The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is among the most powerful gaming graphics cards on the market, delivering industry-leading performance at 4K in the latest AAA titles. Its powerful AD102 chip and 24GB of VRAM make it the go-to choice for gamers who want the best. It has been reviewed well across the board, and after conducting numerous tests and benchmarks with many RTX 4090 variants, it is evident that this card is worth buying.
But with so many RTX 4090s to choose from, which is the best model to buy? In this piece, we’ve evaluated and tested a wide range of RTX 4090 options to recommend the various models that we believe are suited to different buyers.
Our Top Pick: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
The RTX 4090 Founders Edition is the best design on the market for those looking to find great 4K gaming performance in a sleek package that lies around NVIDIA’s MSRP price point. The innovative, dual-chamber cooling design keeps a good lid on temperatures, while the pair of large cooling fans run quieter than you might imagine. The design is restrained in it’s style, and perhaps a little bland compared to other options – but a great option all in all.
The Best RTX 4090 GPUs to Buy
1. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
The RTX 4090 Founders Edition is an absolutely fantastic choice for those in the market for an RTX 4090, with its sleek visuals, outstanding performance, and MSRP price point. NVIDIA’s in-house Founders Edition cooling design brings a degree of visual class to the RTX 4090 lineup, shunning RGB, garish colour schemes, and plastic shrouding to create a more purposeful all-around package.
The cleverly engineered design uses a dual chamber approach, separating the cooling between the left and right-hand sides of the card. Both fans are large, run quietly and do a sufficient job of cooling the GPU. The ring that connects the fan blades’ outer edges also helps direct air and increase air pressure.
| Key Specs | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition |
|---|---|
| Video Memory | 24GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit |
| Core Clock Speed | 2.23GHz |
| Boost Clock Speed | 2.52GHz |
| CUDA Cores | 16384 |
| RT Cores | 128 |
| Power Consumption | 450W |
| Length | 304mm |
| MSRP | $1999 |
Being one of the more compact RTX 4090 graphics cards on the market, it loses out on heatsink space, which naturally pushes temperatures up. While the sleek, machined design looks great, it is admittedly hard to find a motherboard and case that match this aesthetic—something that may bother builders looking to keep their system looking uniform.
Pros
- MSRP price tag
- Relatively compact size
- Dual chamber cooler
Cons
- Narrow availability
- Slightly boring design
Suggested Article: The Best PC Cases to Buy for an RTX 4090 PC Build
2. ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4090 BTF OC
The ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4090 BTF OC card is an excellent pick for those looking to build an incredibly clean gaming PC. This GPU’s main benefit (besides its insane performance) is that it is a BTF card.
In 2024, ASUS introduced a series of reverse-connector motherboards that hide all cables by placing them on the back of the PCB. ASUS BTF graphics cards are recommended for pairing with these motherboards. They use a high-power finger that connects to a 12VHPWR connector on the back of the motherboard PCB, keeping power cables out of sight.
| Key Specs | ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4090 BTF OC |
|---|---|
| Video Memory | 24GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit |
| Core Clock Speed | 2.23GHz |
| Boost Clock Speed | 2.64GHz |
| CUDA Cores | 16384 |
| RT Cores | 128 |
| Power Consumption | 480W |
| Length | 357mm |
| MSRP | $2109 |
Additionally, the ROG Strix variant 4090 is one of the most powerful cards on the market. It offers an overclocked boost clock speed of 2.64GHz and features a triple-fan shroud to keep temperatures down. This card also has a red-blue livery surrounding the fans with an RGB light bar on the side. It’s a gorgeous card worth considering for those looking to build a zero-cables system.
Pros
- Zero cables
- Overclocked boost speed
- Luxurious design
Cons
- Very expensive
- Potential clearance issues
3. MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM LIQUID X
Those looking for an RTX 4090 design with a particularly quiet and innovative cooling solution should look no further than the MSI Liquid X variant of the RTX 4090. MSI has combined a blower fan design on the card itself with a pre-attached and pre-filled 240mm radiator for maximum heat dissipation.
From an engineering perspective, this design is particularly clever as it moves the heat away from the GPU die itself, allowing the end-user to deal with that heat more efficiently and across a larger surface area.
| Key Specs | MSI RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X |
|---|---|
| Video Memory | 24GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit |
| Core Clock Speed | 2.23GHz |
| Boost Clock Speed | 2.64GHz |
| CUDA Cores | 16384 |
| RT Cores | 128 |
| Power Consumption | 480W |
| Length | 280mm |
| MSRP | $2199 |
The liquid cools down the GPU chip via an integrated waterblock, with the warm liquid then moving into a radiator where it is cooled. By default, this radiator comes with a pair of pre-mounted 120mm MEG Silent GALE P12 fans, but there is nothing to stop enthusiasts from adding a second pair for push-pull cooling.
