# Nickel plating



## Necrofire (Dec 6, 2007)

Why are some heatsinks (namely Zalman) nickel-plated? Isn't copper a better heat exchanger than nickel?

I've also heard that silver and gold are better heat conductors than copper, but platinum sucks. Is this true?

Has anyone ever thought of a gallium-tin cooling system? I think it would be cool.


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## largon (Dec 6, 2007)

Nickel plating is only for aestheticals, the material itself has very poor heat conductivity. 
Silver is better heat conductor than copper, but gold is much worse. You're right about platinum, it's worse than nickel.


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## Necrofire (Dec 6, 2007)

So why does Zalman insist on plating their top-end coolers with nickel?


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## intel igent (Dec 6, 2007)

Necrofire said:


> So why does Zalman insist on plating their top-end coolers with nickel?



like largon said for aesthetics (looks)

on the same note why does zalman mix copper/alu in their W/C products?


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## Necrofire (Dec 6, 2007)

Well, aesthetics are stupid, I really don't care what the thing looks like, I just need performance.
Mixing copper and aluminum is also stupid, aluminum may be lighter and cheaper, but it doesn't transfer heat as well as copper.

And have any of you guys ever heard of someone modifying an air-cooled heatsink (probably a small one) to have a liquid flowing through it?


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## TUngsten (Dec 7, 2007)

Nickel plating is a protective coating that is extremely resistant to corrosion and oxidation. It's much harder than copper and can serve as a very strong polished surface resistant to scratches. Copper is extremely soft, and readily oxidizes. 

Typical thickness would be 0.002 inch and would have no noticable detriment on heat conductivity.

Copper is also extremely poor for machining, so I am generally skeptical about some of the "copper" heatsinks and machined elements I see, for example I can guarantee you that the VRM/ramsinks that I see on most videocards are not 100% copper but some other alloy.


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## Basard (Dec 7, 2007)

I used to work with zinc plating.  It's so thin that it probably has next to no effect on the heat dissipation.  It looks pretty cool though, and probably helps keep corrosion down.  I'm not sure how long it would take one of those pure copper cooler to turn green--it probably has something to do with how much you man-handle it and get you greasy fingers on the copper.

They probably use a copper/aluminum alloy because copper absorbs heat fast, but dissipates it slow, and aluminum absorbs it slow, but dissipates it fast.  The allow combines the best of both worlds, I often wondered why they never made an alloy of the two 5 years ago.

Man you guys type fast.... I can't even be the cool guy with all the answers.


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## newtekie1 (Dec 7, 2007)

TUngsten said:


> Nickel plating is a protective coating that is extremely resistant to corrosion and oxidation. It's much harder than copper and can serve as a very strong polished surface resistant to scratches. Copper is extremely soft, and readily oxidizes.
> 
> Typical thickness would be 0.002 inch and would have no noticable detriment on heat conductivity.
> 
> Copper is also extremely poor for machining, so I am generally skeptical about some of the "copper" heatsinks and machined elements I see, for example I can guarantee you that the VRM/ramsinks that I see on most videocards are not 100% copper but some other alloy.



This.


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## Necrofire (Dec 7, 2007)

Well, it is possible to machine copper. I'm thinking you are right though, can' you plate aluminum with copper? Electroplating?

Copper is soft, I have bent the hell out of my cpu heatsink. Speaking of oxidizing, does oxidation effect heat conductance? My stock AMD x2 6000+ cooler has a copper bottom that's been sitting there for a while and has darkened. Will a light sand paper and a polish fix it up enough?

EDIT: Wow, two replies in before this post, man do I take forever to post these things.


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## TUngsten (Dec 7, 2007)

Oxidation is also thin, but I'd wager it has a much more severe impact on heat dissipation as it doesn't always develop evenly across a piece of metal.

The lightest sanding will remove light oxidation.


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## newtekie1 (Dec 7, 2007)

The biggest problem with oxidation is on the fins of the heatsink.  It really hinders the ability for air to remove heat from the heatsink.  The small layer of nickel is a lot more conductive compared to oxidation.

The small layer of nickel has no real affect on performance, you can see this in the Zalman NCPS9700, which comes in both a nickle plated version and a copper version.


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## EnergyFX (Jan 23, 2008)

I have aluminum radiators in my cooling loop. Plating is the most logical way to run a performance copper waterblock without the copper/aluminum corrosion issues.

I paid $25 to get my D-Tek Fuzion block Nickel Plated.  I'll post pics in a few days in the Overclocking & Cooling section.


