EK Back to their old Tricks Again..

Hey guys,

After getting shafted by Sapphire and NE in regards to the BF4 bundle, I decided that I might as well go ahead and open my card and GPU block up..Well, as many remember, EK royally fucked the community over a few years ago with their plating issues...I talked myself into buying one of their blocks since it was all copper (thus no flaking) and was a good bit cheaper then the only other choice, the Koolance...I was initially in a hurry for it to get here, and the Koolance wasn't in stock with any East Coast E-tailers, so I ordered the EK block from Frozen CPU....

Here is what I found when I opened the box..I apologize for the quality of the pictures, but I did not want to to crack EK's seal (least they accuse me of purposefully ruining a $110 GPU block) and it was encased in a pretty thick plastic bag..

The picture below is the area that directly contacts the GPU die..Looks like Wolverine was sharpening his claws on it..



Here you see the poor machining and "stains" on the block:



Here you see the crappy machine work/staining in the area that will be visible:



Poor Machining/Deep Scratches on the Memory area:



Larger Shot of the Overall Piss Poor Machining/Stains:


Now, FrozenCPU had a sticker on the OUTSIDE of the box saying "no returns, make sure of fitment" which I assume is due to the fact that until last Friday, EK was the only company producing GPU Blocks for the 290/290X and they are very hard to keep in stock..

I am now showing you the results of EK being greedy and attempting to rush the machining on these blocks..My Uncle (Master Machinist ~45 years) was appalled at the work, and said that an apprentice could have done a better job...I am going to call FrozenCPU in the morning, and if they refuse to issue me a FULL REFUND, INCLUDING SHIPPING, I will be contacting VISA and filing a dispute. There is ZERO EXCUSE for allowing something like this to make it through their "QA Dept". The funny thing is that there is a QA sticker on the front of the block...

After seeing the poor machining, there is no way I would EVER trust putting that block in system...I am paranoid as it it about leaks, and this does nothing but make that fear even worse..Do you guy's feel I am wrong for demanding a full return despite that bullshit sticker on the outside? How was I supposed to know the GPU block was going to look like someone took a dremel to it unless I opened it?

I suppose I should have known better then to buy an EK product, but I checked here, OC.net, and Xtreme, and didn't see anyone reporting any issues..

Of course you should demand a full refund if anything. Find as many people as you need to contact. Hoperfully they offer a replacement and more since by wanting your money back it implies you're done with them.

yea my ek blocks are all shit now after 1 year i had poor flow and opened up my 3 blocks on my 7970s and most of the plating was off and clogged inside the block and my ek cpu block has 0 plating left on it after 2 years

In all honesty it's more about function than the mirror shine polished appearance. Look at most HE'S even the very expensive ones... have "finished" surfaces like that.

BUT that said, water cooling is a niche crowd who demand and expect more than the people buying a mass produced HSF setup.

I would expect a full refund. But ultimately it's about function before looks. But a surface like that... Yea probably won't perform well.

thats beat, I almost want ek blocks cause they do look cool which is why I think they are so popular.. but so many issues you never hear about with xspc or koolance.

I wouldn't be worried about a machined block of copper showing machining marks, the only times you don't get machining marks are when they are lapped afterwords. All the markings that I see are superficial, except maybe the first picture, but then I can't actually tell from the picture. Just as a note any time anything is machine you WILL see machining marks, it's part of the process. Also copper is always machined with coolant so there may be a bit of discoloring, it's not something to worry about. Deep gouges in the GPU core contact area however is a different story, if that is actually the case I wouldn't keep the block.

Man mine was the same. Just because it doesn't have a mirror finish doesn't make it crap. What I would be worried about is finding copper metal burs hanging off. Earlier this year I had an XSPC Razer New Edition HD7970 block and it had copper metal burs hanging off it around the memory and GPU areas. I was not happy.


I don't think you will have problems with the performance of your EK block as I haven't had any.

If you are used to buying nickel plated finished copper blocks then you have been spoiled by extremely nice smooth painted on finish that the process leaves but underneath the nickel finish who knows what the copper finish looks like.

