Technical Specifications as listed by HWLabs:
- 140 mm x 2 fan slim form factor two-pass radiator.
- 312mm x 153mm x 29.6mm (L x W x H)
- 16 FPI 25 Micron Copper Fins
- Now optimized for sub-800 rpm ultra-stealth fans
- Supercruise optimizations for scalable performance with higher speed fans
- 15% more tubing area in the same Black Ice® GTS™ 280 form factor
- Increased internal coolant flow rates
- Standard G 1/4″ inlet/outlet fittings
- Standard M4 mounting threads
- Custom Dark Matter™ high quality finish
- Fully ROHS Compliant
- 100% Made from conflict-free materials
- Industry standard Black Ice® quality
- Lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects*
Dimensions Measured on the Radiator Tested:
Radiator Core Dimensions:
The 19 mm thick core is made up of a single layer of 16 tubes arranged in the standard U-Flow (dual pass) configuration. The fin arrangement consists of split, non louvered fins with a 16 FPI count. The Nemesis 280 GTS looks to be a really well balance core package fora radiator of this thickness and hopefully the thermal results will match the promising specs it has on paper.
The following picture is a reference which shows a typical U-Flow coolant flow path, where the coolant travels up all the tubes on one side (left in pic) of the rad and then returns down the other side. U-Flow is most easily recognized when the port end has 2 separate tanks, unlike the Nemesis 280 GTS which has a formed tank end with separate cambers inside.
The split, louvered fins are spaced very evenly between the tubes and our sample had a fin count of 14 – 16 FPI.
Finish and Features
The matte black finish on the review sample was excellent. In fact the finish is perfect and is part of the reason Hardware Labs has been setting the standard for PC water cooling radiators for the past decade. All visible joints are well done, port locations are well placed, and fan mounting holes are position correctly.
The following images are courtesy of Performance PCs and show the 4 different finish options the Nemesis 280 GTS is currently available in.
Performance PCs also have a “primer only” version available of the Nemesis 280 GTS.
To assist in the perfect paint job they sell the “HWLabs Professional Radiator Paint Hanger Assembly”.
Screw protection plates are fitted under each fan attachment hole on the Nemesis 280 GTS.
As we pointed out earlier, screw length can be a little problematic when fitting a fan between the radiator and case panel, so having the peace of mind of protection plates is great even thought the mounting holes are not located directly above any tubes.
A standard 15mm spacing is used between the center fan attachment holes..
The first technical drawing showed a fan spacing of 124.5mm which is just about perfect for a 140mm fan which has center spacings of 125mm. Clicking the next image, you would be pretty harsh not not call the distance measure exactly 124.5mm.
The distance across the centers was ~125mm. Perfect.
Speaking of fan, let’s take a look at the Nemesis 280 GTS with a few different fans attached.
The Nemesis 280 GTS is fitted with just 2 x G 1/4 ports. We love a good multi-port rad, so this us wanting a bit more despite being a standard fit out for a slim radiator.
No alternate ports are on the other side or ends of the tanks.
and no ancillary port is fitted to the return end.
This leaves us with one very “traditional” option for installing the inlet and outlet fittings, and no option of a fill/bleed port, or drain taps and temp sensors with additional fittings being used.
Having the fans offset back from the tanks slightly means even the largest of fittings can be used on the Nemesis 280 GTS.
Here Bitspower’s jumbo sized 1/2″ x 3/4″ compression fittings are installed with plenty of room to spare.
Care has been taken to avoid paint getting onto the thread of the ports. It’s small details like this which can mean carefree integration into your loop, or unnecessary maintenance issues.
So we have a slim (30mm thick) radiator with a medium density core. Two G 1/4 ports are fitted and screw protection plates are installed. The paint finish on the matte black sample was excellent as was the overall build quality.
So far so good, now let’s see how it performs…
Another great radiator review! I love the exact TDP dissipation numbers at different fan speeds.
The GTS series looks like the radiator to beat in the thin category. I especially like the fact that these are non-louvered designs which seem to require less static pressure than louvered, and obviously “store” less dust. I have both the white GTS and GTX radiators in 280mm, as well as an L-Series which is a bit easier to fit because it has the reduced width. All have been great even at low fan speeds. I have a crossflow 280GTS and a 280GTS L-series in a modified Corsair 350D with hih airflow front panel, with push only Thermaltake Riing fans (140mm) and they cool my i7 5960x at 4Ghz and my 980Ti at 1.55ghz (I got lucky) amazingly at 1000 RPM. Highest temps on the i7 5960x at 1.20 volts are 65 celsius (except with Prime 95 AVX which goes to 75) and the 980Ti is only at 43 celsius at full bore, and my water temps are only around 6-8 celsius Delta-T. Amazingly quiet and cool. I could theoretically add another 980Ti to the loop with only a slight increase in fan speeds and not have to worry about over-subscribing the water cooling loop, based on the heat dissipation potential shown here.
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