Billet Labs Monoblock Thermals, Pressure, Laser Scans, & Water Cooling Benchmarks

Sponsor: DeepCool AK620 Digital on Amazon geni.us/Nwc7
These benchmarks of the Billet Labs Monoblock look at the thermals, construction, installation process, pressure scans, 3D laser scans, and otherwise test the water block vs. the Alphacool Core block for the Intel i9-14900K or 13900K and RTX 4090 FE. Billet's new updates allow it to support the 4090 FE, 3090 Ti FE, and also change the microfin and gasket design. Our testing today will be the first of our water block comparison capabilities as we benchmark and review future water cooling blocks.
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Billet Labs Monoblock
01:54 - Basics & Design
04:12 - Construction & Layout
05:14 - Installation
08:28 - Maiming the Heatsink
09:53 - Installing Thermal Pads & Hardware
11:34 - Thoughts on Installation
12:20 - NEW Block Testing Methodology
15:43 - Billet Prototype vs. Production Differences
16:51 - GPU-Only Load Core Thermals
18:14 - GPU-Only VRM & Memory Thermals
19:18 - CPU-Only Load Thermals
21:10 - Full System Load (GPU Thermals)
21:38 - Full System Load (GPU VRM & Memory)
22:32 - Full System Load (CPU Thermals)
22:59 - Incredible GPU Pressure Distribution
24:29 - CPU Pressure Distribution
25:52 - 3D Laser Scan of Flatness
28:33 - Conclusion
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Host, Writing, Testing: Steve Burke
Testing, Writing: Jeremy Clayton
Testing: Patrick Lathan
Video: Vitalii Makhnovets
Video: Tim Phetdara
Video: Mike Gaglione

[@GamersNexus]

These are both new units that they made recently, but the production one is the first 'retail' version shipping. And as we said in the video, this led to the creation of our new custom loop block test methodology, so we can do CPU and GPU blocks now! If you have requests for blocks, leave them in the comments so we can add to these new charts! We might look at EK and Thermal Grizzly next! In the meantime, check out our Starforge Systems pre-built review! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jWq8moKCjZqoh7c

[@jzilla1234]

Now you need to hold on to the part, refuse to return it, and then auction it off if you want to be a true tech tuber.

[@HanmaHeiro]

I wish the responses in comments were a little more classy instead of just trying to dunk on LTT

[@HanmaHeiro]

Either way, great work GN!

[@ConfusionDistortion]

@@HanmaHeiro I wish they were dunking on LTT even more. They did not give the product a fair shake.

[@HanmaHeiro]

@@ConfusionDistortion Agreed LTT didn't. But I want Billet Labs to stand on it's own. Clearly these two dudes do great work.

[@EmperorFeatherFlight]

Glad you spent some "valuable" employee time and tested with the right hardware!

[@LeonAlkoholik67]

Unlike another KZbin channel that keeps making mistakes here and there in videos...

[@RonaldBrowen3]

@@LeonAlkoholik67 Glad they also didn't sell it.....

[@reaperreaper5098]

@@RonaldBrowen3 *Auctioned it, "for charity"

[@isaacarndt179]

They’re an advertisement firm pay more for better review

[@xpodx]

Ooof. Got em

[@BilletLabs]

Thanks so much for this excellent video Steve! We have some things to celebrate, and some things to work on. We'll make sure any improvements we make to the CPU mount will be modular, so any existing MonoBlocks can be improved, as well as our own stock. The whole block is already modular as well, so if we release a full-coverage GPU plate to bring down VRM temperatures, we'll make sure that bolts onto the rest of the existing block too. We can't thank you enough for taking the time to go through every possible detail here, it's really going to help us improve long-term. Much love ✌

[@GamersNexus]

Looking forward to seeing where Billet goes next!

[@technologicalelite8076]

I have to say this is seriously impressive, I just built a system, that's mini-itx, gonna put a 4080 super in it. If I'm gonna want to upgrade in the next few years after the fact, I'd probably have to do custom water cooling for the GPU since the coolers are getting absolutely massive! I'd love to see where you all go within those years, and I'd might be able to grab a product from you then. Keep up the great work! Edit: I would also like to see prices to come down and mature a bit, but this is a first gen product, so it wouldn't be fair to judge on that.

[@warp103]

I hope all your hard work pays off. I good to know that you made Changes that GN told you about and you did a awesome job.

[@vsRaiden]

Well deserved review !

[@phaikyouser9499]

Some guy called Minus was trying to sell me a prototype.. 🤔

[@md_vandenberg]

Linus: "We don't want to spend an extra $500 to retest something." Steve: "Here's a $60,000 dollar lazer that measures flatness." Gee, can't imagine why I prefer one channel over the other.

[@zankoku666]

Ahahaha I was thinking this....

[@inkredebilchina9699]

seriously made me laugh out loud 😂

[@jlvcm]

A person who doesn't distinguish between lazer and laser I don't think he has the qualifications to comment on tek channels. Yes, we have these two words with totally different meanings in this country.

[@ruinfox4108]

@@jlvcm A person who assumes someones intellect by a single spelling mistake is just cringe, also you miss-spelt "tech" spelling it "tek" lol, you are for sure a sigma ;)

[@jlvcm]

@@ruinfox4108 ohhh so cute defending your friend, at least tek is related to the subject. Lazer remains unrelated. But thks :)

[@kaih7647]

I'm truly impressed you didn't even sneak a single sarcastic remark into your review, I don't think I would've been able to. It really demonstrates how far this channel is ahead of many others in terms of professionalism

[@jackwillexplode]

The process says enough no need to say anything just wait for the KZbin comments lol

[@thatfordboy4297]

Well he did find out that being petty doesn't pay... less you forget the video he took down.

