Gigabyte Waterforce GTX 980 Liquid Cooled Behemoth - CES 2015

Gigabyte unveils the Water Force GTX 980, a radical liquid cooling system showcased at CES 2015 that represents pure engineering spectacle even if practicality is debated. The installation includes an entire external kit priced around $33,000, designed to cool three GTX 980 graphics cards arranged in SLI, each card mounted with its own 120 mm radiator. Linus breaks down the kit components, noting the six tubing runs feeding into a central top-mounted cooling unit, with a front panel pass-through and a dedicated power module. The system is controlled via a front dial to adjust fan RPMs and pump speed, with a featured target temperature option for the GPUs, and the ability to open the top cover to inspect the individual card cooling loops. Linus also touches on the accompanying X99 motherboard concept on display, highlighting its extreme overclocking features and the trade-off of fewer DDR4 DIMM slots for more robust power delivery and specialized cooling. The overall takeaway emphasizes the gap between extreme, showpiece hardware and what typical, everyday PC users would actually consider practical, despite the impressive engineering and flashy visuals. The segment concludes with sponsor shout-outs and a reminder of Linus Tech Tips CES coverage, linking viewers to Phantom Glass, HyperX, and related channels for more tech content.

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