Try the block out and see how it performs. If it sucks ass at cooling then I think you have a real reason to complain.


Also I had problems with a nickel plated koolance block. The nickel plating came off inside of the block and got all nasty and I had to remove it from my loop.


Good luck with your EK block and try to enjoy if for what it is. Sorry its not perefect looking like you would like. I too would like it too look perfect but I am reasonable and I know it looks reasonably flat and with good TIM or a thermal pad it works great.

I just refuse to support that ass after the lying, bullying and obfuscation in the RRR episode.

Give him your money if you like, he isn't getting any of mine.

dupe, forum acting up

tunatime said:

yea my ek blocks are all shit now after 1 year i had poor flow and opened up my 3 blocks on my 7970s and most of the plating was off and clogged inside the block and my ek cpu block has 0 plating left on it after 2 years

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I am sorry to hear that. I hate to sound like a hypocrite, but buying anything from EK with the words "nickel plating" is asking for trouble. That is why I bought the plain copper block..

jmilcher said:

In all honesty it's more about function than the mirror shine polished appearance. Look at most HE'S even the very expensive ones... have "finished" surfaces like that.

BUT that said, water cooling is a niche crowd who demand and expect more than the people buying a mass produced HSF setup.

I would expect a full refund. But ultimately it's about function before looks. But a surface like that... Yea probably won't perform well.

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Don't think I am taking what you are saying the wrong way, but I didn't buy a $30 HSF (as you mentioned)..I am well aware that function is the most important thing, and given their past history I chose to avoid their nickel plated stuff just to keep from ending up in a situation like this..Many HSF's aren't lapped to a mirror finish since they are usally going to be in contact with a IHS vs a bare die.

flak-spammer said:

I wouldn't be worried about a machined block of copper showing machining marks, the only times you don't get machining marks are when they are lapped afterwords. All the markings that I see are superficial, except maybe the first picture, but then I can't actually tell from the picture. Just as a note any time anything is machine you WILL see machining marks, it's part of the process. Also copper is always machined with coolant so there may be a bit of discoloring, it's not something to worry about. Deep gouges in the GPU core contact area however is a different story, if that is actually the case I wouldn't keep the block.

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Again, having several family members that have worked in this type of industry, I contacted them before pushing the alarm button..My Uncle was appalled that a company would ship something like that out, considering the minor amount of time it takes it machine finish something. He actually asked me if these things were handmade by someone in their spare time. When I informed him it was a multimillion dollar Global company, he said he would refuse to use it.

If they are so careless with tolerances and finishes (even superficial areas that will have a thermal pad between the block/ICs) then what's to say they were careful with the opposite of the block..You know the one that holds water? That is the area that concerns me the most (aside from the GPU DIE area) since I would have to dissemble the block to get inside and clean the fluid out..

The area that contacts the GPU DIE was VERY VERY HARD to get a clear photo due to the bag not being completely clear (like a sandwich bag) and the EK sticker being right over the area..There are several deep gouges in that area, and since I use CL LP Metal TIM with my GPUs, I would NOT be comfortable using this block..Those gouges will act like drainage ditches for the CL LP and it will end up running and quite possibly shorting out the card/MB/system..

SonDa5 said:

Man mine was the same. Just because it doesn't have a mirror finish doesn't make it crap. What I would be worried about is finding copper metal burs hanging off. Earlier this year I had an XSPC Razer New Edition HD7970 block and it had copper metal burs hanging off it around the memory and GPU areas. I was not happy.


I don't think you will have problems with the performance of your EK block as I haven't had any.

If you are used to buying nickel plated finished copper blocks then you have been spoiled by extremely nice smooth painted on finish that the process leaves but underneath the nickel finish who knows what the copper finish looks like.

Try the block out and see how it performs. If it sucks ass at cooling then I think you have a real reason to complain.


Also I had problems with a nickel plated koolance block. The nickel plating came off inside of the block and got all nasty and I had to remove it from my loop.


