I've been out of the "scene" for a bit, but unless things have changed, aren't enthusiasts expected to remove the IHS?? Are we really such babies now that we can't deal with bare dies? (Ironically, I chipped a die in my last watercooling setup, but I blame it on a poor mounting system
) Or are waterblocks now attempting to market themselves as for the average "plug'n'play" user?
Unless the goal is a truly mass market block, then all testing should be done on a bare die.
My assumption is that most "enthusiasts" are still going for every extra C° and will not hesitate to remove the IHS. But then it really depends on how you define the enthusiast market and how you characterize the average enthusiast.
IMO, this is PROCOOLING, which implies going somewhat further beyond the average "amateur" attempts at cooling. Other communities may have different standards.
Obviously we are now at the point in our CPU water cooling history where the market may be split, where certain blocks are designed around the IHS, and other designs, catering to the "enthusiast" market, will assume a bare die. So in that sense, there will be two seperate criteria for "best" block. Designers should state clearly which they are aiming at.