Introduction

Hardware Labs is a relatively small company in the niche market of PC DIY watercooling, though with a reputation that precedes them. Based out of Manila in the Philippines, they are among the very few to have in-house radiator design and manufacturing instead of relying on third-party factories in China. As such, they are able to produce different radiator categories for different needs and applications - low noise optimization, high coolant flow optimization, good thermal dissipation scaling with airflow, and so on. Missing in their current range was a successor to their old GTX (Gen Two Extreme) radiators with a high fin density for good performance at higher fan speeds, but a proportionate amount of noise for those who don't care about noise as much as getting the absolute best performance possible. Enter the new Nemesis GTR.


Hardware Labs is promising something new here, and not just in the usual way of increasing fin density to get higher thermal performance with airflow, so let's thank them for providing the sample before taking a look at it right now.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Hardware Labs adopted a two-piece packaging consisting of an outer sleeve with print for aesthetics and an inner cardboard box that has the actual radiator inside. We see an illustration of the radiator and its salient marketing features on the front and back, with a double flap on either end to keep the packaging in check. A small illustration also helps in placing the Nemesis GTR next to the Nemesis GTS and Nemesis GTX in Hardware Labs' optimized airflow regime, the latter of the two being low-airflow and low-noise optimized with good scaling added. The cardboard box has a seal warning against the use of screws longer than appropriate, and opening it, we immediately see the radiator with its accessories in a separate compartment. I prefer this method because it prevents any included screws from hitting the radiator's walls or, even worse, thin fins, which would deform them before customers even receive the product.


The accessories here include a guide on how to use the unique dual-core nature of these Black Ice Nemesis radiators effectively by pairing the airflow's direction through the radiator with the designated inlet and outlet ports. Unlike radiators that have a U-Flow setup for dual-pass radiator cores, these employ a top-to-bottom (or vice versa) flow with the end tanks being at different depths. What this means for customers is simple: Follow the guide and it'll net you an additional ~ 4-5% thermal dissipation performance if that suits your plumbing layout. As far as the provided screws go, I have a pre-retail model here and have been informed that all customers will get four M4 threaded black metal screws of a length of 6, 30, and 38 mm each per fan (a total of 12 per fan) to use for its installation to a case or radiator mount or for use with square frame fans of 25 mm and/or 32 mm thickness. They sure are not trying to hide the high airflow optimization here. If you wish to go with a push-pull fan configuration, you might have to purchase screws separately, but make sure they are M4 threaded and 5 mm longer than your fans are thick.