ASUS has announced the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090, the world’s first graphics card to have liquid metal on the GPU, according to the manufacturer, with premium ROG liquid cooling for enabling what the company has claimed to be the highest out-of-the-box boost clocks of any NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 in the world. ASUS didn’t confirm how high the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 actually clocks up to in its press release, but users can expect to find a powerful pump, optimized coolant flow rate, and larger cold plate for the GPU die, VRMs, and memory, alongside a 360 mm radiator and magnetic, daisy-chainable fans in the premium graphics card. The ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 also features a GPU frame and housing that’s built entirely out of metal.
From an ASUS press release:
The pinnacle of gaming power
Liquid metal is an incredible thermal interface material, producing much lower temperatures when compared head-to-head with traditional thermal pastes. It does, however, have one significant challenge: it’s electrically conductive. When applied improperly, it has a chance to make contact with exposed components and risk a short circuit. But building on years of expertise with liquid metal in the ROG laptop division, ASUS has an exclusive production process that can safely harness the power of liquid metal while still allowing for vertical GPU mounting.
By applying a UV resin above the surface-mounted capacitors that border the GPU die, and then adding two additional protective layers between the die and the main PCB, ASUS has ensured that the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 can leverage the incredible thermal transfer inherent to liquid metal with no risk of leakage. After perfecting these protective mechanisms, it was time to introduce liquid metal to the ROG graphics card lineup — and of course there was no better option than the legendary Matrix family. Users can learn more about liquid metal here.
Heavy metal
Liquid metal is excellent, but it is just one element of the full solution that the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 uses to keep temperatures and noise levels low. Enter a custom, extra-thick 360 mm radiator, backed up by a trio of ROG MF-12S ARGB fans. These daisy-chainable fans snap together with a magnetic connector that links the fans and transmits control signals and power. Installation and cable management will be a breeze since users will only need one cable for all three fans, and they will end up with effortlessly synchronized ARGB lighting effects, too. With high-static pressure and airflow, these fans are able to keep the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 operating at just 60°C under its 450-watt TGP (total graphics power), with a fan RPM of under 1000.
Most AIO liquid-cooled GPUs, including the ROG Strix LC line, require a small fan on the card itself to keep surface-mounted components cool, in addition to the fans mounted to the radiator that keep the GPU heat itself under control. The custom full-coverage cold plate on the ROG Matrix RTX 4090, however, eliminates the need for an auxiliary fan, as it makes contact with all of the heat producing components on the PCB, allowing the radiator to cool the entire card on its own. A customized and more powerful pump feeds the radiator with more coolant than any of our previous designs, keeping the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 running at peak efficiency at all times.
Stunning metal design
The ROG Matrix RTX 4090 features an incredibly bold and modern design, with the GPU frame and housing built entirely out of metal. Sporting the first use of indirect ASUS Aura Lighting, the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 also boasts a ‘hollow’ chamber, with the main cold plate, circuit board and pump shroud protected by a larger aluminum frame. Bold ROG branding adorns the card, with lightbars in the central cavity and across the top of the card. A stainless steel backplate keeps the card secure whether users prefer to mount traditionally or vertically to showcase its true beauty. The ROG Matrix RTX 4090 sports a single 12VHPWR cable, and the fan power cable is hidden in the main cooling tubes, ensuring that cable management is a breeze.
