Alphacool Eisblock Aurora Installation: How to Shrink your 4090.

Tonight, I install my very first waterblock from Alphacool and will see how it stacks up against the Bykski blocks i have installed in the past, is it worth the extra cash? Is this the perfect blend of low price (compared to EK) and high quality (compared to Bykski). Hoping for a smooth installation, and I will also follow up with Temperature differences, and of course the hotspot delta (Which imo is one of the best measures of a waterblock's quality). So Let's install it and find out!
If you have some questions feel free to ask in the comments or hit me up on Twitter....
/ sweet_baby_jays
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[@killer01ws6]

Can you share the install view and your thoughts on the cooler, also what quick disconnects did you say you were using. Thank you, very good detail Vid.

[@SweetBabyJay]

I need to figure out how to post pictures here in the comments, but the quick disconnects I used are Barrow quick disconnects I got from AliExpress. Overall, the cooler is really good quality, the precut pads are super convenient, and after install there was very little bend in the PCB which are hallmarks of a well designed block. Additionally the hotspot delta on the GPU die dropped by like 7°C which is indicative of even contact across the die. It also does well to keep the memory and GPU die cool at all times even during intense gaming (usually maxes out around 25°C above coolant temperature).

[@cassie_mmk]

Did you ever run into any issues with hot spot temperatures? I've ended up reinstalling/repasting the block three times and every single time my hot spot temps have been very high around 110C while the GPU die temps themselves are in the 60s. I installed pretty much exactly like what you did so I'm confused.

[@SweetBabyJay]

I've had hot spot temperatures on other water block installs. This one actually had a really low difference in hotspot to avg GPU temperature (~9-11°C). Stock the difference was about 13°C. If your hotspot is 110C. Look at your paste when you disassemble. I tried doing paste with an X-pattern on one GPU and had super high hotspot temps. When you apply the paste make sure you have it spread all over the die with no bare spots.

[@cassie_mmk]

​@@SweetBabyJay thanks for the response. Yeah, each time I've spread it evenly. This time I was actually going to try an X, interestingly enough. The only thing I can think of is that I haven't been torquing the screws as tight as I should have been since I don't want to crack the die. If there's one thing I wish these water blocks had, it's a proper retention bracket so that we don't have to worry as much about how tight the screws are. Anyway thank you for your video since it helped me validate what I'm potentially doing wrong.

[@SweetBabyJay]

@@cassie_mmk I think cracking the die would be more a risk if you were tightening unevenly. You could try installing the block as tight as you are comfortable (don't let some stranger on the internet convince you to wreck your GPU). You should be able to bottom out the spring loaded screws for around the die without the risk of cracking your die. The important thing is tightening them evenly so you don't potentially load a corner of the die. If you haven't been bottoming out the spring loaded screws around the die I would suspect that is the source of your hotspot.

[@SweetBabyJay]

@@cassie_mmk you're using the supplied thermal pads right? A lot of "high performance pads" are very hard compared to the ones supplied in the kit and will not squish as intended and leave a gap between the die and the block causing hotspots.

[@cassie_mmk]

@@SweetBabyJay the first and third times used the supplied pads. The reason I had original pads for the second time is because I also bought a replacement block to see if it was an issue with the first block. The second time I used GELID pads which are the same consistency and what people generally recommend from my research.

[@jason2x1590]

Hi mate. Would really appreciate it if you could tell me what is the full GPU length after placing it in the water block? I am about to start a new build but in a case I already have which is too small for a 4090, so I feel limited by my gpu choices but this might be the way to go

[@SweetBabyJay]

Yeah no worries, the waterblock fully covers the PCB, and is 233mm long. If you're building with an ATX or mATX motherboard, it wont even extend beyond the edge of the motherboard.

[@jason2x1590]

@@SweetBabyJay Nice one, mate. Now I know I can pick whatever card I'd like... thought I'd have to compromised...

[@SweetBabyJay]

@@jason2x1590 not all 4090's have small PCBs, ie MSI cards have very long PCBs (usually the full length of the air cooler) so if space is a consideration avoid them. 4090 cards with short PCBs that will become much smaller with a water block would be Gigabyte, Asus and FE cards.

[@jason2x1590]

@@SweetBabyJay Yeah it can be a bit overwhelming at times getting all the dimension specs to nail down compatibility and not many people in the tech space are as helpful as you are, much love