GPU heat pipes are losing their colour exposing some metal beneath it

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RaheemOne

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Dec 22, 2013
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Hi
I am having a problem with my nearly one month old Sapphire Dual-X R9 270x and I need an expert advice on it. Recently I saw that heat pipes on dual x cooler are loosing their copper colour exposing some metal beneath it. please see the problem in the following pictures.
http://postimg.org/image/j09gvuvnh/
http://postimg.org/image/xv4s8kyiz/
Is that normal or should I be worried about it? Aren't heat pipes are supposed to be made of copper? I am concerned that as they are exposed now, the are not going to last longer. Will company accepts any warranty claim for this issue? I am also having randomly screen flickering issue when browsing internet. Updating driver to latest one available on either amd or sapphire website has minimized the issue but the problem still exists. Please suggest me what should I do about both above mentioned problems. Thanks in advance.
 
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Nice "copper" pipes they have there.
I think that the only defect is the fact that the "paint" flaked off. Don't worry about it.
Although copper is an excellent conductor of heat, it easily oxidizes, and can deform under sustained mechanical forces.
In the case of a heat pipe, it isn't the tubing, but the fluid inside that makes all the difference.

I would worry about the flickering or any other artifacts. That could indicate damage. How are the GPU's temperatures under load? As long as they aren't too high, then I would say that the damage is only cosmetic.
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SirTrollsALot

SirTrollsALot

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Aug 14, 2012
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I think they are painted or plated with copper, and the pipes are made of aluminum... Just my guess... I have the Sapphire 7850HD...
Do you live in a humid area? I live in Hawaii and all the copper stuff on my computer gets darker from oxidation after about a year... Also could be brazing/solder material...
 
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2x4b

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Oct 28, 2013
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Nice "copper" pipes they have there.
I think that the only defect is the fact that the "paint" flaked off. Don't worry about it.
Although copper is an excellent conductor of heat, it easily oxidizes, and can deform under sustained mechanical forces.
In the case of a heat pipe, it isn't the tubing, but the fluid inside that makes all the difference.

I would worry about the flickering or any other artifacts. That could indicate damage. How are the GPU's temperatures under load? As long as they aren't too high, then I would say that the damage is only cosmetic.
 
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RaheemOne

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Dec 22, 2013
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humidity level in my area varies throughout the year. It is not very humid for now. If they are made of aluminium then I am good about it .But chances are as they were disguised by copper paint they are made of some cheap metal and wil more likely to catch rust or oxidization any time soon. Sorry for my English.
 
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RaheemOne

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Dec 22, 2013
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My gpu temps are 24 on idle and 60 on load.and the flickering only happens when browsing internet not in games.in the latest drive release,AMD has claimed to eliminate the issue, but its still exist on my card, although much less then before. Sorry for my English
 
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RaheemOne

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Dec 22, 2013
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Sapphire didn't mention nickel plating. Even they didn't mention copper. Just heat pipes is mentioned on their website and on the box. And the exposed parts look more like bare metal then nickel plating.
 
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