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## intel igent (Jan 23, 2008)

EnergyFX said:


> I have aluminum radiators in my cooling loop. Plating is the most logical way to run a performance copper waterblock without the copper/aluminum corrosion issues.
> 
> I paid $25 to get my D-Tek Fuzion block Nickel Plated.  I'll post pics in a few days in the Overclocking & Cooling section.



dont bet your house on it. i would keep a close eye on that 

alu/cu mix for L/C = 100% galvanic corrosion 

now how bad/fast it will affect ur block is yet to be seen.

nickel plated blocks look SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET! 

one thing i could suggest (from memory-not 100% shure) to you is to affix a small ground strap from your rad to your case (make shure clean contact) that should help to slow the corrosion down


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## Namslas90 (Jan 23, 2008)

Necrofire said:


> ...And have any of you guys ever heard of someone modifying an air-cooled heatsink (probably a small one) to have a liquid flowing through it?



TPU member Caveman 1990 did it;

Thread here;
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=27967

The case mod with the modded cooler here; http://www.techpowerup.com/gallery/details.php?id=682


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## EnergyFX (Jan 23, 2008)

intel igent said:


> dont bet your house on it. i would keep a close eye on that
> 
> alu/cu mix for L/C = 100% galvanic corrosion
> 
> ...



Asthetics aside, all my research has indicated that introducing a non-copper barrier between the coolant and the copper surface inhibits the galvanic corrosion process. I've even discussed this with industrial plating companies.

Gold plating is how Koolance purportedly gets away with their aluminum radiators. All their waterblocks are gold plated copper.

I'm not calling you wrong, I just want to hear a bit more of your line of thought. I am by no means an expert in this.


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## intel igent (Jan 24, 2008)

all i have to say is: GTX COPPER TOP.

why? think about it 

FYI koolance is even starting to get away from mixed metals bcuz of the fear of corrosion, its too much for the average user to take all the proper precautions and perform regular maintenance on the cooling system to ensure that there is no/reduced corrosion.

AFAIK koolance/zalman are the ONLY manufacturer still currently mixing metals and that trend is changing.

eg : my loop no mixed metals 2yrs+ no service  a loop with mixed metals needs service (id say to be 100% safe) every 1-2 mths 

if you must mix metals PLEASE TAKE THE PROPER PRECAUTIONS


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## Silverel (Jan 24, 2008)

Gallium based liquid metals are extremely corrosive to most things you would find as a cooling solution. It's not horribly reactive and explosive, but likes to eat right through aluminum and copper. Glass can hold it indefinitely, but isn't a great conductor of heat... I've thought of using some kind of Gallium for a long time, but aside from using stainless steel, and changing your block every couple weeks, probably not gonna happen.


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## MrW (Jan 24, 2008)

Nickel is VERY resistive to corosion and oxidization. It's what makes stainless-steel stainless.


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## Lazzer408 (Jan 24, 2008)

MrW said:


> Nickel is VERY resistive to corosion and oxidization. It's what makes stainless-steel stainless.



What? Stainless has chromium in it which 'rusts' (oxidizes) instantly when exposed to oxygen. The oxidation layer itself is what protects the metal from 'rusting' any further. Same goes for aluminium and titanium ect. Put some mercury on aluminium to eat off that protective layer and watch the fun.


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## MrW (Jan 24, 2008)

Lazzer408 said:


> What? Stainless has chromium in it which 'rusts' (oxidizes) instantly when exposed to oxygen. The oxidation layer itself is what protects the metal from 'rusting' any further. Same goes for aluminium and titanium ect. Put some mercury on aluminium to eat off that protective layer and watch the fun.



Correct. Chromium inhibits the oxidizing process altogether. Nickel helps reduce stress-corrosion cracking since it reduces the brittleness of the steel. This makes the surface less able to hold debris and oxidizing substances. "Stains" include, but are not exclusive to rust.


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## EnergyFX (Jan 24, 2008)

So... question: 

How much of a corrosion issue do I have if there is no exposed copper (all copper is either gold or nickel plated) in my WC setup that has a significant amount of exposed aluminum?

Or is this something that is a bit of a mystery... in which case I will be the TPU test rat.


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## TUngsten (Jan 24, 2008)

what parts are aluminum? just the radiator components? or do you have an aluminum block?


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## EnergyFX (Jan 24, 2008)

TUngsten said:


> what parts are aluminum? just the radiator components? or do you have an aluminum block?



4 aluminum radiators and 4 aluminum HDD coolers. Numerous anodized aluminum splitters.


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## Laurijan (Jan 24, 2008)

Necrofire said:


> Well, aesthetics are stupid, I really don't care what the thing looks like, I just need performance.
> Mixing copper and aluminum is also stupid, aluminum may be lighter and cheaper, but it doesn't transfer heat as well as copper.
> 
> And have any of you guys ever heard of someone modifying an air-cooled heatsink (probably a small one) to have a liquid flowing through it?



