crafty idea to transplant larger VRMs from different cards to the ones they intended to overclock.  From this a new product category was born with halo products being released to select overclockers.  EVGA was the most prolific in this quest selling up to five generations of External Power Boards (EPower) and allowing skilled overclockers get the most from every day video cards.

ModMyMods Modwater Testing
In the hardware review world you sometimes get tasked with reviewing products that aren’t normally reviewed.  A good example of this is external hard drive enclosures, and while each product is slightly different they are all basically the same making it difficult to come up with something different to say about them.

Another example is the target of this segment of the podcast and centers on coolant.  Coolant for your watercooled PCs is a consumable product that needs to be maintained and replaced on a regular basis.  The fluid is mostly distilled water but over the years companies have tried to put together specialized compounds that is not only safe for your metallic parts but also doesn’t require as much maintenance.  The problem is, how does one review of a chemical fluid that is basically water.

Dennis was able to come up with a process of testing fluid that looked at several key aspects of what makes fluid unique.  The first is color rendering and with pre-mixed fluids the colors should be extremely good.  Next is a simple question of “does this fluid stain?” and you would be surprised at how many early coolant samples actually would stain the components in your loop.  Stain isn’t a problem until you want to change the color but really shouldn’t even be a factor.  The final test was performance and by using a little science a rig was built to test the temperature performance of any coolant including water.

Be sure to look for that review coming out soon.

Episode 110 featured music:
Little People - Start Shootin' (http://www.littlepeoplemusic.com/)