When NVIDIA set out to develop the GeForce RTX 4090, they had one objective in mind: to create the fastest video card in the world. The card is the first to use the Ada Lovelace architecture, and it is constructed on a 4nm node, which in comparison to the previous generation, provides remarkable efficiency benefits. It is equipped with mind-boggling 76.3 billion transistors, 24 gigabytes of GDDR6X video memory, and an innovative AI frame generation capability that is a significant point of differentiation.
Zotac is taking things to a new level with its high-end edition of the card, which is called the Zotac GeForce RTX 4090 AMP Extreme AIRO. The normal RTX 4090 is extravagant on its own, launching at a price of $1,600, and Zotac is bringing things to a new level with its high-end variant of the card. The graphics card has an innovative new design style with flowing curves, an overclocked boost frequency of 2,580 MHz, and stunning RGB lighting, among other features.
After having used the majority of the manufacturer’s cards over the course of the previous five years, I was looking forward to seeing what the RTX 4090 AMP Extreme AIRO could bring to the table. I enjoy what Zotac offers in this particular category. The RTX 4090 reminds me in a number of ways of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4; both products are designed to display the finest possible technology that is currently available, with little regard given to value. Both products are also built to be foldable. If you are interested in purchasing the graphics processing unit (GPU) that is now on the market, you should learn the following information about the RTX 4090.
Zotac GeForce RTX 4090 design
The Taiwanese company Zotac is recognized for creating designs that are unique and fascinating, and with the RTX 40 series, Zotac surpassed even its own standards. The RTX 4090 AMP Extreme AIRO features a one-of-a-kind design that stands out from other partner cards by virtue of its fluid and smooth lines, which contrast with the rectangular appearance of those cards. I tried Zotac’s RTX 4080, and it has the same aesthetic as the RTX 4090; the curving shape looks extremely nice, and the greatest part is that it isn’t limited to the RTX 4090; in fact, it looks exactly the same.
Having said that, the Zotac RTX 4090 is simply enormous; I don’t think I’ve ever worked with a card that was bigger than this one. Although I had a huge case in the form of the Corsair 5000T, the card’s four-slot width only just fit into the chassis, and I had to carefully handle the 12VHPWR connector in order to keep it from being bent at an angle.
If you are utilizing a smaller chassis, the size may be a concern for you, and at 4.6 pounds (2.1 kilograms), the RTX 4090 is very heavy as well. You might want to think about putting the card vertically, but if you do that, you won’t be able to make the most of the RGB lighting on the card.
The backplate is constructed out of aluminum, and it features a ventilated design on the right side that enables air to circulate through the card. To power the card, you will need to use the 12VHPWR connector that is included and plug in four PCIe 8-pin cables at the other end. Additionally, you will have the option of using dual BIOS. The cooling solution provided by Zotac is among the best, and the card’s three fans perform an excellent job of preventing it from becoming overheated.
I think that Zotac did a good job with this project overall, and I really enjoy how the RTX 4090 stands out thanks to the curved shape and the colorful RGB lighting.
Hardware
There is a lot to appreciate about the RTX 4090 card, which demonstrates what is possible with the Ada Lovelace architecture and comes with a number of great features. To begin, it contains 16,384 cores and 24 gigabytes of GDDR6X memory spread across a bus width of 384 bits, which results in a memory bandwidth of 1,008 gigabytes per second. NVIDIA has been able to put 76.3 billion transistors onto the AD102 silicon without any increase in size because of the transition to a production node that is 4 nanometers. The AD102 silicon is, if anything, more compact than the GA102 silicon that is used in the RTX 3090 Ti.
The frequencies have also been significantly increased, with the Zotac RTX 4090 beginning at 2,235MHz core and 2,580MHz boost. This is another one of the new features. All of these modifications obviously result in a larger power demand, and you’ll find that the TDP for this component is 450W. The 12+4 pin 12VHPWR connector, however, is able to deliver up to 600W of power to the device.
On the connectivity front, NVIDIA has not made many changes; the RTX 4090 includes one HDMI 2.1a port in addition to three DisplayPort 1.4a ports. This is the same configuration as previous NVIDIA graphics cards. The hardware-level AV1 decoding is also preserved, and the following is a summary of the hardware that is available:
| Category | GeForce RTX 4090 | GeForce RTX 4080 | GeForce RTX 3090 Ti |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPU | AD102 | AD103 | GA102 |
| Cores | 16384 | 9728 | 10752 |
| ROPs | 176 | 112 | 112 |
| TFLOPS | 82.6 | 48.7 | 39.99 |
| Core Clock | 2235MHz | 2205MHz | 1560MHz |
| Boost Clock | 2520MHz | 2505MHz | 1950MHz |
| Memory | 24GB GDDR6X | 16GB GDDR6X | 24GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus Width | 384-bit | 256-bit | 384-bit |
| Bandwidth | 1008GB/s | 716GB/s | 1008GB/s/s |
| Transistors | 76.3 billion | 45.9 billion | 28.3 billion |
| TDP | 450W | 320W | 450W |
| Process Node | 4nm, TSMC | 4nm, TSMC | 8nm, Samsung LSI |
| Price | $1,599 | $1,199 | $1,999 |
Performance and efficiency
Although the RTX 4080 is still a good option for gamers that use a QHD gaming display that has a high refresh rate, the RTX 4090 is best utilized with a 4K panel because of its higher resolution and more detailed images. First, a rundown of efficiency before we get to the scores for the games. NVIDIA was able to achieve substantially better efficiency estimates thanks to the move to the 4nm node for this generation’s manufacturing process. This is in part due to the Lovelace architecture, and if you are interested in learning more about the improvements that have been made to the design, head on over to my review of the RTX 4080 graphics card.