[@nekdo_kavc]

​@thatfordboy4297 what video was that?

[@trickmytrailer]

He did make one @ 31:39 but seemed like he basically worded himself into it and realized that in real time.

[@thatfordboy4297]

@@nekdo_kavc Kinda hard to reference the title of a video taken down half a year ago. Some may say that's the point. I will say the general "vibe" from the actual content of the video(as it pretained to GN highlighting their methodology), was that GN was leveraging the drama to promote GN. Even staunch GN fans felt the timing was poor. I personally thought it was a joke, and not the "funny, haha" kind. I may be a cynic, then again, I saw BL leverage the drama to launch new services. And a niche product, that actual interested parties understood, has seen un paralleled positive coverage.

[@BackToTheStart47]

Good for Billet Labs to get an unbiased review.

[@LordDragox412]

And what a review it was! Finally some proper testing.

[@TheDZHEX]

or at least a competent review xD

[@NightSkeptic]

It only cost them 3, 4... maybe $500 of man-hours to run the test right.

[@Ryan_DeWitt]

I wonder if they sold it afterward, ooops I mean "auctioned" it off because that is different.

[@iparadoxg]

"it's a bad product and nobody should buy it", said a biased Linus doubling down on his trash take on a poorly done "review"

[@802Garage]

Imagine how much Billet Labs would have had to PAY to get testing like this from a lab. This is basically Gamers Nexus doing them a MASSIVE favor while of course performing a service to the community. Very cool!

[@Tomab89]

Certainly, but from a different perspective the "cost" in this case would be that all the results and information is now public, for good or for worse.

[@montgomeryfitzpatrick473]

He's bringing balance to the universe by giving them the competent testing they were promised by Linus

[@glenecollins]

@@montgomeryfitzpatrick473it kinda feels like they should be thanking Linus I don’t know if a basically hand made prototype would usually get this much attention from Gamers Nexus without his and his team’s poor showing

[@brian177]

Smells like ulterior motives. A payout from Billet Labs maybe?

[@802Garage]

@@brian177 Bahahaha that's ridiculous. Come on man. What I said is true if almost any review GN does. The difference here is how small and new the company is vs products by huge companies that can easily afford the testing and do it in house. That was the point.

[@EvanAxel]

WOW! Not only did you use the right hardware, you actually installed it right! Very impressive

[@LordBillington42]

Haven't watched an LMG video since this all went down, never will again. Thank you for being better people and professionals.

[@johnnylee3179]

Yeah sure cause LTT needs you... This product will never reach anywhere. It only appeals to a small amount of people. Even they will for sure go a different route.

[@user-xh9pu2wj6b]

@@johnnylee3179 No matter what, any product deserves a proper review and a minimum what a reviewer should try to do is not being a brainless ape about it.

[@thomasmichaelschwarz9741]

​@@johnnylee3179Exactly! LTT also does not need me and I do not need this narcissistic dumbbell - hence I am also not watching that clown channel any more.

[@calisto2735]

@@johnnylee3179 You don't get it... It's hard for narcissist to get a non narcissistic point of view, i know... But we don't think they need us, or want, we just don't care 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@damianplasencia2708]

@@johnnylee3179 you seem like a very broken, depressed person....i pray you one day find happiness

[@Lishtenbird]

Uhm; I'm confident a hydraulic press could pancake a system fairly better.

[@GamersNexus]

That's true. True flatness!

[@supra107]

And her ve go!

[@diestormlie]

But only if it is dangerous and we must deal with it.

[@chukkie0001]

First will it blend, then hydraulic press and then will it work.

[@mcsatans5120]

Forbidden panini

[@TheCnf]

the review Billet Labs truly deserved.

[@pouncebounce9470]

All past drama aside. This is easily one of my favorite reviews you have done in a long time Keep up the solid work Steve and team.

[@Wrigglevision]

I love the timeline on this channel. Every step of the way, something new is either introduced or tweaked to give more precise readings to give the end user the best idea of what to expect from a product.

[@tbrowniscool]

100% a fan they went to BillitLabs. FUCK LTT

[@eccodreams]

100%, this block is genuinely incredibly well engineered for a "first time" product.

[@MrRusty103]

Nah, never put the past drama aside. That's how people forget history. Every time anyone sees this thing, it should be shouted from the rooftops that LTT stands for "complete scumbags"

[@TheKazragore]

​@@MrRusty103That's just unhelpful and petty. I'm assuming you do not allow people in your life to learn from mistakes and improve, and they must be perfect from the get-go.

[@DigitalJedi]

Even if this never becomes a viable product, the engineering and machining expertise in display here is incredible. I love these small team works, reminds me of some old skunkworks projects you'd see in motorsports back in the day.

[@davidpriestley1650]

Its the small teams that push the boundaries of the tech, they need to to be able to compete, but in doing so they're pulling everyone else along improving everything in the market.

[@Derek-mg2le]

Great to see Billet getting a proper review after everything they had to deal with.

[@racerex340]

Anyone want to bet on whether this gets any type of public response from LMG? I have $100 that says they won't/don't.

[@abcdbcde8586]

​@@racerex340why would they?

[@racerex340]

@@abcdbcde8586 I mean, they took a significant beating as a result of that review & their response to criticism, (among other things), but they never "truly" apologized, they said "it was wrong for so and so", this would be a great opportunity to clear the air, offer formal full apology to Billet and others. But, they won't, there is a legal team and Terren is smart enough to know it's best to ignore and just let it die.