I read that copper tranferes heat better to the cooler and that aluminium dispatches heat better to the air with the help of a fan - when you heat up aluminium it cools down much faster then copper would do - so thats why they produce aluminium-cooper heatsinks i concluded..


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## anonymous098 (Jan 24, 2008)

Necrofire said:


> Well, it is possible to machine copper. I'm thinking you are right though, can' you plate aluminum with copper? Electroplating?
> 
> Copper is soft, I have bent the hell out of my cpu heatsink. Speaking of oxidizing, does oxidation effect heat conductance? My stock AMD x2 6000+ cooler has a copper bottom that's been sitting there for a while and has darkened. Will a light sand paper and a polish fix it up enough?
> 
> EDIT: Wow, two replies in before this post, man do I take forever to post these things.



Plating aluminum with copper or vise versa for that matter is a really bad idea.  As far as corrosion issues are concerned, the galvanic series is the best way to determine what metals are compatible with each other.  If you google glavanic series you should be able to find a chart.  Basically, the more space there is between metals on the chart, the more you want to avoid putting them together, and copper and aluminum are about as far apart as you can get.  If you put them together without insulating or protecting them (with a passive metal like nickel) and then introduce any sort of slightly electrolytic environment, your basically creating a metal battery.  One will act like an anode, the other a cathode and they will eat each other up.


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## EnergyFX (Jan 24, 2008)

anonymous098 said:


> Plating aluminum with copper or vise versa for that matter is a really bad idea.  As far as corrosion issues are concerned, the galvanic series is the best way to determine what metals are compatible with each other.  If you google glavanic series you should be able to find a chart.  Basically, the more space there is between metals on the chart, the more you want to avoid putting them together, and copper and aluminum are about as far apart as you can get.  If you put them together without insulating or protecting them (with a passive metal like nickel) and then introduce any sort of slightly electrolytic environment, your basically creating a metal battery.  One will act like an anode, the other a cathode and they will eat each other up.



so does the passive metal stop the corrosion process or merely slow it down?


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## anonymous098 (Jan 24, 2008)

EnergyFX said:


> so does the passive metal stop the corrosion process or merely slow it down? Does the passive barrier prevent the anode/cathode process from releasing electrons into the electrolyte?



Theoretically, introducing a passive barrier would prevent a galvanic corrosion reaction, that is, in an ideal world.  But with plating jobs, theres always a chance of contamination or not having a complete barrier.  But in that case, the severity of a corrosion reaction is only dependent on the amount of exposed surface area of an anode to an electrolytic environment connected to a cathode.  So if theres only a little bit of the anode exposed, the reaction will occur very slowly if at all.


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## EnergyFX (Jan 24, 2008)

anonymous098 said:


> Theoretically, introducing a passive barrier would prevent a galvanic corrosion reaction, that is, in an ideal world.  But with plating jobs, theres always a chance of contamination or not having a complete barrier.  But in that case, the severity of a corrosion reaction is only dependent on the amount of exposed surface area of an anode to an electrolytic environment connected to a cathode.  So if theres only a little bit of the anode exposed, the reaction will occur very slowly if at all.



In which case the corrosion inhibitors in my coolant should all but nullify the cathodic process. 

Copper/Nickel/Aluminum FTW!!!!!


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## intel igent (Jan 24, 2008)

EnergyFX said:


> In which case the corrosion inhibitors in my coolant should all but nullify the cathodic process.
> 
> Copper/Nickel/Aluminum FTW!!!!!



if it was that easy dont you think that manufacturers would all be doing this?

they DONT, because you cannot stop it from happening. to stop it from happening the plating layer would have to be so thick that you would lose heat transfer and have a poorly performing block. all you can do is slow it down. 

swiftech which is a major company paid another major company to anodize their apogee GTX tops which are ALU (to military specs they claimed) :shadedshu a short time later they released a pure copper  top due to CORROSION ISSUES  

ive been watercooling for 3yrs and researched it for 1 1/2yrs prior. 

you dont beleive me fine. run your loop as you like for 2-4 months straight with all the anti-corrosion anti-biocide whatever you want then post pix of the innards. you cannot stop the corrosion only slow it down. YOU MUST perform REGULAR maintenance (draining/refilling) to enshure it does not become too corrosive.

i never said you cant do it just said that you aint going to be as safe as you think. do the right things and you will be watercooling for years to come

google is ur friend but its to generalized for some things.

i wish i knew how to copy + paste.

i will not argue with you these are the facts (known to me) as applied to L/C.


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## anonymous098 (Jan 24, 2008)

intel igent said:


> if it was that easy dont you think that manufacturers would all be doing this?
> 
> they DONT, because you cannot stop it from happening. to stop it from happening the plating layer would have to be so thick that you would lose heat transfer and have a poorly performing block. all you can do is slow it down.
> 
> ...



what does google have to do with anything?


