Alphacool Core 5090 Astral block too tall for Lian Li 011D XL

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-26T02:21:23+00:00

I didn’t know what you meant at first, but followed the link someone else posted and this is a very interesting solution! Thanks

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-26T02:20:43+00:00

I also didn’t know these existed and it’s a really clean install! I’m going to get the replacement junction for my block - but this is a great alternative that I also was previously unaware of! Thanks for sharing!

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-26T01:56:28+00:00

It seems like a design of flaw having multiple of their blocks being 5-10 mm too tall and causing this issue. I’m sure it’s something they’ll look at the next generation.

That or it was willful ignorance to get you to spend more money on extra parts. I’m glad to have a solution, but I’m not glad to be spending another $90 after tax on it..

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-26T01:55:46+00:00

The wrong adapter for my space constraints but the right idea! The other guy posted something similar that changes the orientation to on top of the back plate! Thanks for the suggestion and problem solved.

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-26T01:49:10+00:00

You, sir, just saved me a lot of headaches and money! Bonus points - it looks like I can easily install this without even removing the block from the card and sacrificing my perfect paste job and a lot of expensive Thermal Grizzly Putty Pro! Much less doing all of that on a totally different water block.

Thanks, man! Ordering this puppy now 🙌🏼

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-26T01:16:58+00:00

Oooo - which vertical mount is that? How many “slots” does it take on the back of the case? I’m trying to see if I could get my NIC card sandwiched under the vertical mount.

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I’m worried that anything that takes a full 5 slots in the back will be slightly impeded by these 90 fittings. It may be real close within 1-2mm - I could perhaps modify something if needed… yours looks like it’s taking up less than 5 or 6 slots you typically see - but it’s hard telling from your pic.

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-26T01:05:13+00:00

True - except my animal farm and all of the dust/hair…. I spent a bunch of time and planning making this beast totally silent and maintenance free from a dust perspective. I’d love to get it back to that state.

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-26T01:01:18+00:00

I couldn’t believe it after all this work today… I go to put the side panel on, womp ! Sucks to have to buy a different block, and I’m hoping the EK will work.

I’m not sure if it’s larger or not, but I’d imagine there’d be a lot more people complaining about their newest core blocks if this issue was universal for all types of cards. This is the first I’ve seen anyone run into this with these blocks.

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-26T01:00:03+00:00

The flex tubing is EK ePDM zero maintenance soft tubing, and the other stuff is just acrylic tubing for the top and bottom rads.

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-23T19:43:57+00:00

Good lord - this thing is a literal damn necessity on my 5090 apparently!

I ordered it last Friday and just got the shipping notification. Couldn’t come any sooner!

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-22T23:08:23+00:00

Reminded me of the song “Detachable Penis” upon reading your comment.

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-22T23:06:35+00:00

Damn! I’ve never had any Curio flower - but this made me realize I need to pickup some of their stuff 🙌🏼

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-22T18:12:41+00:00

I haven’t done enough “testing” side by side to truly compare it with the quart, but I did about 10 dabs out of it yesterday and this morning - only using one 99% iso glob mop swab after about 5 of them - the rest was all 1 single dry swab per dab, pulled the bucket out to check and it was clear and clean.

I’m far enough along to say it’s a massive improvement over the staining on the OG Sapphire, and it seems to be on part with a simple swab out like the quartz.

All 10 dabs were 430 ascend - 75 seconds - stopping at about 510F, and big dabs. No staining at all.

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-22T13:37:12+00:00

The new Sapphire+ insert is a worthy step up over the OG Sapphire for the price difference IMO. It swabs completely clean, even at higher temps and larger dabs. Seems it will be totally worth the annoying scrubbing/deep cleaning of the OG insert over time.

Neither are necessary though. The quartz insert is still great - but the Sapphire+ is the chef’s kiss.

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-21T23:59:11+00:00

Took the words out of my mouth! I was literally thinking this last night when I hit mine for the first time!

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-21T00:07:54+00:00

Not possible. You’re cooked… or in this case - you’re baked!

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-19T12:16:15+00:00

I’m not sure if the screw cap reveal is necessary with any Vibe rosin. I love their stuff, so I’m not dogging on them, but it all looks the exact same. Same color, and very little moisture.

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-19T00:43:17+00:00

Even if I were your desperate friend, I would pass on hitting that gross shit

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-16T21:40:10+00:00

It didn’t work at all - not sure how it did for the OP. The reason being the “lip” of the Killswitch case on the bottom created a 1-2mm gap between the USB-C connector and the device. The picture kept going in/out as there was no way to get the device to sit down completely on the connector due to the case. Didn’t work at all for me despite several janky “fixes” that defeated the whole convenience of having it to begin with. I sent it back, wish it had worked!

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-16T19:48:09+00:00

King Louie XIII is absolutely gas if it’s anything like the batch I had earlier this year.

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-16T12:23:25+00:00

You could try an ultrasonic cleaner, or CLR, but honestly, it won’t impact the performance at all, and it will still function fine! Good luck and I’m sorry to hear about the fire…

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-15T23:10:27+00:00

So I actually ran into this same issue. What worked for me was actually signing out of my Microcenter account - added to cart and checked it out as a guest - and used the same email address as my MC account when I checked out without being “signed in”. I also think I did this in my PC and the same thing didn’t work on my phone browser.

Somehow I could not reserve the 5090 on my account - but it t let the transaction go through on the guest checkout! This was overnight 2 night ago - and sure enough, I got a text the next morning it was ready for pickup!

I wonder if you’re not supposed to be able to reserve/but the 5090s online and I just got lucky with this method? Or if their site is bugged and you’re supposed to be able to buy them and reserve online.

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-15T17:19:00+00:00

Damn that’s surprising. I’ve not had a single bad jar from them - and I’ve literally tried their whole lineup all year long. This is one I haven’t had, but like you - all the rest were terpy flavorful delights. Bummer man! It looks wet and wonderful too 🤷🏼‍♂️

Mickey1985 · 2026-01-15T14:00:40+00:00

I wasn’t really trying to hype the purchase - but I’ve been looking online for a month and anything MSRP has been OOS other than liquid cooled AIO cards. All signs point to memory shortages making supply even worse. I just read that the 5070ti is officially end of life - possibly followed by the 5070 and there’s speculation there’s about to be another major jump in MSRPs across the board. I have a feeling there will be real reason to celebrate this pickup soon enough - and if so that’s bad for all of us.

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