Good luck with your EK block and try to enjoy if for what it is. Sorry its not perefect looking like you would like. I too would like it too look perfect but I am reasonable and I know it looks reasonably flat and with good TIM or a thermal pad it works great.

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SonDa, this has NOTHING to do with me not being "reasonable"...If your block looked like mine (especially the GPU DIE area, and you installed CL LP (like I know you usually) do, you are brave man..The DIE contact area is far from flat, I wouldn't be able to tell you exactly how much it is off until I get my hands on a set of digital calipers from my Uncle tomorrow. But when someone with 45 years of experience doing everything from basic hand to high end CNC machince work for a large provider of Microwave cells tells me it is unacceptable (he is also a computer geek like us going back to the '80s) then I am not going to use it..

I am glad you also brought up the issue of copper burrs, since there are about 4 or 5 fairly good size ones in the bottom of the bag, and one actually broke off from the block while I was holding it and trying to photograph it...

I suppose it's my fault, since my I KNEW better then to buy an EK product..

I should have just spent the extra money on the Koolance Nickel plated block..Last week they were on available from Koolance direct in CA, and shipping to MD was high, especially if I wanted it quicker then week it would take UPS ground to get it here...The really kick in the nuts is that FrozenCPU now has the Koolance blocks in stock...

My experience with FrozenCPu customer service is excellent. I hope they are able to help make you a happy camper and bummer about the metal burs. I do believe it is possible you got a dud as I once got a dud radiator from FrozenCPU and they made things right. Take good photos of the defects and send them to FrozenCPU.

I don't know how it works in the States, but in the EU we are entitled to return any product, for any reason, within a week (or two in some cases) for a full refund that we buy online.

You guys are crazy if you think a finish like that is superficial. The freaking stock heatsink don't look like that. Not to mention you are sandwiching acrylic against a surface like that in hopes that it doesn't spill water onto your pc internals when it is under high heat / pressure.

This is why you wait for Aquacomputer blocks instead of EK shit blocks.

I bought a couple of Koolance blocks. Very happy with build quality and performance

SonDa5 said:

Man mine was the same. Just because it doesn't have a mirror finish doesn't make it crap. What I would be worried about is finding copper metal burs hanging off. Earlier this year I had an XSPC Razer New Edition HD7970 block and it had copper metal burs hanging off it around the memory and GPU areas. I was not happy.


I don't think you will have problems with the performance of your EK block as I haven't had any.

If you are used to buying nickel plated finished copper blocks then you have been spoiled by extremely nice smooth painted on finish that the process leaves but underneath the nickel finish who knows what the copper finish looks like.

Try the block out and see how it performs. If it sucks ass at cooling then I think you have a real reason to complain.


Also I had problems with a nickel plated koolance block. The nickel plating came off inside of the block and got all nasty and I had to remove it from my loop.


Good luck with your EK block and try to enjoy if for what it is. Sorry its not perefect looking like you would like. I too would like it too look perfect but I am reasonable and I know it looks reasonably flat and with good TIM or a thermal pad it works great.

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http://www.realredraider.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=47617

http://www.realredraider.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=48167

Both of my EK copper blocks had machining marks. Guess what, they cool superbly. This is the reason that thermal pads and thermal compounds exist.

veedubfreak said:

Both of my EK copper blocks had machining marks. Guess what, they cool superbly. This is the reason that thermal pads and thermal compounds exist.

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Your post seems to imply I an idiot and that it is completely normal to have the GPU DIE area look like someone took a dremel to it..

I am well aware that RAW copper can have "machine" marks..I am also well aware (as I STATED above) that the memory VRM area didn't concern me AS MUCH since it would have a nice thick thermal pad that is going to be squished into the block, making the normal "machine marks" irrelevant..


Would you mind telling me what type of thermal coupound you use? Your DIE area looks like it has some sort of "pattern" machined in it...If you look at your GPU die area as a clock, it appears as the areas from 2 to 5, and 8 to 11 o'clock have 2 half circles that are lapped to a near mirror finish, with other parts that aren't finished..That baffles me...