[@RipleySawzen]

@@racerex340 Oh, you bet your ass Linus is going to comment about this on the WAN show. This video pretty much completely vindicates the LTT video.

[@racerex340]

@@RipleySawzen What are you talking about "Vindicates"? This proves that the Billet labs Monoblock solution is capable of performing nearly as well as the top of the line solution available from the industry leader, and that the form factor does allow for unique builds that just aren't possible using other off-the-shelf blocks. GN didn't go and tell everyone to go out and buy one, you have to need this solution for it to make sense, but GN 100% validated Billet Lab's claims and their build quality. It's amazing how much better the product performed when it was used in the way that the manufacturer actually intended. So, I'm quite curious, how exactly do you feel that this 34 minute video vindicates LMG? Do you think people watched this and walked away with "Product is stupid and no one should buy it" as the takeaway, or "product might not be for me, but it actually works as advertised"? You think Linus was "vindicated" for not having someone on his team spend the additional $500 worth of time testing it correctly, especially knowing that GN spent at least 20 hours on this themselves? You think LMG was "Vindicated" with their screwup auctioning off Billet's prototype somehow with this video? The only things that this video proves is: 1. The monoblock works as advertised, isn't the best water cooling solution in the world, i.e, can't keep up with separate blocks for CPU & GPU but it was never meant nor claimed to. 2. Has great build quality, but isn't going to fit every motherboard without modifications being made to VRM coolers. 3. Still has room for improvements to mounting system and inlet/outlets to be incorporated into future revisions. 4. When a tech channel actually puts in the time to review something correctly instead of hacking through a video to hit content production goals and then providing negative feedback about that product, you get completely different results.

[@no-trick-pony]

Steve, you are INSANE with the passion you put into testing! I love it!

[@GamersNexus]

Thank you! Big team effort on this one!

[@volvo09]

Yeah this must have taken a LOT of time. All that mounting and re mounting for pressure maps too.

[@I_enjoy_some_things]

I never would have imagined I’d be able to watch this quality of channel on KZbin (I came of age/started using the internet right around the time KZbin came out). GN is the only channel I’ve actually bought merch from because I legitimately want to support them. So good. I watched that infamous video when it released - it’s clear the reviewer there did not understand what kind of company Billet was/is. The reviewer seemingly approached this Monoblock as if it were a mass-market product lol (or at least that’s how they approached their conclusion). Thanks Steve!

[@myname7021]

@@I_enjoy_some_things same 😄

[@RoofusRoof19]

@@GamersNexus Unlike that other youtube channel...

[@OuijTube]

Pieces like this feel like the computer equivalent of extreme hotrod videos. Custom speed parts, fun stuff.

[@elizabethwoodley4340]

Yes! This video really made clear to me that LTT’s review was almost as bad as: LTT: “this sure is a shitty minivan” Billet: “it’s supposed to be a custom hotrod though…”

[@Ivanpah1337]

Really glad Billet is getting another chance at legitimate exposure. i couldn't think a better team to handle these tests.

[@xxtovarichxx]

You think they sent one to LTT ;)

[@snowlockk3464]

I bet this one doesn't get auctioned off.

[@zqzj]

​@@snowlockk3464I don't think anybody would buy it, considering the horrendous results.

[@nSnowCrow]

They had much more exposure than they ever dreamed of. Internet drama is the best digital marketing for a very specific crowd. But it is nice that they survived and now see their product in customers hands.

[@Joe_Rebel]

Giving them a proper review, so glad you guys took it upon yourself to do so!

[@ploed]

They should have send them in first place.

[@DanielMoraPhoto]

Meanwhile over at LinusGoofTips, "I'm GoIng tO pUt ThIs On A tHrEaDrIpPeR hurrrrrrrrr NO WORK. IT BAD."

[@mad_max21]

Heh true, LTT is rubbish.

[@stevewatson6839]

@@ploed Accidently this was the best outcome: the original fiasco drew the ire of the Tech Gods and the lowly mortals from Oop North have been firmly embarrassed and chastised.

[@Awrethien]

@@stevewatson6839 And reminded everyone the Canucks are an *entertainment* company first. Those who want technical details come here. Nothing wrong with them trying to branch out, but if they do they need to get the ducks or geese in a row *first*.

[@yugo_]

The team is leveraging advanced testing equipment to locate the root cause of a problem and suggest possible improvements while doing a fair and professional review. Terrific. Other channels should take notes.

[@rfreaky4717]

i wonder what other channels you could be talking about

[@CmoIsDaNam3i]

​@@rfreaky4717Linus: Can't be us. Naaah... *sweats nervously*

[@arthurmoore9488]

That kind of analysis would cost several thousand dollars if they paid a lab to do it.

[@rfreaky4717]

@@CmoIsDaNam3i nah Linus retests everything for every video, can't be them. Right? RIGHT???

[@Xeonerable]

Preferably the ones not in a rushed grind to pump out content for views because someone has a big house and Porsche to pay off!

[@CupheadAleks]

Wow look at that, a legit, honest, and unbiased review using the right parts to demonstrate a really unique product! Excellent work to both GN and Billet Labs!

[@MobikSaysStuff]

Are you going to buy it now?

[@fluphybunny930]

@@MobikSaysStuff exactly. It is an incredibly niche, more money than sense, product. "good" thermal performance BUT well below below the competition at cooling things like the VRMs oh and its £700 ! GTFO 🤣

[@MobikSaysStuff]

@@fluphybunny930 The only REASON Gamer nexus even reviewed it was because ltt and the only REASON it's still even relevant is because of that controversy. And even now it won't be anything more than a niche product. Pretending otherwise is just lying to yourself lmao. People love drama.

