Details
Thermal Grizzly's DeltaMate GPU Block - ROG Astral RTX 5090 Glass is a full-cover GPU water block for ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards, with a viewing window made of Schott BOROFLOAT® glass. Want the acrylic window instead? The PMMA version is here.
Properties
- Fits
- ASUS ROG Astral and Astral LC GeForce RTX 5090
- Cold plates
- Nickel-plated copper, 86 microfins at 0.2 mm
- Window
- Schott BOROFLOAT® borosilicate glass, 14 addressable RGB LEDs
- Ports
- 2x G1/4-inch, 28 mm apart
- Size
- 28.2 x 13.5 x 2.8 cm, 1.5 slots
- Weight
- 2581 g, 4039 g boxed
Massive copper cooler with dual cold plate design
The block features a massive copper cooler composed of two coldplates secured together. Its cooling performance is based primarily on the optimized flow design of the coolant across that cooler. The cooler consists of two components screwed together. The smaller Core-Coldplate sits on the graphics chip, and the VRM/VRAM-Coldplate covers the video memory and voltage converters. Add the aluminum housing and the viewing window and they form the complete water block.
Weighing over 1,100 grams, the VRM/VRAM-Coldplate is milled from high-quality copper, then precision-blasted to achieve a uniform surface structure. After blasting, the contact surfaces for VRAM and VRM are finely reworked in an additional CNC machining step to ensure optimum heat transfer, which gives targeted cooling of all VRAM and VRM components. Nickel plating of the copper parts is the final production step.
The core coldplate, which makes direct contact with the GPU die, is a modular Ultra High-Performance Coldplate. It is separately manufactured and also precision-blasted first, before the contact surface to the GPU is refined by highly precise CNC machining. The microfins have a structure width of 0.2 mm: the slot width is 0.2 mm, the fin width is also 0.2 mm, and the fin height is 2.5 mm. For the Core-Coldplate this results in a surface area of 21,009 mm². Both Coldplates are fully CNC-milled, not manufactured using the skiving process.
RGB and Schott BOROFLOAT® glass
This is a full-metal construction with an RGB-illuminated viewing window. Inside the black anodized aluminum housing of the water block is a strip with 14 addressable RGB LEDs that illuminate the glass. These LEDs plug into the motherboard and can be controlled via its 3-pin ARGB header (+5V/DATA/GND).
The borosilicate glass refracts the light from the integrated RGB lighting differently than acrylic glass does. The edges, after being cut to size with a waterjet cutter, are hand-polished, which accentuates this effect. The glass is also UV-resistant, highly scratch-resistant, and less susceptible to alcohol-based cleaners than acrylic.
Terminal and fittings
The block is supplied with the pre-mounted DeltaMate GPU Block - Direct Terminal made of brass. The terminal has one inlet and one outlet, each with G1/4-inch threads. Installed in a standard ATX case, both of them point forward toward the front of the case. Both ports must be used, so the block takes two compression fittings.
The block is configurable with the Direct Terminal (2-port) or, optionally, the Through Terminal (4-port), both made of brass. The Through Terminal is an optional pass-through terminal for DeltaMate GPU water blocks, available separately and featuring additional inlets and outlets on the top and bottom. It provides additional options for routing the tubes when building a custom water-cooling system.
For integrating the block into the cooling loop, Thermal Grizzly offers a wide range of DeltaMate fittings. They are precision-machined brass, available in various color options and in all common sizes for soft and hard tubes, for example 16/10 soft tube and 16 mm hard tube. All of the fittings are coordinated with one another and can be combined in many different ways.
"The Oracle"
The water block features an integrated spacer PCB called "The Oracle" PCB, which is precisely adapted to the shape of the PCB of the ROG Astral RTX 5090 graphics card. That allows correct alignment and fit to be checked before any disassembly, which considerably simplifies the setup process of the custom loop. The PCB also serves as a template for the installation process and contains information such as the positions of screws and thermal pads. After installation of the water block, it can be used for reassembling the original air cooler for storage purposes.
Compatible graphics cards
Thermal Grizzly's compatibility list for the Astral RTX 5090 block names the cards below and says any card not listed should be considered incompatible.
- ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 32GB GDDR7 OC Edition
- ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 32GB GDDR7
- ROG Astral LC GeForce RTX 5090 32GB GDDR7 OC Edition
- ROG Astral LC GeForce RTX 5090 32GB GDDR7
- ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 32GB GDDR7 WHITE OC Edition
- ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 32GB GDDR7 WHITE Edition
Important notes on fitting it
This product requires assembly and is recommended for use and installation by experienced users. Upgrading a graphics card to a custom water cooler may void the card manufacturer's warranty. Thermal paste, thermal pads and putty are included in the scope of delivery: TG Duronaut, TG Minus Pad Advance, and TG Putty Advance. The pads are packed by thickness and must be cut to size, with the protective foil removed from both sides before they go on. The putty may be used on the VRAM in place of pads, and the paste goes on the GPU die in a thin, even layer.
General notes on water-cooling products
- Do NOT use the block in combination with aluminum-based water-cooling components in which the coolant comes into contact with aluminum, such as radiators with aluminum tubes.
- Suitable coolants are recommended: ones that contain biocides and corrosion inhibitors and are free of particles that could restrict water flow or clog the loop.
- Before filling, the system should be leak-tested with an air pressure tester (maximum 0.5 bar) for at least 1 hour. We stock a leak tester here.
- After filling, it should be checked regularly during the first 24 hours for possible coolant leaks.
- According to Thermal Grizzly's specification, the operating pressure in the loop must not exceed 0.6 bar. When using components from other manufacturers, ensure that their maximum operating pressure ratings are compatible with the system.
In the box
- DeltaMate GPU Block - ROG Astral RTX 5090 Black
- HexThinHead M2.5 x 4mm screws, black
- HexThinHead M2.5 x 6mm screws, black
- DIN934 M2.5 nuts, black
- M2.5 polyamide washers
- Pair of latex gloves
- Allen keys: 1.5 mm, 2 mm, 2.5 mm and 8 mm
- TG Spatula and TG Spatula Pro
- TG Putty Advance, 30g
- TG Duronaut, 6g
- TG Minus Pads Advance in 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm and 2.0 mm
- TG Minus Pad High Compression in 3.0 mm and 4.0 mm
Thermal Grizzly's manual, data sheet and compatibility list are PDFs.
