I loved the look at the build with a distro plate. But I didn't like losing so much space that could be used for cooling capacity. So I changed my build to be a performer rather than a looker.
Mr.Lucky
Abandoning that other build site as builds.gg is better in every single way.... I realize this is not half as pretty as some of those amazing builds out there, but I really enjoyed building it.
The Good
Heatkiller components are so premium when compared to blocks from any other brand. In the past, I had used both EK and Phanteks GPU blocks for the same graphics card. Watercool's Heatkiller IV makes those feel toy-like.
Barrow fittings have triple seals with 4 O-rings in total. While they're not as good as Bitspower fittings, they were alright for the price.
Radikult Custom's distribution plate is designed for a D5 pump. EK's own distro plate has better port placement, but it doesn't support D5 currently.
The Bad
Lian Li vertical GPU bracket for this case is just terrible. It bends the riser cable. I had to add support and washers to make it work. I don't recommend getting this bracket. I know it's very inviting to buy the same brand as the case, but it's not worth it.
The riser cable that comes with Lian Li's vertical GPU bracket only supports up to 8 GB/s max. An RTX 2080 Ti can exhaust that in a PCIE 3.0 x16 under very heavy load. I've replaced that cable with 64 GB/s max cable.
O11 dynamic XL is a great case but I wish these heavier cases had detachable handles (or some mechanism for carrying).
The Ugly
Not happy with the way ML120 Pros look.
I don't like that silly ROG logo on the motherboard.