The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 is the best GPU you can buy right now. Here are our favorite after-market and reference design picks.
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 is mightily impressive. We reviewed the founder edition GPU and found it to be among the very best graphics cards available. It’s so good you can even bump up your resolution to 8K, which is incredible since most gamers haven’t even migrated to a 4K monitor. But which RTX 4090 should you buy? We’ve put together a list of our favorite cards that we regard as the best RTX 4090 GPUs.
-
Source: ASUS
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition
Best Overall
-
Source: Gigabyte
Gigabyte Aorus RTX 4090 Xtreme WATERFORCE
Best Water Cooled
-
Source: NVIDIA
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
Best Official
-
Source: MSI
MSI GeForce RTX 4090 Gaming X Trio
Best Value
-
Source: Asus
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition
Best for Gaming
The very best GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs in 2023
Source: ASUS
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition
Best Overall
For those who want the very best RTX 4090.
The Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition is an impressive graphics card with beefy cooling and high-quality components. This allows the GPU to run at high speeds, allowing for some seriously impressive gaming experiences.
- Architecture
- Ada Lovelace
- Process
- 5 nm
- Transistors
- 7.6 billion
- Shader Units
- 16,384
- Ray Accelerators/Cores
- 128
- Base Clock Speed
- 2,235 MHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 2,610 MHz
- Memory Capacity
- 24 GB GDDR6X
- Memory Bus
- 384-bit
- Memory Bandwidth
- 1,008 GB/s
- Power Draw
- 450 W
Pros
- Impressive performance
- Excellent cooling
- Strong I/O
Cons
- Expensive
- Power draw
Asus did just about everyone to ensure the RTX 4090 is capable of running at some seriously high speeds. The Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition is quite simply brilliant. Compared to the reference card from Nvidia, this aftermarket card is capable of running at higher speeds and comes with some seriously beefy cooling. You’ll still need around 450W of power available from your PSU to keep this GPU happy, but it will allow you to crank up just about every setting in your favorite games.
Source: Gigabyte
Gigabyte Aorus RTX 4090 Xtreme WATERFORCE
Best Water Cooled
Take your gaming to a whole new level.
The Gigabyte Aorus RTX 4090 Xtreme WATERFORCE is a premium graphics card that’s able to push a little harder than standard air-cooled GPUs. That’s because of the connected 360mm radiator and three 120mm fans, connected to the water block with an integrated pump.
- Brand
- Gigabyte
- Architecture
- Ada Lovelace
- Process
- 5 nm
- Transistors
- 76.3 billion
- Shader Units
- 16,384
- Ray Accelerators/Cores
- 128
- Base Clock Speed
- 2,235 MHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 2,565 MHz
- Memory Capacity
- 24 GB GDDR6X
- Memory Bus
- 384 bit
- Memory Bandwidth
- 1,008 GB/s
- Power Draw
- 450 W
Pros
- Excellent performance
- Great thermal headroom
- Two-slot GPU
Cons
- Very expensive
- Requires PC case with 360 rad support
What’s the best way to cool components? Liquid, of course! That’s precisely what the Gigabyte Aorus RTX 4090 Xtreme WATERFORCE offers with its attached 360mm radiator. This allows Gigabyte to include three 120mm fans that can suck through a lot of cool air. A side effect of having a radiator and fans located away from the GPU means the actual card is slimmer, allowing it to fit in more compact cases. Just be sure you have an available 360mm placement.
Source: NVIDIA
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
Best Official
An excellent official reference graphics card.
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition is the GPU to buy if you want the Nvidia experience for 4K and even some 8K gaming. This is the best GPU you can buy from this generation, but you’ll have to pay for the luxury.
- Brand
- Nvidia
- Architecture
- Ada Lovelace
- Process
- 5 nm
- Transistors
- 76.3 billion
- Shader Units
- 16,384
- Ray Accelerators/Cores
- 128
- Base Clock Speed
- 2,235 MHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 2,520 MHz
- Memory Capacity
- 24 GB GDDR6X
- Memory Bus
- 384 bit
- Memory Bandwidth
- 1,008 GB/s
- Power Draw
- 450 W
Pros
- Impressive performance
- Good cooling
Cons
- Expensive
- Power draw
We reviewed the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition and found it to be utterly brilliant. It was vastly overpriced, but what you did receive was something incredible. It’s the most powerful consumer gaming graphics card and puts just about everything else to shame. Nvidia’s GPU design is also tried and tested, and we’re big fans of the current generation, including the RTX 4090. It won’t be able to go as fast as some of the aftermarket options, but this is a good choice if you can find one at a reasonable price.