[@damianplasencia2708]

​@@MobikSaysStuff your age really shows here...if you were at least 30 years old you would know the PC hardware industry started off with tech enthusiasts...we splurged on after-market products so we could overclock our CPUs, we spent un goldy amounts on video cards just so we could brag by having the words "SLI and/or Crossfire" in our forum signatures. Some people even spent tens of thousands of dollars to compete in Folding@Home forum races...Pretty naive to think niche products are not what made this industry XD

[@MobikSaysStuff]

@@damianplasencia2708 Bro, I'm 20. And no, your niche didn't make PC gaming big, it's still niche lmao. You really think any large demographic will ever build a PC for bragging rights in an online forum? That's just... sad, lmao

[@pyroslev]

A very NICHE thing but as someone who works with copper a lot in HVAC contractor, this is amazing that two guys can do this. Love to see what they can do 5 years from now for something more mainstream. Perhaps test their work annually to see what changes they make.

[@CST1992]

Glad to see Billet Labs' Monoblock getting tested by a reviewer that DOESN'T auction off their prototype soon after testing!

[@brenden3010]

Steve thanks you for the load you took in the mouth for him

[@AthanImmortal]

I honestly hadn't realised the purpose of the block (monoblock, duh, make sense now) was to cool CPU and GPU at the same time in such a small space, this is really interesting. I love to see engineering like this, even if it's not necessarily for an everyday application. Enthusiast hardware and solutions are always fun to see, and the UK sometimes feels a little under-represent there, so I'm glad to see this coming from a couple of lads in the UK :D Alright I'm only 4 minutes in, time to watch the rest.

[@darjanator]

There are other products called monoblock out there from companies like EK, but those are designed to cool the CPU and adjacent motherboard mounted components like the CPU VRM. Those are highly motherboard model specific, though, and carry a high premium due to the low production volume. They do solve the issue of VRM thermals once you remove any significant airflow with a CPU waterblock, though.

[@vyvianalcott1681]

It kind of surprises me nobody has tried to make a form factor like this before. It makes sense, cooling blocks take up more space than the components they're attached to, but the difficulty of successfully designing one that can shed enough heat from both components is not trivial.

[@Dexx1s]

​@@vyvianalcott1681Why would it be a surprise? There isn't really much of a need nor want for this. Having separate blocks is evidently better performance-wise, can be used in just about every case that isn't a tight SFF, doesn't require a riser cable, doesn't completely get scrapped if you upgrade to an incompatible CPU socket, doesn't need for you to damage your motherboard and costs far less. This implementation actually doesn't make sense, but it's not really supposed to. It's supposed to just be a novelty.

[@vyvianalcott1681]

@@Dexx1s Are you not aware of how small motherboard gets? Rofl I'm talking about form factor and you're like "nobody tries to make things smaller" okay buddy have fun talking to yourself about that

[@Dexx1s]

@@vyvianalcott1681 yay, didn't even bother to address what I said. If you're going to try to be smug, at least say something smart first. None of what I said was "nobody tries to make things smaller". There's literally a list of 6 things and that's what you got from it?

[@canIgetuhhh]

Your channel and everything your business does is a near perfect example of growing a business completely through what I consider the holy trinity: ethical practices, commitment to providing value, and continually revising and improving your practices to increase and sharpen the services you provide. The fact that you're also providing an extremely granular improvement audit for every product you review is an insane free benefit that all these companies could be paying massive money for if you had chosen to be a consulting firm instead of an unbiased journalism outlet. I can scarcely even think of another company in any other sphere of engineering science who has built anything comparable to this. One day someone will write a book about your body of work that makes a strong argument for GN deserving a lifetime contribution award in the scientific community.

[@Quizack]

The fact two British blokes have created this, and it’s doing as well it is compared to products with millions of dollars worth of R&D is a great success in itself. Great job Billet Labs. I’m rooting for you so hard!

[@thespacedpirate]

A small handful of British guys designing things tends to go pretty well. The best rifle out of the UK was designed by 3 guys in a shed that got picked up by the military

[@JohnnieFruits]

History is littered with good ideas and designs that were impossible to scale up

[@WayStedYou]

Blokes in a shed basically is the backbone of British ingenuity

[@fluphybunny930]

It is £700. Only idiots will buy this.

[@RestrictedHades]

@@thespacedpirate was it the rifle that was so bad they asked the germans to fix it?

[@thingi]

Finally a 'real' review. 40 mins of deep dive testing, this video will go a long way to repairing the damage LTT did to Billet Labs, nice one and back to you Steve :)

[@redzak90]

saw it at Jay a couple days ago and was stoked, now from steve too, thats insane, i wish BilletLabs all the best, because its an insane engineering and a very unique and nice idea

[@HanmaHeiro]

Had their thumbnail and title been more descriptive. I probably would have watched it sooner, rather than just putting it in a playlist

[@backlogbuddies]

I didn't know jay did a review. Did he use a clickbait title? I tend to skip those

[@TheYdyp]

@@backlogbuddies Jay so far only did unpacking of the block, no review or build with it yet, And yup a clickbait title with something like most industrial block.

[@sirmonkey1985]

@@TheYdyp hows that click bait? to some one that doesn't really follow steampunk that's exactly what it looks like with it being bare copper and there's nothing wrong with that.

[@HanmaHeiro]

@@backlogbuddies Somewhat Yea. Nothing inflammatory or towards LTT though. Just not informative enough on the subject

[@HighHoeKermit]

Billet Labs must be pleased to have such constructive feedback at last. Really thorough review and testing, well done GN team.