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## EnergyFX (Jan 24, 2008)

Easy now intel_igent... this is a very informative debate, but don't get defensive.  It isn't that I don't believe you, it just seems that you are arguing with a hefty amount of skeptisim without being open to more advanced concepts.

Isn't anodizing just adjusting the properties of the outtermost layer of aluminum? Wheras plating is introducing an entirely new material.

I wouldn't expect anodizing to stand up to a cathodic process the way plating could.


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## EnergyFX (Jan 24, 2008)

Furthermore, my reliance is not on the anti-corrosion agents within the coolant.  I only stated that the anti-corrosion agents should be sufficient to compensate for any minor cathodic tendencies that find their way past the plating barrier (the possibility indicated by anonymous098's post). I am relying on the plating of all the copper componants to be the primary defense against corrosion.

If you go back and read the previous posts in detail I think you will see what I meant.


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## TUngsten (Jan 24, 2008)

anodizing opens up porosity on the surface of aluminum to prepare the surface for dyes usually, and must be sealed afterwards


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## Basard (Jan 24, 2008)

Well, I'd say nickel plate it all, then lap the contact area of the heatsink base, or waterblock base, to expose the copper.  Doesn't Thermalright plate pretty much ALL of their heatsinks anyways?  If the plating ruined the heatsink, then Thermalright has a full stock of junk.

It's sorta like painting your car (except paint is a lot thicker than plating).  If you don't paint it, it rusts away in about a year.  Paint it, and it's fine, as long as the paint holds up.   

By the way, did you guys see Gigabytes new cooler, the "Volar", at xbitlabs.com?  FOUR heatpipes, and it performs worse than Intel's stock cooler.


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## Necrofire (Jan 24, 2008)

Laurijan said:


> I read that copper tranferes heat better to the cooler and that aluminium dispatches heat better to the air with the help of a fan - when you heat up aluminium it cools down much faster then copper would do - so thats why they produce aluminium-cooper heatsinks i concluded..



You were mislead, copper _exchanges_ heat better than aluminum, so it takes in and releases heat better. Aluminum is just cheaper and softer, and weighs less, that's about it.


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## EnergyFX (Jan 25, 2008)

TUngsten said:


> anodizing opens up porosity on the surface of aluminum to prepare the surface for dyes usually, and must be sealed afterwards



That's what I thought. Thanks Terry.

You're not a man of many words, are you


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## EnergyFX (Jan 25, 2008)

Basard said:


> Well, I'd say nickel plate it all, then lap the contact area of the heatsink base, or waterblock base, to expose the copper.  Doesn't Thermalright plate pretty much ALL of their heatsinks anyways?  If the plating ruined the heatsink, then Thermalright has a full stock of junk.
> 
> It's sorta like painting your car (except paint is a lot thicker than plating).  If you don't paint it, it rusts away in about a year.  Paint it, and it's fine, as long as the paint holds up.
> 
> By the way, did you guys see Gigabytes new cooler, the "Volar", at xbitlabs.com?  FOUR heatpipes, and it performs worse than Intel's stock cooler.



Painted car... that's a really good analogy, Basard.

The Volar, huh? I'm going to have to check that out.


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## BullGod (Jan 26, 2008)

Necrofire said:


> Why are some heatsinks (namely Zalman) nickel-plated? Isn't copper a better heat exchanger than nickel?



Because it's shiny.


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## tkpenalty (Jan 26, 2008)

BullGod said:


> Because it's shiny.



Incorrect, Nickel plating also has a practical benefit of preventing corrosion from occuring. Normally corrosion occurs in humid conditions, and it DOESNT look nice. Corroded copper does not conduct heat well-even if its a slight amount. It acts as an insulator, and looks crap.



Basard said:


> By the way, did you guys see Gigabytes new cooler, the "Volar", at xbitlabs.com?  FOUR heatpipes, and it performs worse than Intel's stock cooler.



Erm right... xbit labs probaby got a faulty sample of the cooler, because physically the Volar destroys the intel stock cooler. Other review sites display the same result. Its rather impossible for a four heatpipe cooler with more surface area overall and built with excellent quality to get blasted by the Intel stock cooler. Reviwers should really check how they mounted their CPU coolers several times before they make a conclusion. 

And remember lol... read more than one review for a single product before you jump to conclusions.


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## Necrofire (Jan 27, 2008)

What sucks about anodized aluminum is the poorer heat conductivity, but I guess it looks pretty. Also, corrosion, wear and tear, etc, don't have a big-enough effect on the cooler, since they weren't exactly built with longevity in mind.


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## EnergyFX (Jan 27, 2008)

FYI, for those interested there is now a link in my sig to my experiment on copper/nickel/aluminum. Wish me luck


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