Source: MSI
MSI GeForce RTX 4090 Gaming X Trio
Best Value
If you don’t have unlimited funds for a GPU.
MSI’s GeForce RTX 4090 Gaming X Trio is a fantastically powerful graphics card, considering it’s a little less than what one would usually pay for such a beast of a GPU from Nvidia. You’ll find the same number of cores, the same clock speeds, and everything else for solid 4K gaming.
- Brand
- MSI
- Architecture
- Ada Lovelace
- Process
- 5 nm
- Transistors
- 76.3 billion
- Shader Units
- 16,384
- Ray Accelerators/Cores
- 128
- Base Clock Speed
- 2,235 MHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 2,595 MHz
- Memory Capacity
- 24 GB GDDR6X
- Memory Bus
- 384 bit
- Memory Bandwidth
- 1,008 GB/s
- Power Draw
- 450 W
Pros
- Impressive performance
- Excellent cooling
- Better value
Cons
- Still expensive
- Power draw
The price of graphics cards (and some other PC components) is still ridiculous in places and the RTX 4090 is no exception. Still, it’s possible to locate some decent deals on cards, including the MSI GeForce RTX 4090 Gaming X Trio. Somehow, MSI was able to price this GPU below some of the competition, allowing you to save a little yet still receive the same treatment in the form of one of the best graphics cards available. We wouldn’t recommend this as “good value” — and we wouldn’t dream of adding it to our best budget GPUs list — but it’s better than spending more than $2,000.
Source: Asus
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition
Best for Gaming
For those who prefer stealthier PC aesthetics.
$1740 $1800 Save $60
The ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition has everything you need to put together one of the most powerful gaming PCs. It has ample performance so long as your power supply can keep up with the draw.
- Brand
- Asus
- Architecture
- Ada Lovelace
- Process
- 5 nm
- Transistors
- 76.3 billion
- Shader Units
- 16,384
- Ray Accelerators/Cores
- 128
- Base Clock Speed
- 2,235 MHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 2,565 MHz
- Memory Capacity
- 24 GB GDDR6X
- Memory Bus
- 384 bit
- Memory Bandwidth
- 1,008 GB/s
- Power Draw
- 450 W
Pros
- Excellent performance
- Great cooling
Cons
- Expensive
- Power draw
Asus makes a few cards of the same GPU and the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition is yet another RTX 4090 from the company that makes our collection. It’s cheaper than our top Asus pick, and it doesn’t have as much of a flashy design, making it ideal for stealthier PC builds. If you don’t need all the additional benefits of going with a flagship GPU, something like this TUF Gaming RTX 4090 OC will work seriously well for high-fidelity 4K gaming.
Source: ZOTAC
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity OC
Best Design
The RTX 4090 that looks out of this world.
$1589 $1599 Save $10
Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity OC is a brilliant RTX 4090 GPU that sports a unique design compared to its previous cards and the competition. If you want to turn all your visual settings up to 11 in style, this is the card to buy.
- Brand
- Zotac
- Architecture
- Ada Lovelace
- Process
- 5 nm
- Transistors
- 76.3 billion
- Shader Units
- 16,384
- Ray Accelerators/Cores
- 128
- Base Clock Speed
- 2,235 MHz
- Boost Clock Speed
- 2,535 MHz
- Memory Capacity
- 24 GB GDDR6X
- Memory Bus
- 384 bit
- Memory Bandwidth
- 1,008 GB/
- Power Draw
- 450 W
Pros
- Excellent performance
- Great cooling
Cons
- Expensive
- Power draw
The ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity OC looks other-worldly, thanks to its wild spaceship-esque design. Underneath this whacky (yet attractive) shroud is the same RTX 4090 GPU. This particular card packs a serious punch and will happily chug along at higher clock speeds with an overclock applied. Temperatures are kept in check by the three large blowers and massive heatsink. It not only looks the part but will keep a smile on your face with all settings set to 11.
Choosing the best RTX 4090 GPU
The Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition is a fantastic RTX 4090 GPU. Nvidia made a monster and Asus took the reference design and added its own take on the powerful gaming component. If you want the absolute best GPU from this generation of hardware, you’ll want to consider this card. It strikes a good balance between performance and price if we weren’t already looking at such highly inflated prices, as Asus makes some of the best cards around. Not everyone can afford a flagship RTX 4090, which is where the MSI GeForce RTX 4090 Gaming X Trio comes into play with a serious discount.
Source: ASUS
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition
Best Overall
The Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition is an impressive graphics card with beefy cooling and high-quality components. This allows the GPU to run at high speeds, allowing for some seriously impressive gaming experiences.