ASUS Republic of Gamers unveils ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 with liquid metal cooling

Nov 04, 2023

Date:

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090, which offers the highest out-of-the-box boost clocks of any RTX 4090 in the world. In addition, the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 features an ROG first: liquid metal thermal compound on a graphics card. Featuring a custom-engineered cold plate that captures heat not only from the RTX 4090 GPU die, but also from the VRMs and memory chips, this card has even more headroom to push its clocks higher, for longer, allowing ROG to bin only the absolute best dies for this showpiece graphics card.

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.

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.

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.

The ROG Matrix RTX 4090 does not just feature one-of-a-kind hardware, it also supports custom-built software features. Most GPUs will feature a temperature sensor on the GPU die and also have one on the memory, allowing for a basic look at the heat of a system. ROG went above and beyond with additional sensors across the VRMs, chokes and power input circuity. That data feeds into the new Thermal Map feature in the ASUS GPU Tweak III app to give a detailed breakdown of how a card is performing thermally in real time. This utility also supports Power Detector+, a feature that allows the card to detect any anomalies all of the six power pins individually from the 12VHPWR cable. If a fault is detected and a user needs to reseat the power cable, they will know immediately. The ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 also includes a new Mileage feature, which tracks card use at different power levels, letting users keep an eye on what kind of load they have used the card for, across multiple game sessions.

As a flagship card, the ROG Matrix RTX 4090 features a Dual BIOS switch, allowing users to seamlessly switch between Quiet and Performance modes. Produced with the ASUS Auto Extreme manufacturing process, the entire circuit board is soldered in a single, fully automated pass, reducing costs and eliminating the need for harsh cleaning chemicals in between solder passes. The ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 is built with the highest quality components, ensuring peak performance for the life of the card.

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