[@Iamdebug]

The production quality continues to go up all the while using tools available to you to help a small company get better. Excellent job GN!

[@ozzygiritli]

The arc has come full circle

[@CalmPlains]

You guys are LEGENDARY for continually improving your testing methodology. Impressive work ethic on full display. Kudos.

[@Wermhole]

Holy ... the level of detail and everything going with the tests... I freaking love it. This is so awesome

[@dangingerich2559]

I don't normally care about aesthetics, but I do love the look of polished metallic copper. It just looks so pretty to me.

[@BGraves]

For about 5 minutes

[@silmarian]

This attention to detail and explaining your testing methodology is why I love GN so much.

[@KevinRiggle]

*REALLY* glad to see these guys finally get a fair shake. Definitely a niche enthusiast part, but we have a lot of niche enthusiasts around here.

[@wayner2ll704]

The whole process of adding to the conversation, troubleshooting, the teams energy working together, and so much more is just fing awesome. You guy with the hair are like the good version of a final boss. The final good guy.

[@stevemoon2136]

After everything, this product finally gets the review & appreciation it deserves. Good job, Steve best of luck to the guys at Billet Labs.

[@mathewbriggs6667]

WOW ITS AMAZING TO SEE A REVIEWER NOT SCARED TO SPEND 500$ TO REVIEW A PRODUCT THE RIGHT WAY

[@DanielMoraPhoto]

Humble GN flex, "this 3d laser scanner cost $60,000 and we're gonna use it to test flatness of this cooler"

[@D3Shadow]

I give props to you Steve for doing this, but I am most impressed by the guys at Billet for literally fighting tooth and nail for their belief in the product they're pushing and not only believing in it, but pushing out something that marks on your standards as good. The dedication here is actually nothing short of impressive. I wish them the best. They definitely deserve the praise for their hard work & so does GN as a whole for not giving up on them.

[@almiromeragic9341]

This was probably one of the best reviews I have seen in a long time. It's great to see focus on engineering, development, the good and the bad things about the product and not just a price tag and value for money notice. Also great for GN to show off how refined and advanced their reviews can get. Just great stuff to witness.

[@egnatius79]

Take notes, tech KZbinrs. This is how a proper review is done!

[@unholydonuts]

Hopefully one KZbin channel start testing products as intended.

[@coryv5679]

@@unholydonuts Are people that scared to point out Linus is an idiot or something? >.>

[@skewsme7650]

​@@coryv5679Not really, our disdain towards Linus dissuades us from even mentioning his lame-ass name and shenanigans it brings. Ugh.

[@jamesbyrd3740]

Right, let me just whip out my electron microscope to review a bad idea.

[@MrMartinSchou]

The toothpicks LOOK silly, but having a clear and obvious guide to get things lined up is certainly a good idea. Maybe use something that threads into location to make them less wobbly, but I'm not sure they should forego them entirely.

[@shaneeslick]

Yeah it wouldn't cost much to include 4 pieces of Threaded Rod for the GPU alignment part

[@KevinJDildonik]

Given a certain Canadian channel auctioned off their first prototype and almost killed their company with unfair tests, saving every cent per unit could be a consideration right now. Plus toothpicks and the wooden spacer-manual compost. With the move to wooden PC cases lately, I'd actually like to see the industry include more compostable parts. Like would it be safe for heat spreaders to be bamboo? Getting people to think green - even in silly little ways - can be beneficial on a lot of levels. Just think in ten years how many reviewers would end up having a drawer full of extra spacers they don't need, versus nothing, because it composted naturally.

[@I_enjoy_some_things]

Yep, those toothpicks are exactly the kind of thing I’d use to keep alignment while working with fidgety components. It screams “common sense engineering,” which immediately makes me think highly of their product development process.

[@DickGently]

A stepped washer with reliefs machined into the copper plate, which is I think what Steve was alluding to himself, to align everything would seem like the logical progression in the refinement process but honestly this is fine too. The reduction of human error in the installation process becomes less crucial in the enthusiast products where the people likely to purchase the product are also likely to have a higher degree mechanical affinity.

[@MrMartinSchou]

@@DickGently The main issue, that I see (which is very much not an experienced view), is that this only helps on one side. The back-side would have those recesses facing down. And it doesn't help with easily aligning everything up. If you don't have great lighting, trying to line up a small hole over a small hole over a small hole is not an easy task.

[@TPaz-gy8oo]

Good on Billet Labs doing their thing. As a person not that into cooling and packing, I now understand what the whole hype was about. This is wonderful to watch in situ.

[@SpuriousECG]

Billet Labs recommends lapping the CPU, so it would be interesting how this would impact the pressure map.

[@maxscott3349]

How would you hold it? Would you have a loose socket specifically for that or would you hold it by the edge or is there a better way to do that?

[@aaronjones4529]

@@maxscott3349 Yeah, just hold it; remember that the contacts are pads, not pins, on the CPU so it's pretty difficult to damage it if you're just lapping it. It's not a bad idea to cover the connection pads face with masking tape to protect them a bit from handling and from static electricity, but to be honest, static electricity risks are overblown, and modern electronic equipment is more robust than you might think. After removing the masking tape, just clean off any glue residue with isopropyl alcahol. (And don't forget to thouroughly blow off the lapped side to ensure there's no metal dust on the components, of course!) You actually kinda want the pressure applied evenly (not on one or more edges) so just placing your fingers as flat over the back face of the CPU, and using as even pressure as possible, but mainly applying the pressure in the middle of the chip with two fingers is sufficient. Remember that youre not looking to apply a large pressure anyway; you're not trying to sand off a mm of depth with heavy labour, you're just methodically removing microns of depth with light pressure. (Going back to old CPU designs that had pins, I would just smush the pins straight into 5mm to 10mm thick expanded polystyrene sheet to protect them, and then apply finger pressure onto the sheet.)...

