der8auer, the man behind Thermal Grizzly, has showcased the brand’s latest addition to the water cooling scene, which is a premium GPU block for the Asus ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080. The DeltaMate GPU Block Astral 5080, as the name suggests, is specifically made for the Astral models, improving GPU and VRAM temperatures noticeably compared to the stock air cooler.
Following in the footsteps of the DeltaMate GPU Block Astral 5090, this new model is made with the RTX 5080 GPU power density constraints in mind, which call for different design requirements. For reference, the GB203 GPU powering the RTX 5080 has almost 50% higher power density compared to the RTX 5090 – 1.2W/mm² vs 0.8W/mm², which makes it harder to cool despite consuming less overall power, which drops to 450W from 600W.
It also features a thick glass panel that gives a clear look at the water flow, a full copper plate weighing 900g, CNC-machined cooling fins, and a black anodised aluminium frame plus backplate. Every aspect is made for an enthusiast audience that can appreciate its qualities and afford its hefty price tag.
Thermal Grizzly intends to sell the DeltaMate GPU Block Astral 5080 for €549.90 in EU countries, and $540.66 outside of Europe. Considering the Astral RTX 5080 retails for about €1,599, this block equates to a third of the value of the card. Though for that, you also get memory and VRAM thermal pads as well as putty if you prefer to use that, plus Duronaut thermal paste for the GPU.
This price is explained by material costs, which skyrocketed recently. der8auer explained in a previous video that the raw copper plates used to make these blocks were nowhere to be found in Europe without months of waiting. The only way to obtain such materials in a reasonable time frame was to pay up to 50% above the market value. Looking at this, you don’t need to be an expert to guess that combining all the above would send the price through the roof, let alone considering that the initial production batch will be limited to just 120 units.
Pricing aside, the DeltaMate GPU Block promises great cooling performance and aesthetics. Regarding performance, der8auer demonstrated this block using a Furmark stress test run, where the upgraded card remained under 50°C GPU and 44°C memory, which represents about a 22°C reduction compared to the stock air cooler.
Performance and build quality aside, Thermal Grizzly is also known for its great warranty standards. In one instance, the company even offered to refund a damaged graphics card on top of providing a replacement to a WireView owner, despite user-induced damage. Overall, this is clearly a high-quality GPU block for enthusiasts who don’t baulk at spending €549 for a premium product.
