The nickel blocks are copper plated with nickel, not pure nickel. So performance-wise, they're damn near indistinguishable.

You could potentially have some corrosion issues if you used a lot of different metals in your loop (copper, aluminum, nickel, etc). Real-world you're probably not going to see it.

A few years ago there were some plating issues with the nickel blocks, but EK has resolved those as far as I know.

So go with whatever looks best in your setup.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bandalo

The nickel blocks are copper plated with nickel, not pure nickel. So performance-wise, they're damn near indistinguishable.

You could potentially have some corrosion issues if you used a lot of different metals in your loop (copper, aluminum, nickel, etc). Real-world you're probably not going to see it.

A few years ago there were some plating issues with the nickel blocks, but EK has resolved those as far as I know.

So go with whatever looks best in your setup.

Thanks for that, I have heard something about copper oxidation ?

 

Pure copper will oxidize, no matter what you do. So the shiny parts will dull and turn a bit black over time. How fast depends on the purity of your coolant and any additives. Some people see it happen within weeks, others don't see anything for years. You can shine it back up with salt and vinegar if it's important to you, but cleaning blocks can be time consuming.

 

copper oxidation doesn't harm in any way.. its just... ugly
you've got this shiny yellowish-reddish-goldish block.. with deep-blue-greenish-blackish spots & trails
Again, it doesn't hurt performance, its just fugly but easy to clean




see http://www.overclock.net/t/1546560/corrosion-concerns/0_100

 

At the time of buying my old blocks, I believe EK were having issues with their nickel plating process so I went for copper. I've just bought a Titan X block in copper too. Same performance and it's a little cheaper. I personally like the look of copper but get what you think looks better for your loop!

 

Its all about looks, my set is horizontal so i went with the nickel plated.

Performance wise i think they do the same. who knows there is a 0,000,00,001% difference

if you dont have a plexi version just take copper. if your carefull what liquid you put in they last a long time before getting a "gold" version

(no crooks that palm tree on my block was on it when i bought it, and no they dont do a AH-64 version )

 

Nickel has a lower thermal conductivity than copper... but oxidized copper has a lower thermal conductivity than nickel

Performance is entirely negligible though. Copper v Nickel plated copper is all aesthetics.

I personally went for nickel for the extra 2-4$, even though my tops are all black delrin

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buska103

Nickel has a lower thermal conductivity than copper... but oxidized copper has a lower thermal conductivity than nickel

Performance is entirely negligible though. Copper v Nickel plated copper is all aesthetics.

I personally went for nickel for the extra 2-4$, even though my tops are all black delrin

This may be true on a micro scale, but on a normal macro scale the thermal performance difference are unmeasurable. The oxide layer and plating levels are so that they do not have any effect on cooling performance.