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Again on the finish of September, NVIDIA pulled the veil again from the GeForce RTX 4090, the cardboard that now wears the crown and robes of the flagship GPU. Constructed up from Ada Lovelace, its father or mother model’s strongest shopper GPU structure so far, NVIDIA is touting the cardboard as being as much as 4 instances extra highly effective than its predecessor.
Now that we now have the Founders Version (FE) of the RTX 4090 within the lab, and with the NDA lastly lifted, we are able to lastly speak a bit of extra at size and in-depth in regards to the card and whether or not or not it truly is as highly effective as NVIDIA says it’s.
Specs
Like all generational updates and follow-ups, the RTX 4090 FE can boast an all-new GPU that’s considerably extra highly effective however much less vocal about it. Extra on the final bit later.
So as to add on a bit extra on Lovelace, the brand new structure used within the RTX 4090 is a by-product of Hopper, NVIDIA’s Excessive Efficiency Computing (HPC) GPU that’s designed primarily for AI and supercomputer purposes, to say the least. Particularly, the GPU getting used within the model’s newest flagship graphics card is the AD102. There may be additionally the AD103 and AD104, however to maintain issues easy, they’re all based mostly off the identical 4nm die lithography. Once more, extra on this a bit of later.
Design
It’s turning into more and more clear that manufacturers typically have entered in to a “If it ain’t broke, don’t repair it” part of types, and NVIDIA is prominently displaying that perspective by its RTX 4090 FE. At a look, the entire card appears like a carbon copy of the RTX 30 Collection Founders Version fashions.
Twin Axis Circulation By makes a return, with some enhancements.
From its angular, inflexible design and the V-themed fins which might be seen on the entrance of the cardboard, the RTX 4090 FE additionally boasts the identical distinctive Twin Axial Circulation By aesthetic that has one fan pulling up air from behind the heatsinks, whereas the opposite maintains static strain and constant cooling on the GPU and PCB itself.
Get in a bit of nearer although, and you may really see that NVIDIA did make some small changes, tweaks, and adjustments to the RTX 4090 FE. Probably the most obvious change of them is bodily: To make use of the road parlance, this card is a completely chonker. No, actually, its girth is definitely thicker than our RTX 3090 FE.
I think that the rationale NVIDIA elevated the general measurement of the RTX 4090 FE is because of the model having realized its lesson from the launch of its last-generation flagship, the RTX 3090 Ti. Wanting again at it, the cardboard was principally a means for the GPU maker to check drive sure options, and one of many main points that it discovered with the cardboard – technically talking, it was primarily a problem with the FE variant of the cardboard than it was with its AIB companions’ personal iterations of it – was the extreme warmth it was producing.
Merely put, the efficiency elevated, however it was reusing the identical shroud because the RTX 3090, and it barely stored the warmth at bay.
Higher followers and a brand new font to have fun the cardboard.
Getting again to the RTX 4090 FE, the followers have additionally been improved with a brand new axial design; the fan blades are fewer than its predecessor however are greater. NVIDIA says that this permits them to generate increased static strain, compared to these on the RTX 30 Collection playing cards.
After all, it isn’t attainable to put in writing this evaluate with out addressing yet one more elephant within the room: NVIDIA’s alternative of font for the brand new sequence. Actually although, I’m not as shocked or as stunned by it; credit score the place it’s due, the model had been utilizing that very same blocky, no-nonsense design since time immemorial. With the RTX 4090 FE, it makes it look much less aggressive.
Seems to be apart, it’s on this portion of the evaluate that I want to take the time to discuss the core of the RTX 4090 FE, the Lovelace GPU, together with the opposite accoutrement which might be half and parcel with it.
NVIDIA’s newest feat: shrinking the GPU die from 8nm to 4nm.
On the time, NVIDIA’s 8nm Ampere structure wooed and amazed many people. Quick ahead to as we speak and it has now managed to halve – halve – the dimensions of the brand new GPU die to 4nm. With the brand new course of, the corporate additionally managed to enhance upon its performance-per-watt and it reveals within the benchmarks, which you’ll be able to view within the benchmarks part.
It’s not simply the RTX 4090’s GPU that has obtained a generational replace both. The Ray-Tracing (RT) Cores at the moment are of their third era, whereas the Tensor cores at the moment are of their 4th era, each of that are clearly large contributors in the direction of the cardboard’s capability – AI-wise, at the least – to churn out ray-traced graphics. Whereas guaranteeing in-game frames stay excessive, that I’m assured a really snug gaming expertise.
