Can I save this gpu water block?

[Rainwater]

I just got this EK Gpu block from a friend. I work with him, and I literally just picked it up in the dark and didn't realize until I got home how bad it looks. He said he'd refund me but I'm wondering if I need to get my money back or if I can save it and use it. I paid 80$ for the block with an ek back plate as well. New this block is 135 on the ek site and 37 for the back plate so I got it used at 50%


His roommate has another one just like it with less corrosion so I'm going to check it out and see what I think. It may be fine idk. These were like 25 percent off on black firday so I'm sure they will have an x-mas sale I'll just buy a new one.

Well the second one didn't have any corrosion in the fins like the one in the picture but there was still copper showing through the nickel and a bunch of weird green build up in one of the channels. So I turned it down for now. I will do some research and see if there's any way to really get that stuff cleaned good and make it usable. If there are any experts that can chime in and give me some pointers that would be great. I have a 3 day weekend next week and would like to build this loop finally.

 

[Blaylock]

The exposed copper won't cause any issues. You will want to make sure to remove any corrosion in the fins as that could impede the water flow. I'm not sure how to go about that so you'll need more input there. With that said I think it's still a good deal and should be usable.

 

[Robert17]

Use an over-the-counter chemical such as Lime Away (no, I don't work for them) as a first pass. Typically the corrosion is from metal ions in the water and that's what these chemicals are formulated to address. There are some next-level chemicals available but typically aren't necessary.

Soak the block in the juice for an hour or two, scrub with a tooth brush or equivalent, repeat. Wear rubber or latex gloves as a precaution when handling. Avoid eye contact. At the end of the processes, rinse with distilled water, reassemble the block if it meets your satisfaction and you should be good to go. If you feel you need other remedies let me know (PM or other) and I'll forward some advanced solutions.

 

[Rainwater]

Cool guys thank you. If you think the one in the picture is usable then the other one he has is for sure. There is less corrosion but a little build up in one of the channels. I will go back and get it later on. I have a 3 day weekend next weekend and would like to get this loop built. Also I've done a bunch of research on matching this block to my card. I have the 1080ti sc2 hybrid and I've seen someone use this same block and he cut a piece of the plastic off because the only difference on my pcb is a fan header that may get in the way of this thing sitting flush. I will either remove the fan header or I'll mod the block like I've seen someone else do. Either way at this price whatever I have to do it's so cheap it's not a big deal.

 

[Rainwater]

So here's the second block. It looks much better I will be cleaning it this weekend and hopefully putting together this loop. Thanks for your hekp.

 

[maxfly]

Just be sure to do regular maint of your loop. With the nickel plating coming off it will generally continue to flake off. It most likely wont bother your pump as long as you flush the coolant regularly.