The silver colour scheme won’t be for everyone, and while the overall aesthetic is pretty sleek, this design’s small stature will look out of place in larger, more imposing builds.
Pros
- Great thermal performance
- Factory overclock
- Small form-factor
Cons
- Expensive
- Radiator size could be larger
4. Palit RTX 4090 GameRock OC
The Palit GameRock OC variant of the RTX 4090 is a worthwhile pickup for those looking for an alternative GPU style. The unique crystal and rock-inspired design certainly isn’t for everyone, but it brings a touch of glam to the RTX 4090 range and will be well-suited to those looking for a card with an element of ‘wow’ factor.
The solid backplate, triple-slot form factor, and black-and-grey colour scheme round off a nice-looking design. A standardised IO of 3 DisplayPort and an HDMI connection also ensure this card can easily be connected to triple or quad monitor setups.
| Key Specs | Palit RTX 4090 GameRock OC |
|---|---|
| Video Memory | 24GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit |
| Core Clock Speed | 2.23GHz |
| Boost Clock Speed | 2.61GHz |
| CUDA Cores | 16384 |
| RT Cores | 128 |
| Power Consumption | 450W |
| Length | 329mm |
| MSRP | $1999 |
Temperatures remained low in our testing, while frame rates remained high throughout. You keep all of the great RTX 4090 features and functionality, such as DLSS 3.5 and RTX ray tracing, in a truly one-of-a-kind design. The GameRock OC is also a little expensive, meaning prospective buyers with an eye on the purse strings may want to look elsewhere.
Pros
- Unique design
- Great performance
- Competitively priced
Cons
- Very large
- Plastic crystals
How We Tested the Best RTX 4090 Graphics Cards
To inform our product recommendations, we test 100s of graphics cards each year at various resolutions in many titles. We publish all the settings used in our testing to ensure it is fair, repeatable and correctly represents each card. You can read in detail about how we test graphics cards for the rundown of our GPU testing methodologies.
Hogwarts Legacy
Settings: 4K, Shadow Quality High, Indirect Lighting High, Reflections High, Crowd Density High, Particle Quality High, Volumetric Lighting High, Motion Blur off, GTAO Quality High, Grass Quality High, Contact Shadows High VSync Off, DLSS/FSR: On/Off, Ray Tracing: On/Off, Textures: High
In Hogwarts Legacy at 4K high settings, the RTX 4090 offered an average framerate of 112FPS. Although this isn’t the ridiculous performance we see in some Esports titles, the frames here did top the charts, beating out the RX 7900 XTX and RTX 4080 SUPER. It’s worth noting that this performance is without DLSS or any performance enhancements enabled, so framerates will only increase if these are switched on.
COD Warzone
Settings: 1440p, Upscaling/Sharpening FSR 2.1/DLSS Quality (80 Sharpness), Texture Resolution High, Texture Filter Anisotropic High, Level of Detail High
In Call of Duty Warzone, we dialled the resolution down to 1440p and enabled DLSS and FSR where possible. The RTX 4090 offered 202FPS on average, again placing it at the top of the graph. It easily beat out the RX 7900 XTX and the RTX 4080 SUPER. COD Warzone isn’t the most intense title, but framerates can be pretty volatile depending on your location, so it’s great to see some consistently high framerates even at 1440p.
Apex Legends
Settings: 4K, Anti-aliasing TSAA, Texture Filtering 8X, Model Detail High, VSync Disabled, Effects High, Ambient Occlusion Quality High
In Apex Legends at 4K, framerates continued to improve, with the RTX 4090 hovering around 226FPS on average. Apex Legends is generally reasonably optimised, so the frame rates across the board are solid for this title. Ultimately, most gamers will never need framerates this high, but it increases perceived smoothness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the RTX 4090 Good for Gaming?
The RTX 4090 is excellent for gaming, especially at high resolutions like 4K.
Can I Play Games with Ray Tracing Enabled?
With DLSS 3.5, RTX ray tracing is much more viable in modern titles, and the RTX 4090 has enough horsepower to run ray tracing natively without any additional help.
What PSU does the RTX 4090 need?
The RTX 4090 requires a 1000W power supply at the minimum and uses the next-gen 12VHPWR power connector.