Lol EK... I'm not the least bit shocked.

I'm waiting for Aquacomputer or Watercool blocks.

This block looks pretty normal for EK, am I missing something? Not sure what staining you are talking about, pretty sure that looks like that block sat out for awhile and some of the copper oxidized in the air. As far as the machine marks, looks pretty normal. Looks like EK is saving that extra ~$5 to not buff all the marks out, but in reality those machine marks wont make any difference.

You should take better pictures before you get defensive to these replies. Your pictures don't illustrate the problem to the degree you're talking about. They look like normal machining marks, but not anywhere near unusable. I'm not saying I doubt you either considering they're EK blocks and I've read enough elsewhere to believe your story. If it's as bad as you and your uncle say, I would think FrozenCPU would have you taken care of. I've had a couple issues in the past and they corrected all issues very quickly and were very communicative throughout the process. Good luck with your next blocks.

I used whatever cheap ass tim came with the block. I was entirely too lazy to care. My core still never goes over 50 on a crossfire setup at 1.4v.

German Muscle said:

http://www.realredraider.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=47617

http://www.realredraider.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=48167

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I read that a long time ago and since reading it and reading about other nickel plated problems on water blocks and having a problem with a non EK nickel plated block I don't buy nickel plated blocks and I don't have those type of problems.


Also on my EK all copper and acrylic block I run CoolLaboratory Liquid Ultra TIM which is super thin and requires a nearly perfect fitting gpu area. My EK block works great wih the TIM and I credit the great fit and cooling to my block being made right.

My block on my 290x.



You can see the copper metal surface isn't polished but its also not raw and rough. Just a little finish work but the important part is that it the block fits the card well and works. I'm able to over clock my 290x and run it relatively cool, I can also over clock my memory a little up to 1700mhz and my VRMs run very cool. I think the block performs very well and I haven't had any leaks.

I have owned Aquacomputer and Heatkiller nickel plated video card blocks before and they have performed great as well. This time I opted for the EK block because I think they are a great value and they perform well and I think their VRM cooling ability is top notch.


My thread on the EK block for those that haven't seen it.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1789522


IMO the block works great and though the finished copper surfaces are not polished the blocks fit and perform well and I didn't have any metal burs at all anywhere on the block. Also the gpu fins are cleanly cut and looks very well made.

SonDa5 said:

I read that a long time ago and since reading it and reading about other nickel plated problems on water blocks and having a problem with a non EK nickel plated block I don't buy nickel plated blocks and I don't have those type of problems.


Also on my EK all copper and acrylic block I run CoolLaboratory Liquid Ultra TIM which is super thin and requires a nearly perfect fitting gpu area. My EK block works great wih the TIM and I credit the great fit and cooling to my block being made right.

My block on my 290x.

You can see the copper metal surface isn't polished but its also not raw and rough. Just a little finish work but the important part is that it the block fits the card well and works. I'm able to over clock my 290x and run it relatively cool, I can also over clock my memory a little up to 1700mhz and my VRMs run very cool. I think the block performs very well and I haven't had any leaks.

I have owned Aquacomputer and Heatkiller nickel plated video card blocks before and they have performed great as well. This time I opted for the EK block because I think they are a great value and they perform well and I think their VRM cooling ability is top notch.


My thread on the EK block for those that haven't seen it.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1789522


IMO the block works great and though the finished copper surfaces are not polished the blocks fit and perform well and I didn't have any metal burs at all anywhere on the block. Also the gpu fins are cleanly cut and looks very well made.

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Cool. I as well as many others dont care to support companies that act the way they did. They denied a problem, they switched the problem around as being a coolant problem or the users problem, and much more. Then he got proved wrong and still doesnt care. EK is shady plain and simple. Their products are nowhere near what they used to be. EKs entire success was thanks to the community that he turns his back on. I myself dont feel i should pay premium prices for poor quality parts when i can get high quality parts for the same price, not have to worry about it and know the MFR will take care of any problems i have. I must be different then alot of people because in order to have any of my business it has have good support and good quality.

