The RTX 4090 is the new top-of-the-line graphics card that Nvidia has to offer right now. It is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture and comes with 16384 CUDA Cores, 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, 3rd generation DLSS, and 4th Generation Tensor cores. In this article, we go over some of the best RTX 4090 graphics cards that you can buy right now.
Note: These graphics cards are available at the time of writing. They might not be available in the future due to high demand. Nvidia has decided to prioritize H100 AI GPUs over GeForce RTX 4090s which is one of the many reasons why these cards are hard to get your hands on. Due to the shortage, pricing is also going to be inflated.
Best RTX 4090 Graphics Cards
The following are some of the best RTX 4090 graphics cards that you can buy right now.
- MSI RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X – Best AIO Liquid Cooled Card
- ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4090 OC Edition – Best Overall
- ASUS TUF RTX 4090 OC Edition – Best Mid-Range Card
- Gigabyte RTX 4090 Gaming OC – Great TUF Alternative
- Zotac RTX 4090 Trinity – Best RGB/Entry-Level Card
MSI RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X – Best AIO Liquid Cooled Card
Boost Clock: 2640 MHz | Slots: 2 | Recommended PSU: 850W
The MSI RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X is one of the few AIO liquid-cooled RTX 4090 graphics cards that you can buy right now. It is also the first AIO liquid-cooled card that we have seen from MSI, at least I have not seen one before this.
The RTX 4090 is not a cheap graphics card but if you can pick up the RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X for around $1600, then I think that it is pretty good value for what you are getting. Custom water cooling an RTX 4090 is going to cost you much more when you account for tubing, water block, fittings, and the coolant. With that in mind, the RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X is a great option.
The card has a premium design with a single fan on the shroud and two on the radiator. The aesthetics are very clean and the build quality is very good. There is minimal RGB on the card and the cable that runs from the radiator fans to the card is hidden.
The card is pretty compact and only takes up 2 slots as compared to 3 or 3.5. In terms of performance, the card runs at 30 MHz higher as compared to the Founder’s Edition model but since this is liquid-cooled and has more thermal headroom, you can overclock it to get even more performance out of it.
The downside to the AIO liquid cooler is that there are more moving parts that can fail. You also need to have space in your case to install the radiator.
Pros:
- Excellent cooling
- Plenty of overclocking headroom
- Takes 2 slots rather than 3
- Premium design
- Silent operation
Cons:
- Radiator takes up space
- Has more moving parts that can fail
ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4090 OC Edition – Best Overall
Boost Clock: 2640 MHz | Slots: 3.5 | Recommended PSU: 850W
The ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4090 OC Edition is the largest variant that we have seen so far and is even bigger than the Founder’s Edition model. It is almost 37 cm long, so do keep that in mind if you are using a smaller case and GPU compatibility is an issue.
Asus has used a new design this time around and the build quality is very impressive, as you would expect from a premium graphics card. It has a triple fan cooler with plenty of RGB lighting and a perforated backplate. The card has a massive heatsink and a vapor chamber for cooling.
The graphics card does have red and blue accents which I personally like but I will admit that matching other components with the graphics card is going to be tricky. The card has a pair of fan headers that you can connect case fans to so that they ramp up or down depending on the graphics card temperature and not the CPU temperature.
The graphics card has a BIOS switch that allows you to switch between performance mode and quiet mode. The card is very silent and on par with the MSI Suprim Liquid X and operates silently as compared to the Founder’s Edition model. While the thermals are not as impressive as the Liquid X they are better than the Founder’s Edition. The downside is that this is a massive card and you will need to pay a premium in order to get it.
Pros:
- Impressive cooling
- Great build quality
- Better performance than most of the competition
- New cooler and design
- Quiet Fans
- Factory overclock
- Dual BIOS
- Extra HDMI port
Cons:
- More expensive than the competition
- Massive card
ASUS TUF RTX 4090 OC Edition – Best “Mid-Range” Card
Boost Clock: 2595 MHz | Slots: 4 | Recommended PSU: 850W
The ASUS TUF RTX 4090 OC Edition is a great option if you are not interested in paying a high premium for a custom RTX 4090 graphics card. The shroud is made of aluminum which gives it a great feel and the graphics card is built well. There is minimal use of plastic despite the lower price tag compared to some other models.
The card has a stealthy design and color scheme, so it should blend in well with the rest of your build. This is still a chunky and long graphics card so do check compatibility with your case. Asus has included a support pillar that doubles as a screwdriver.
The graphics card has a triple fan cooler and the middle fan spins in the opposite direction compared to the ones on the sides in order to increase airflow. While the marketed boost clock speed is 2595 MHz, you can overclock the graphics card to 2985 MHz to get some more performance out of it. This is going to depend on the quality of the silicon and will differ from card to card.
All things considered, the ASUS TUF RTX 4090 OC Edition is built well and performs as it should. The only downside is the size of the card.
Pros:
- Impressive performance
- Stealthy design
- Great cooling
- Factory overclock
- Extra HDMI port
Cons:
- Massive card
Gigabyte RTX 4090 Gaming OC – Great TUF Alternative
Boost Clock: 2535 MHz | Slots: 4 | Recommended PSU: 1000W
The Gigabyte RTX 4090 Gaming OC is another beefy graphics card that takes up 4 slots but it does come with an anti-sag bracket to provide additional support to the card. The shroud is made of plastic so the feel and finish are not as premium as the TUF or the Strix variants. There is RGB lighting around the fan which can be customized and Gigabyte does have some cool lighting presets that you can check out.
Gigabyte recommends using a 1000W PSU with the RTX 4090 Gaming OC which is 150W more than the Founder’s Edition variant. The graphics card has a BIOS switch that allows you to switch between performance mode and quiet mode.
While the marketed clock speed is 2535 MHz, you will see around 2730 MHz in-game and 2940 MHz when overclocked. So you can expect to get some additional performance out of the box if you overclock the graphics card.
Pros:
- Clean design
- Decent cooling
- A relatively low price premium
- Dual BIOS
Cons:
- Large card
- Fans can get a bit loud
- Feels a bit cheap
Zotac RTX 4090 Trinity – Best RGB/Entry-Level Card
Boost Clock: 2520 MHz | Slots: 3.5 | Recommended PSU: 1000W
The Zotac RTX 4090 Trinity comes with curves compared to other graphics cards that have a rather industrial design. The card is pretty long and thick with a massive heatsink that has 9 heat pipes. The card has a triple fan cooler but the shroud is made of plastic so the feel is not as premium as some other models.
The card has 5 RGB lighting zones and you can do a lot of customization if that is what you are into. While this is a more budget-oriented card, it still comes with a backplate. It also does not perform as well as the more premium variants but it is still a 4090.
Pros:
- Updated cooler and design
- Nice RGB implementation
Cons:
- Budget oriented so lacks in performance
These are some of the best RTX 4090 graphics cards that you can buy right now. If you are interested in upgrading your build then you can check out our recommended ATX 3.0 PCIe Gen 5 power supply units.