There’s additionally the mixing of AV1 help and, above all else, DLSS 3.0 help with the RTX 4090. At this time limit, the variety of video games which might be able to operating the latter function are nonetheless restricted however because of NVIDIA, there may be one title I can embody, and that title is Cyberpunk 2077. Once more, that is one thing you’ll see within the benchmarks part.
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On the rear, the RTX 4090 sports activities the identical variety of output ports as earlier than, which embody one HDMI 2.1 port and three DisplayPort 1.4 ports. The latter is, in my view, a missed alternative on NVIDIA’s half, provided that this might have been its probability to ship the cardboard out with the extra superior DisplayPort 2.0 expertise, however the model’s official assertion on the matter is that the present DisplayPort commonplace already helps 8K at 60Hz because it stands, there’s nonetheless time earlier than DP 2.0 turns into extra commonplace.
Final however not least, the RTX 4090 can also be the primary GeForce graphics card to sport NVIDIA’s new 16-pin microFit Molex PCIe energy connector, with the power to channel as much as 600W of energy by it. Thoughts you, the cardboard does include a splitter cable, however in contrast to the one which got here with the RTX 30 Collection Founders Version playing cards, this one requires 4 PCIe connectors to run the cardboard.
Testbench
To check out NVIDIA’s powerhouse of a card that’s the RTX 4090 and in step with the instances, I’ve up to date the testbench with AMD’s Ryzen 7000 Collection system, and extra particularly, the Ryzen 9 7950X that I had reviewed final month. To that finish, I additionally had an opportunity to retest the RTX 3090 FE with the CPU, however to be truthful, the beneficial properties between the 5950X and 7950X aren’t grounbreaking, particularly within the artificial benchmarks.
For that matter, I’ve additionally included the efficiency metrics of the Gigabyte RTX 3090 Ti, however its efficiency metrics listed right here had been obtained with the 5950X, for the straightforward motive that the cardboard had already been returned to Gigabyte.
On that observe, I gained’t be overclocking the RTX 4090 and can merely be operating the cardboard as is, out of the field.
Benchmarks
So, entering into the efficiency of the RTX 4090 FE, the straightforward reality of the matter is: the beneficial properties produced and obtained by this card are breathtakingly exponential. NVIDIA mentioned that the cardboard can be between two to 4 time quicker and extra highly effective than its predecessors, and it stored its phrase. Actually, that is the primary time I’ve seen a card blow previous the 50000 mark on UL’s 3DMark Hearth Strike check, and that’s simply out of the field.
From artificial benchmarks to the real-world gaming purposes, the RTX 4090 completely, totally, and utterly dominates throughout the board. At 4K decision, the cardboard is just about proudly owning RTX-capable titles like Management and Cyberpunk 2077, with greater than double the typical framerate. With the latter title, I’m operating the sport between 76 and 89 fps, and that’s with RTX set to Psycho and DLSS 2.0.
That brings me on to a facet, but equally essential observe about DLSS 3.0. With the brand new model of this AI tremendous sampling expertise, the framerate from the RTX 4090 in Cyberpunk 2077 makes a large bounce, comfortably sustaining its composure at a brand new common of 110 fps.
Temperature and Energy Consumption
However maybe one of many largest enhancements NVIDIA is presenting with the RTX 4090 and, in relation to Lovelace, is its performance-per-watt (PPW). Regardless of having a TDP of 450W, not one of the AAA titles I utilized in my benchmark ever compelled the cardboard to tug that quantity from the wall. At most I used to be taking a look at a median peak draw of 385W.
Much more spectacular than the RTX 4090’s PPW, although, is its temperature administration. Regardless of all that energy, NVIDIA nonetheless managed to make sure that the cardboard’s peak temperature doesn’t break previous the 70°C ceiling. Certain, it’s a bit increased than the RTX 3090 FE at 65°C and my lab is stored at a cool 20°C, however right here’s the larger image: it is a card that’s producing greater than double the efficiency, and all it’s asking is for a bit of extra leeway within the warmth division.
Conclusion
Just like the RTX 30 Collection, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 FE isn’t only a yearly improve, designed to satiate the plenty: it’s, in each essence of the time period, a generational improve.
Confessedly, I had thought that Lovelace was merely simply going to be nothing greater than an structure with some modest enhancements. Clearly, NVIDIA has confirmed me flawed with the RTX 4090 and in flip, has given me a style of issues to come back.
However, as these items normally go, it’s the RTX 4090’s beginning value of RM8400 that could be a, if not the last word turnoff and deterrent for customers trying to get into constructing their first Lovelace-powered system. That being mentioned, in case you’re one of many fortunate few with deep pocket, then I’ll merely say this: When you’re in search of pure absolute energy, it doesn’t get any higher than this. A minimum of, till NVIDIA’s subsequent flagship comes alongside.
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