Edit: Also right after he was exposed he redesigned his covers. Kinda ironic how the nickel plated ones are fogged so you cant see the problem as easily....

I understand what it's like getting thrown underneath the bus from a water block company and a waterblock vendor. Earlier this year had a similar problem with an XSPC block and performance pcs. They both blew me and my problem off and I will never buy from them again. EK did work with me with a warranty problem and FrozenCPU did work with me as well. So I hope the problems are solved for the OP ASAP.

It's almost as if every single corporation in the world is only concerned about profits and gives 2 shits about its customers. Hmm.

It's hard to tell from your photo's to make a positive comment.

Although I will say I have been using EK blocks for many years now on all of my 4-Way setups and have been very satisfied. They do extremely well in comparison benchmarks, and generally have the best VRM cooling in the business.

"Machining" marks on the memory/VRM contact areas doesn't mean anything. I would have to look at the actual CPU contact area to make a judgement on that. While all of my past EK CPU contact area's weren't polished to a mirror finish, they weren't exactly bad.

I've had these Acetal+Nickel blocks on my Titan's now for almost a year. I will be removing them once my Ti Classifieds come in and I will report back on how well the nickel plating has held up using my distilled water + silver kill coil + water wetter mix.

Vega said:

It's hard to tell from your photo's to make a positive comment.

"Machining" marks on the memory/VRM contact areas doesn't mean anything. I would have to look at the actual CPU contact area to make a judgement on that. While all of my past EK CPU contact area's weren't polished to a mirror finish, they weren't exactly bad.

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I attempted to get some better pictures, but the damn bag they shipped it in really made things hard to do. After reading some of the "comments" here, I decided to remove it from the bag and take better photos of the areas that concerned me. I am not going out of my way to bash EK..

While I was aware of the clusterfuck surrounding their flaking Nickel plated products, I made sure to avoid that by getting just a "plain" copper block..I looked around on several forums to see if anyone was reporting any issues with these blocks before I bought it..Everyone seemed to praise it, and I weighed the Pros/Cons vs spending an extra $50+ for the Koolance block and shipping to get it here when I wanted (which was LAST week)...

Here are the new photos..I took these with my Note 3's camera set to the HDR mode, since it seemed to be the only way to capture some of the color difference's the eye could see but the Cannon point-n-shoot I was using could not..

Full Shot of the rear of the block:



Close Up of what concerns me the most (compare to Veedub's picture above):



Close of the VRM #2 area, to note the general lack of attention/quality:



Front Shot of the "Stained Area"...It's like part of the block oxidized:





Close shot of the Memory Area..Although it points to piss poor machine work, these gourges concerned me the least since the thermal pad should take care of the issue:



I am sorry it took me a few days to get these up on here..I am not a skilled photographer (if you couldn't tell)..I actually took over 50 shots of some of the discolored/stained areas but nothing would capture it until I switched on the "HDR" mode on my Note 3..

I am really concerned about the GPU mating area, since you can clearly see the difference between mine and Veedubfreak's above..It may not be needed but I invested in $16 CL LP TIM and I am damn well going to use it..Those gourges just scream trouble to me (yes you can actually "feel" them with you finger and catch a fingernail on them)..The 290's die is surrounded by resistors that would not like a bath in metal TIM, and while I plan on coating them like I did with my 7950, the sub par work still concerns me...

IF you guys, the community I TRUST, tell me that I am overreacting then fine..If not, I intend on contacting FrozenCPU tomorrow (was in bed with a migraine all day today),,

Thats flat out sloppy machine work and they dont care.

looks like EK hasnt learned and is still putting out poor quality products. I wouldnt pay for a block that has machine swirls in the mating surfaces. If this wasnt an issue people wouldnt lap heatsinks. Send it back and get something from Aqua Computer.

That's clearly not a good example of machining I will say that much. Those markings look a lot like chatter meaning someone on the manufacturing line probably didn't tighten the vise/workpeice holding clamps. However, markings like that are quite likely less than 0.0005" and there's not much that holds that kind of tolerance these days. As long as the seal functional and there are no scratches on the block I honestly wouldn't worry about it, but I also understand for what you paid that you would want perfection.

