Closer Examination

The radiator has a flawless matte black finish with a light coat of black paint on its fins. I have been told that there is at least one special edition in an automotive red color incoming later, but a clean black finish allows for radiators to meld with a build, which allows other components to shine. This radiator is wider and longer than average, so please measure your case out for compatibility before making any purchasing decisions. The endtanks are part of the squared-out design, which is an in-between of the boxy frames newer radiators are coming in and the separate endtank designs others have adopted.


The fan holes are spaced a standard 15 mm apart for case compatibility, and note that these are offset from the outer coolant tubes to ensure screws that are too long don't pierce them, which would render the product leaking by accident. There are also screw shields you will hit before the fins underneath, as seen above. The two ports are standard BSP G1/4" threaded, and the threading itself is perfect and perpendicular to the radiator's surface. The endtank and coolant tubes are made out of brass with a high copper density to make them compatible with copper-plated or copper-based watercooling components for your loop.


The measured fin density here was 16 FPI (fins per inch) on average, and the fins were 25 microns thick on average, which was puzzling initially since there are just as many on Hardware Labs' low airflow optimized Nemesis GTS/GTX radiators. How then is this radiator high airflow optimized as advertised? The answer was in a visual comparison of the Nemesis GTX (on the left) and Nemesis GTR (on the right). Note that both have the same outer dimensions and core thickness. The difference is that the newer "Type R" fins are shorter in height, allowing for more fin stacks in the same core width and the additional benefit of more coolant tubes to reduce liquid flow restriction.

To get a better look, Hardware Labs also sent some bare fin samples for comparison:

The new Type R fins are just 5.7 mm high, and the Nemesis GTX fins are 7.9 mm high. Both are also the same 25 micrometers thick, as measured by a micrometer. Another thing to note here is that Nemesis GTX fins are not louvered, which helps with low airflow performance, whereas the Type R revised fins on the Nemesis GTR are louvered to help with high airflow performance. The extent and angle of the louver also impact airflow restriction (which will be higher on the Nemesis GTR as is) and thermal performance.