[@maxscott3349]

@@aaronjones4529 That makes more sense. I didn't know they didn't do pins anymore.

[@Javierm0n0]

I could be wrong but i think the AMD AM4 cpu's were some of the last to have pins? ​@@maxscott3349

[@athyscollection]

This is how you do a true tech review, I'm so pleased you covered this Monoblock. As a creative builder I'm excited to see what Billet Labs learn from this and what comes next.

[@FocconMc]

Take note LTT, this is how you do tech reviews.

[@JamesTK]

LTT were even given a GPU that was validated to work with it and managed to misplace that... Ha

[@skewsme7650]

Should we even care anymore? That channel's still the same clown show despite their so-called lessons learnt from their fuck-up.

[@theduck17]

​@@JamesTK then talked smack on it while being completely disrespectful to the company that sent them everything to review.

[@hellraserfleshlight]

One thing to remember with the 3090 and 4090 specifically - The GDDR6X on these cards does not like too much cooling. As sanctimonious as that sounds, it actually overclocks better between 60 and 80C, depending on the sample. Considering that, if Billet were to work on anything, it should be CPU contact and GPU VRM contact, they can leave VRAM cool right where it is

[@peterhindes56]

I would like to see some data on that, but it seems believable.

[@ghomerhust]

i think these guys really have a cool idea here, and im impressed with the quality of the manufacturing. i'd love to see them continue this line

[@kineticbongos]

Appreciate that GN actually tested the cooler against GPU's that it was actually built for, and did their due diligence, acknowledging the circumstances of this product.

[@Panda-qv4np]

ACTUAL TESTING FOR BILLET!! Finally!

[@CristianAlinPopa]

I saw this product only presented by another content creator and I was excited to see it here. I expected to see some tests here, but I saw everything that I could see about this product. Appreciate your hard work, devotement, and the investment in the expensive tools for the most precise and detailed tests.

[@user-ql7vu4bm9k]

What a cool project. Both the product itself and the test Ya'll came up with. Tons of respect for your professionalism and integrity. Keep it up and I'll keep watching. Thanks guys.

[@Jobocan.]

Really enjoying the updated testing methodology going on with this and how that will affect upcoming reviews... And the fact that you actually read the instructions for how to install the thing correctly.

[@talis84]

I just love the aesthetic. it looks industrial which is right up my ally. I hope they spread some love for larger form factor after perfecting the SFF design. I know they are SFF centric, but more products also means better economies of scale.

[@BahhBahhBrownSheep]

Please do tell me why a monoblock would be useful in a larger form factor

[@jamesbyrd3740]

it's not an aesthetic by design. it's just amateurish. Anyone with a cnc would make something similar

[@ChaosSwissroIl]

@@jamesbyrd3740 Spoken like someone who has literally never tried to machine copper.

[@jamesbyrd3740]

@@ChaosSwissroIl I am not saying the machining is amateurish, just the overall design and more importantly the business plan. The machining is obviously quite good, but it looks the way that it does, because it's purely function over form. There's a reason this thing is $800!

[@ChaosSwissroIl]

@@jamesbyrd3740 My objection is to "Anyone with a cnc would make something similar". In steel, absolutely. In copper, not a chance. Copper is hell to work with.

[@DivineJusticeDark]

Amazing, balanced and fair review for the product. The proof is in the pudding as they say. You invested the required time in testing the block and it shows in the results. Very entertaining.

[@cmdOptEscape]

Now now, Steve and the GN lads, you're just showing off now. You really make some of your peers look down right amateur. THIS is how you do an honest, professional review. 10/10 ❤

[@jondoe22575]

Damn... just straight up middle finger to linus. I love it. Dude had it coming.

[@ToumalRakesh]

It's not the review we need, but the review they deserve.

[@aleksandarlazarov9182]

I am super happy to see a proper, detailed and fair review of Billet Labs' monoblock! Thank you so much Steve and the crew for doing justice after the crap LTT created! And its amazing to see just how well this is made!!!

[@Quizack]

This is why we love GN. Pure objective testing with rigorous methodology.

[@thepatriot6966]

What a wonderful journey it's been for Gamers Nexus. From humble begining's to now. In my opinion. The. Premier Tech channel on KZbin. Kudos on giving Billet Labs exposure on their products. With properly executed testing.

[@GLoK-OG]

Only tech channel I'm still subscribed to, oh and ufd tech when I eat my brettfast lol

[@Dan-Simms]

Was hoping this would come out soon. This is the kind if review this product needed, I wish Billet Labs well. And I hope that callout at the end lights a fire under Jay to do a sick build soon. Thanks Steve!

[@chielvoswijk9482]

For a first time boutique/niche component from two-man team. This is an incredibly impressive block for what it does and is just begging to be used in some insanely tiny, custom builds. I'm happy to see that despite having been a major part of the LTT controversy and having been lambasted by those corner cutting amateurs. That they delivered a solid product that got the honour of being the first unit to get thoroughly reviewed by GN's new methodology AND setting a gold standard on contact surface. Hope they find success and expand cause they deserve attention.

[@BRUXXUS]

Super cool concept of a way to use a single block to cool multiple components! Would love to see how they manufacture these things. Although… “monoblock” makes me think of one of those big blocks meant for covering a motherboard. It may be trademarked or something, but I think I’d call it a “UniBlock” or “mirror block” just to differentiate what this is compared to what most people think of when hearing the term Monoblock. Either way, love seeing all this cool testing and fun and creative product design.