German Muscle said:

Thats flat out sloppy machine work and they dont care.

looks like EK hasnt learned and is still putting out poor quality products. I wouldnt pay for a block that has machine swirls in the mating surfaces. If this wasnt an issue people wouldnt lap heatsinks. Send it back and get something from Aqua Computer.

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flak-spammer said:

That's clearly not a good example of machining I will say that much. Those markings look a lot like chatter meaning someone on the manufacturing line probably didn't tighten the vise/workpeice holding clamps. However, markings like that are quite likely less than 0.0005" and there's not much that holds that kind of tolerance these days. As long as the seal functional and there are no scratches on the block I honestly wouldn't worry about it, but I also understand for what you paid that you would want perfection.

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Thanks for the replies..Flak-Spammer, my main concern is the GPU mating area..Did you click the enlarged version that VeedubFreak posted of his block? The difference is night and day..I almost want to just test it out, but the problem with that is the CL LP will stain the copper I am sure..

My other option is to see if I could my Uncle clean up the GPU mating surface..I don't know if that would be possible to do correctly with the screw mounting studs in place. I do know that if I were to walk into a machine shop, 99% of them wouldn't wanna touch it..This really sucks because I wanted to have my rig together before I leave town early Sunday morning, but I guess that isn't going to happen.

Here's an idea:

EK figures it's more profitable to be first to the market with a product than it is to take the time to ensure quality control on their products.

Dude I agree with you, those marks are terrible. I wouldn't trust them either.

It looks to me like they had the block fitted loosely while machining or the head got chipped. Either way that was terrible qcing.

ccityinstaller said:

Thanks for the replies..Flak-Spammer, my main concern is the GPU mating area..Did you click the enlarged version that VeedubFreak posted of his block? The difference is night and day..I almost want to just test it out, but the problem with that is the CL LP will stain the copper I am sure..

My other option is to see if I could my Uncle clean up the GPU mating surface..I don't know if that would be possible to do correctly with the screw mounting studs in place. I do know that if I were to walk into a machine shop, 99% of them wouldn't wanna touch it..This really sucks because I wanted to have my rig together before I leave town early Sunday morning, but I guess that isn't going to happen.

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While I don't condone manufacturers sending out products that look like this the issue you see is one of appearance, blemishes of the surface finish are usually superficial and if you don't like what you see I would just send it back. I'm a hobby machinist and I've made things that have machining marks just like those and while it does make something look poor it doesn't impact performance (unless you're talking about ultra high tolerance parts). So if you're really nervous about holding on to it then return it.

Looks like a dull bit to me more than anything else by my experience. EK had nice shit at one time and figured they were headed back on track. Definitely going to avoid any purchases toward their products in my new loop.

Thanks for the heads up.

I don't think you are over reacting about the problems with your block. If I wouldn't have been happy with my block I would have share my experience as well.

I also agree that with that CLP TIM that you are going to use you need the smoothest and flat surface possible between the GPU DIE and the block. If you can rub your fingernail against the surface of the gpu die area and your fingernail is getting caught on the milling then I wouldn't use that block with that TIM.

The marks on the gpu mating surface is not just your average swirl marks. Look around it and you see those. Then you see the gashes that arent consistent like the bit walked around. If you run your finger nail over the surface and can feel it then its defective. This surface needs to be as flat as possible and having grooves in it WILL affect performance. I worked with a Tool and Die maker in a machine shop for a bit. Learned ALOT but in the grand scheme i know nothing. Identifying poor work is day1 stuff though.

That the block was made on Friday at 5:00pm

I'd just return it for a different one.

I have two Ek 780 Classified blocks arriving in a few days. I will inspect them and report back if you just got a bad block or if there is a trend.

Nettwerk said:

That the block was made on Friday at 5:00pm

I'd just return it for a different one.

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Each block is tested by quality control via the sticker placed on each product. What would you say happened to cause this one to get through?