So I got myself a sweet Asus Strix 980Ti with a pretty shiny EKWB block. Having had several EKWB blocks in the last few years I thought I knew what kind of quality to expect, but not this time.
Upon inspecting the craftsmanship I was unpleasantly surprised by extreme machine marks on the contact area's of the water block.
The backplate wasn't exactly smooth either but had some mirror quality surfaces together with rough ridges. It is clear to me that for some reason the Asus Strix 980Ti products, or at least the ones I received, have not had any polishing or buffing done to them and are just like they came from the machine, with a coarse setting. This to the detriment of the cooling performance.
Could this be a rush job or a product given less attention to for being in a niche...
An average air cooler would never get away with such a coarse surface (looking at a Scythe Mugen 3's surface while typing this that reflects my face real nice). It's also unfixable as the nickel plating prevents me from buffing out those machine marks without peeling off the nickel.
Can anyone comment of whether I am just too demanding or should return this set and request a proper finished product?

p.s.
I do not accept that due to the great performance of a block like this reduced performance is negligible and/or should be acceptable. I pay top Dollar (Euro) for a product like this and do not accept short cuts or anything less than the best product possible for my money.
Upon inspecting the craftsmanship I was unpleasantly surprised by extreme machine marks on the contact area's of the water block.
The backplate wasn't exactly smooth either but had some mirror quality surfaces together with rough ridges. It is clear to me that for some reason the Asus Strix 980Ti products, or at least the ones I received, have not had any polishing or buffing done to them and are just like they came from the machine, with a coarse setting. This to the detriment of the cooling performance.
Could this be a rush job or a product given less attention to for being in a niche...
An average air cooler would never get away with such a coarse surface (looking at a Scythe Mugen 3's surface while typing this that reflects my face real nice). It's also unfixable as the nickel plating prevents me from buffing out those machine marks without peeling off the nickel.
Can anyone comment of whether I am just too demanding or should return this set and request a proper finished product?
p.s.
I do not accept that due to the great performance of a block like this reduced performance is negligible and/or should be acceptable. I pay top Dollar (Euro) for a product like this and do not accept short cuts or anything less than the best product possible for my money.