[@sebastianirala7714]

Love to see you guys covering them again

[@Tabrias07]

Glad to hear the guys at Billet are doing well, especially after that fiasco with their prototype getting auctioned off. Wish all the best for them, they seem extremely passionate about their work.

[@manoftherainshorts9075]

Great in-depth review for this block, I hope guys from Bilet labs are glad to get such a great and detailed feedback. Incredible job! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@PhantomPhoton]

Nice call out to JayZ, I find that between his channel and yours I get a really good idea of what a product is capable of, and how it might be used!

[@Ceredron]

glad to see an actual review of the actual billet cooler performance ;)

[@pedrolantyer]

So glad to see this get a proper review from a channel that actually cares about accurate information.

[@PaulTheFox1988]

I'm so glad that they finally got the kind of review they deserve and they came out of the fiasco with that other channel relatively unscathed, and I wish them all the best as they seem to be an awesome team. Great work Steve and your team on another excellent analysis, but I wouldn't expect anything less. If I win the lottery I'll buy one of these and put together a system around it, cause I can think of some awesome ultra compact steampunk builds that would look amazing with this as the centerpiece, but we all know I'll never have the money for this, much less for the parts to go with it. 😢 I wonder if machining clearance for spring tensioned screws would help with the bowing/deformation, they have them GPU side and it does an excellent job so I can only imagine that it'd help CPU side too.

[@ff8ff7]

Excellent review and great to see after the LTT disaster. Would be curious to see a quick and dirty comparison of the blocks operating inside a case with airflow going over them in both a standard case configuration and compact design.

[@fabrb26]

There was a note with the product: * Please do not resend to LTT, we need it back !

[@kidbest100]

I couldn't be happier seeing how far the channel has come. I've supported through the GN store a few times now, and really couldn't be more impressed with the quality of content. Feels like picking a winning stock! Thanks to the GN team for all you've done over the years and for being the dependable, reasonable, and adult voice in the youtube space.

[@aquifer9480]

Y'all are a class act. Thank you for doing such a great review, and helping to get justice, as well as positive word of mouth, for Billet.

[@gilless429]

Damn this review is amazing. Honestly this is more amazing for Billet Labs than anyone else, even, because it gives them an incredibly in-depth analysis of their work to see exactly where they can try and improve.

[@bartender_billy6229]

The concept is definitely cool, but I couldn’t justify $900 for lesser performance than a full Alphacool setup for ~$400. That being said, I am VERY excited to see where Monoblock goes!

[@kg4wwn]

I think the market for billet is absolutely people who want the smallest of the small form factor and get sufficient performance. You won't get the highest FPS of anyone at a LAN party, but you will have the smallest case that can still max out your 175hz monitors. I think, I'd go billet if I had the budget for anything of the kind, because I don't think I'd ever notice the difference in performance between the two, and I would notice the difference in size.

[@bligh1156]

Yeah, I agree OP. Super interesting component and a great educational review video of a product that I will never buy. I am not the target audience for custom PC components, but I recognize there are definitely uses for this.

[@yeet1337]

Yeah it's cool, but the especially the mounting is still very how-ya-doing more so for $900. But hey they are improving

[@icetanker8062]

⁠​⁠@@kg4wwnwhat case are you planning on fitting that block into, exactly? And will it really be any smaller than a Fractal design Terra or Ridge, depending on the form factor you prefer.

[@Beany2007FTW]

I think the market for this is probably more on the 'specialist boutique build', rather than our more TurboNerd Efficiency Gains proclivities, in fairness. We'd go for the Alphacool. That said if I got a tax rebate at the right time, the Monoblock might suddenly become a lot more appealing, as I definitely massively prefer it over the Alphacools very '2020s totally tekkers nickel and acrylic and matt black and ARGB' design, which does less than nothing for me design wise and I'd be happy to hide it behind a metal side panel, honestly, and not feel I'm losing anything. The engineering is good, but that design ethos is so *fucking boring* these days. I've known people who've spent hundreds of quid on single light fittings, and over a grand on a coffee table, but both pieces were clearly hand made and, up close, bloody lovely - there's absolutely a market for a product like this. It's not huge (and it largely isn't us), but it definitely exists. And now that Billet have had a fair review (and should have some more coming up) there's a good chance they can tap into it and see how they fare. Unlike that time they inadvertently helped reveal what a bunch of incompetent, arrogant, and destructive clowns a certain media group are...in my opinion. So it's nice to see them getting some good quality, even handed, competent coverage at last.

[@2intheampm512]

Great review. I'd love to see this product succeed, its definitely niche even within the world of custom waterblocks/cooling BUT its a highly addressable one: minimalist SFF builds. The fact that you don't have user-assembled tubing connecting the CPU and GPU blocks also massively reduces the risk of a leak over the most sensitive hardware components. If theyre able to reduce costs down, which I see no reason why they couldnt as volume ramps and they continue to refine their design, Billets solution would even become price competitive with the cost of a separate GPU and CPU block, tubing, and fittings, not to mention the overall simplicity of assembling the loop. I could easily end up seeing this being a great product for beginners to water cooling who want an ultra SFF build. Not to mention that once youve figured out the VRM clearance compatibility, you have far less measuring and research required of the user to cut and space their tubing and fittings; you only need to do this on the radiator and pump end of the loop. Time is also money, and the research process, as well as inevitably screwing up multiple tubing cuts and fittings your first time means that the simplicity of this block is a further value add. Performance on the GPU side was also very impressive. I hope that theyre able to make similar improvements to the CPU side of the monoblock, addressing the mounting pressure would make it compete extremely well with separate CPU block solutions. Not to mention the block is absolutely gorgeous. Put in some metal tubing, have a nice clear side panel case to show it off, and damn thats a gorgeous build right there.

