How does one find out what is inside an integrated liquid cooler, Wallossek found that two of the six coolers he poked to pieces for testing did not contain the copper components advertised by the manufacturer, usually replaced by a copper/zinc alloy, or brass by another name We found that they were.

Igor's Lab disassembled six 120mm liquid coolers for testing:

Each cooler claims a different combination of materials that make up the often invisible internals, but mainly the high-end ones use copper, which has a high thermal conductivity. Copper has a thermal conductivity of about 401 W-m-1-K-1 (watts per meter Kelvin), much higher than aluminum's 237 W-m-1-K-1. There are other factors that contribute to cooling effectiveness, but some coolers tested by Igor's Lab boast full or partial copper construction.

Two coolers tested by Igor's Lab were virtually unscathed. The Alphacool NexXxoS ST30, which is "all copper," and the Aqua Computer Airplex, which is almost entirely aluminum. Both claimed which material was used where, and Wallossek's tests proved that to be true.

The Hardware Labs Black Ice Nemesis GTS - 120 XFlow is no different. The cooling fins are supposed to be made of copper, but the tests showed that they were made of copper. The rest of the materials not listed are primarily copper/zinc alloys, in other words brass, possibly because of the relatively low copper content, 63/37 Cu/Zn, but also 70/30 Cu/Zn. All in all, it is not a large enough structure to worry about, but it is not a high-end structure either.

The EKWB Quantum Surface P120M claims to come with copper H90 tubing, but as Warosek points out, this gives the impression that it is copper, but "H90" indicates that it is an alloy. The test is 90% copper and 10% zinc. In other words, it is brass. Although technically labeled as an alloy, Wallossek feels that customers have no idea; Wallossek had several other complaints about the EKWB coolers, including "soft, cheap-looking screws" and flux residue.

However, Bykski's CR-RD120RC-TN-V2 full copper lived up to advertised expectations. Investigation revealed that a lot of brass was used instead of pure copper in the so-called full-copper construction. In addition, high levels of lead were found in the solder, potentially violating RoHS certification.

Below: all six coolers tested by Igor's Lab.

Bykski has announced that it is moving to remove this batch from sale, which it claims was manufactured by another OEM, after verifying its findings through independent testing. This OEM is also reportedly being held responsible for switching the inside of the channel to a copper alloy instead of copper.

Finally, the Watercool Heatkiller Rad 120-S. This product was found not to offer the copper channels originally advertised on its website, instead using 65/35 Cu/Zn brass. The cooling fins were advertised as copper and were also tested as copper. However, Igor's Lab notes that the Heat Killer Rad website has been updated and the exact wording of this product clarifies that the channels are brass, not copper as previously stated. Igor's Lab says it has not been contacted directly by the company .

For complete test data, including many images from the very expensive test equipment, we recommend checking out Igor's Lab's original story.

Igor's Lab attributes the problem to complacency rather than malice; Wassolek states that he believes "permanent monitoring is indeed important and essential." As for several companies with inaccurate specifications, it appears that something is being done to correct the problem. Nevertheless, thanks to Mr. Warosek's hard hacking work, the coolers are now working. Let's hope the next lot will be less controversial.