A Look Inside CrossChill Copper On Maximus VII Formula

ROG's Hybrid cooling blocks are designed to work on both air and water; they don't have to be water cooled, they just work better when you do as water is better at absorbing and transferring heat. They are designed to be an easy addition to an existing water cooling kit, simply throw on a couple of standard G1/4 barbs and add it into your loop.

In the past two years ROG has re-introduced and re-invented the hybrid cooling concept for motherboards, from the 2012 Fusion Thermo on the Maximus V Formula and 2013's CrossChill on the Maximus VI Formula, the design has continued to evolve to offer better performance and quality. 

2014's Maxmus VII Formula integrates an updated CrossChill Copper, now with a fully copper core. Despite the fact that 2013's CrossChill was deep-anodized aluminum that was proven to resist corrosion, water cooling fans still prefer a fully-copper system, and with coppers increased specific heat capacity it provides a better thermal transfer material for water blocks, thus, the decision was taken to upgrade.

CrossChill Copper is constructed from an aluminum thermal mass base, with fins to disperse the heat in air cooled use, with a flush fitting copper inlay in the water cooling channel. This is capped off and sealed by a strong ABS plastic cover, which is immune to corrosion and works well with barbs. We've tested VRM temps being brought down up to 23C by water cooling, although the exact number will vary by ambient temperature and water cooling loop performance.

This demonstration during Computex 2014 showed the difference between water and air cooling. The OC Panel on the right measured the temperature difference as 40.1C versus 54.8C in this example.

The CrossChill Copper cooler is designed to sit discreetly beneath the ROG Armor, as shown below, with its G1/4 sockets easily accessible and air cooling fins poking out from underneath.