[@ozzycommander]

Next up on the block for the Gamers Nexus Charity Auction....... Good to see billet labs pushing forward, and a reviewer actually doing them right.

[@love_everything_aviation_r2834]

This channel is just so good man! I’ve only recently ‘discovered’ the channel but it covers (in litterly any video) soooo much valuable info… with that it’s not messing around, not throwing things into the air to be ‘fun’ (I guess) and just straight to the first out of many many… points usually covered. Like, it pretty much shows it here in this video perfectly as well. Imagine you’re watching this for the first time. From the very 1st second, you Instantly know where things stand (yep, they really do raise that famous bar as well… as cliche as that sounds😅). Starts directly with the tests performed, methods used ect ect… im pretty sure lots of people must be a little like: “alright so I know a decent amount of physics and i understand some of what you’ve just covered but the gaps are definitely there😂, however I’m quite confident this man knows things”. Or at least Something along those lines tho at least (For me personally it is Physics, as i do aeronautical engineer so some things with airflow ect i can somewhat translate (not 1:1 ofc) stuff to here but when it comes to the real computer tech/electrical stuff…I’m very certain I fall into the below average category 😅😂). Not a native-ENG so this bookpage of a comment probably won’t pass a Grammarly test, but it should be readable English😆👍🏼

[@jokercardzz]

I'm glad that Billet Labs was able to survive after Linus auctioned their original prototype. EDIT: Just wanted to add that you did a great job Steve at being totally unbiased and keeping an open mind throughout the entire length of the testing. And actually testing the monoblock properly, on hardware that's actually been approved for use. Awesome job and keep up the great work!

[@R3APER50]

Lol 😂 FoH you shill

[@calisto2735]

@@R3APER50 Being annoyed at facts? Get a look in the morror for "shill". Linus boots taste nice, i guess.

[@MexicanPoro]

Saw billet labs and gamers nexus and I had to watch it.

[@FinxOmally]

Nice work Billet Labs! Interesting to think how much it would have cost Billet Labs to have this level of testing performed, and the potential ramifications if the product didn't perform well. But they had faith in their product, and with the GN team to tell it as it is. And it paid off. Really cool to see such a small passionate team output such high level of workmanship. Love to see it.

[@davidpriestley1650]

Great testing involves good communications - glad to see that here, and the feedback being taken and worked into the product.

[@OnlyAnOpinion20]

Great product, great performance and also extremely valuable feedback for the guys that made it. Isn’t it nice that someone can give constructive feedback rather than just bashing a product, I feel this review is a win win for GamersNexus and Bilet Labs. Top work guys, very impressive!

[@shitpostgrotto2982]

This kind of data is terrifically precise. Especially the contact scan will be very useful data for Billet to improve the design with. Still, definitely not a bad showing for 2 lads who only just got their product out of the alpha phase.

[@meetmeat24hrfitness70]

Finally a product review we can trust

[@GeneralEOD]

I love to see innovation and oddity in the PC cooling. I also enjoy and respect GN for helping to improve products regardless of brand.

[@Mrbits01]

This is what LTT labs wished they became when they grew up.

[@Top_Cheeze]

Very cool! I have been curious about this product ever since I first heard about it and thought it was a shame we did not get to see a proper review on it when Linus had it Looking forward to this one =)

[@happyhourk12]

Great to see they trusted YOU GUYS with it this time.

[@zipp4everyone263]

WOW, i had no idea that people could review things like these! I had suspected it to be a "Not cool enough, lets steal and sell their prototype" case, you know, as you do if you test everything every time, not like the other reviewers in the field... Jokes away. Im happy to see that ONE production company can actually be mature enough to review an item properly and not blaime other companies for their faults. Good job, GN!

[@OfSheikah]

Bravo Gamers Nexus! Any person or collective who comes close to your thoroughness in testing is just going to be more competition in third party approaching true transparency of technical information!

[@flyingpanhandle]

Looking forward to buying this at a GN auction.

[@harrynazarian3184]

This is a great review, thank you, Steve! I will look into Billet Labs in my future SFF build. I'm not alien to customizing things to fit, so this is right up my alley.

[@linuxares]

Good job Billet! Also great review and wow... such a machine you've gotten your hands on. Also shouting out Jay for a build was a nice touch!

[@davidsmith4186]

It's plain but beautiful! Can't go wrong with full copper!

[@merlinklink3872]

Can't wait for the EK reviews to roll in with this new testing methodology. EK has somehow cemented themselves at the top of Custom Loop vendors with exorbitant pricing and lackluster performance.

[@backlogbuddies]

I almost bought an EK because everyone said to use them but decided against it. I went with an aio instead

[@Steamrick]

I bought an EK GPU block because they were the only ones offering a block for the GPU I wanted. Go figure.

[@2nd_Directorate]

@@Steamrick Yep, atm it is the exclusivity and not the performance that makes them the "top-of-the-line".....

[@ikwilgewoonfilmpje]

1. Great review overall. Constructive and useful feedback and points. 2. Props for GamersNexus focusing purely on the product and testing. Staying away from the drama. Honoring Billet Labs hard work and product. True professionals! 3. I am not a professional. So maybe an unnamed big KZbin channel can use this as a how-to-review training video. Starting with the management...

[@No-hj7lz]

I'm so happy this video exists given past events