The Zotac RTX 4090 uses 35 watts of electricity when it is not doing anything, which is 15 watts more than the RTX 4080. When you’re playing back videos, that number jumps up to 45W, and when you’re gaming, the card will easily reach 375W. The figure jumps up to 45W. Because the card will require 465W of power when operating at maximum load, you will need a robust power delivery system in order to meet the requirements of this card. And despite reports that the 12VHPWR connector on Founders Edition RTX 4090 cards was prone to melting, I saw no problems at all with my own card in that regard.
The RTX 4090 is now the best video card for 4K resolution, and it outperforms the RTX 3090 Ti, which retails for $2,000 and is considered to be the best of the RTX 30 series. You’ll witness increases of more than 40 percent compared to the 3090 Ti, which is incredible when you take into consideration that the card didn’t even come out until early 2022.
There are also increases of 20% performance compared to the RTX 4080, and the RTX 4090 is the first video card that I’ve used that was able to regularly offer more than 100 frames per second at 4K resolution. If that is what you are interested in, then the RTX 4090 is the card that makes the most sense for you to purchase.
The RTX 4090 is overkill for QHD gaming because the RTX 4080 by itself performs a terrific job in this area, and you’ll see increases of roughly 25% in this particular area. The RTX 4090 absolutely destroys the competition with scores that are on average forty percent higher than those achieved by the 3090 Ti.
Although turning on ray tracing causes a significant drop in framerates, the RTX 4090 still manages to put up a respectable performance thanks to its newly designed cores and architecture as well as the sheer amount of power it provides.
The RTX 4090 was able to produce large advances in games that employ NVIDIA’s revolutionary new technology, DLSS 3, which makes use of artificial intelligence to inject frames into the game automatically. There is a significant gap between the RTX 4090 and the 3090 Ti in this regard as well. With the new Frame Generation feature, the card was able to deliver 92 frames per second in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which is a 25% improvement over its previous performance.
The RTX 4090 is currently the fastest card that can be purchased, and it is quite unlikely that this will change for some time.
Zotac GeForce RTX 4090 specs
Since the RTX 4090 is not currently available, the RTX 4080 is a viable alternative that should be taken into consideration. The GeForce RTX 4080 AMP Extreme AIRO from Zotac is available for a price of $1,379, and despite the fact that it has just 9,728 cores and 16 gigabytes of RAM, it is still capable of supporting 4K gaming. The price difference between the RTX 4090 and the 4080 ranges from 15 to 20 percent, but the fact that the card is easily accessible is more than enough to make up for it.
One further option to take into consideration is AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX, which costs $1,000. In most cases, it performs just as well as the RTX 4080, but you save a significant amount of money by purchasing this card instead. Even if the availability of the RX 7900 XTX is a bit of a problem, things should settle out in a few weeks as AMD pushes out more inventory.
Zotac GeForce RTX 4090 price and availability
The RTX 4090 was introduced to the public by NVIDIA on October 12, 2022, and sales of the card began not long afterward. The Founders Edition of the RTX 4090 may be purchased for $1,599. NVIDIA’s board partners offer their own variations, which range in price from $100 to $300 more than the Founders Edition. There is a suggested retail price of $1,699 for the Zotac RTX 4090 AMP Extreme AIRO that I will be examining.
There has been a problem with the availability of the RTX 4090 since the card is currently unavailable at all of the main merchants in North America and other significant markets. There are a few listings for the RTX 4090 on Amazon as of the month of January 2023, however, each one has a price that is greater than $2,100. Currently, the Zotac card can be purchased for $2,268. Despite the fact that availability problems may become less of a problem in the near future as NVIDIA and its partners roll out more inventory, there is no surefire way to get your hands on an RTX 4090 at this time.
If you need a card right now, you might want to take a look at the GeForce RTX 4080; that card has fewer cores and 16GB of memory, but it is available for $1,199 at most retailers. Our RTX 40 series restock page is updated whenever the RTX 4090 is back on sale, and if you need a card right now, you might want to take a look at the RTX 4090.
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