ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the new ROG Strix SCAR 17 X3D, the perfect fusion of cutting-edge silicon and ROG engineering. Featuring the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D mobile processor equipped with AMD 3D V-Cache technology for the very first time, the Strix SCAR 17 X3D takes performance to a whole new level. By doubling the L3 cache of the mighty Ryzen 9 7945HX processor, the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D gives users a boost in games that are hungry for this onboard ultrafast memory. Paired with a 240 Hz QHD display, Conductonaut Extreme liquid metal on the GPU, and a vapor chamber, the Strix SCAR 17 X3D is ready to dominate the leaderboards.

Making great processors even better
While the original 2023 ROG Strix SCAR 17 came equipped with AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors, the AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D is truly in a league of its own. It leverages the power of AMD 3D V-Cache technology, a stacking of extra ultra-high-speed L3 cache vertically on top of one of the two core compute dies (CCD). This extra cache enables the eight cores to perform certain calculations quickly and efficiently, notably in gaming. For situations where increasing CPU frequency simply doesn't show significant performance gains, 3D V-Cache technology holds the potential to unlock extra compute power.

INNO3D, a leading manufacturer of pioneering high-end multimedia components and innovations proudly unveiled its much-awaited INNO3D GeForce RTX 4090 Frostbite new editions in Ultra and Pro. These next-generation INNO3D graphics cards promise unparalleled performance due to their Ada architecture. The iCHILL Frostbite has significant upgrades in both aesthetics and performance.

Dating back to 1998, INNO3D was founded with the aim to develop innovative computer hardware products on a global scale. Today, INNO3D is recognized in the gaming community for our avant-garde and bold approach to design and technology. We live by the mantra of being "Brutal by Nature" in all our endeavors, ensuring that we provide you with a superior gaming experience.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced collaboration centered around EVA-02 and Asuka from the long-celebrated Evangelion anime series. PC DIY builders and anime lovers can now enjoy a second impact of premium ROG components and peripherals elevated by the classic EVA-02 red and orange colorway with a variety of custom Evangelion-themed decals and graphics. The new powerhouse arsenal includes a ROG Maximus motherboard, ROG Strix GeForce RTX graphics card, ROG Ryujin AIO cooler, ROG Hyperion gaming case, graphics card holder, peripherals and other gear.

ROG Maximus Z790 Hero EVA-02 Edition motherboard
This special version of the feature-packed ROG Maximus Z790 Hero arrives with EVA-02's signature red and orange theme, with traces of green. The backplate design comes with EVA-02 Beast Mode and Evangelion patterns, supporting this motherboard's immense power and control, as it takes 13th Gen Intel Core processors and DDR5 memory kit to the next level. And an A.T. Field design around the CPU socket and Polymo lighting on the I/O cover switches between Asuka and regular EVA-02 as another artistic flourish.

We're excited to announce that we're once again partnering with Computer Upgrade King to provide our attendees with the ability to rent either a monitor and or a full PC set up. As an added bonus to our Elite ticket holders, Computer Upgrade King is offering a special rental package with a 34" Ultrawide Monitor! For more information, and to secure yours today, visit beth.games/43obykp.

Need a rig? Reserve your computer at QuakeCon 2023. It's official! After three years of digital-only events, QuakeCon 2023 will mark the return of the beloved BYOC, in-person at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas from Thursday, August 10 through Sunday, August 13.

A few weeks ago, we reported that NVIDIA is already shipping its GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition cards with an improved 12VHPWR connector called 12V-2x6. However, today we learn that NVIDIA is also now shipping GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition with an improved 12V-2x6 connector. Thanks to the Reddit user u/prackprackprack posting in r/NVIDIA, the user reported that his Founders Edition RTX 4090 has shortened sensing pins on the connector. If not adequately plugged in, the sensing pins will not allow the card to draw full power and melt the connector. Besides RTX 4070 FE, the RTX 4090 FE is now updated as well, which makes sense as it is the most power-hungry card in the family. However, this may be a partial 12V-2x6 implementation. Below, you can see images showing shortened sensing pins.

An ASUS ROG MATRIX GeForce RTX 4090 overclocked by Splave became the first graphics card to break the 4 GHz GPU clock barrier. The card was overclocked to a blistering 4005 MHz GPU clock while leaving the memory untouched at 21 Gbps. The card was GPU Pi stable, and went on to set the single GPU record of 45.402 seconds. The ROG MATRIX was cooled using a liquid nitrogen evaporator, while the Core i9-13900K powering the rig was on AIO liquid CPU cooling. The CPU was left at stock frequency, and the memory ticked at vanilla DDR5-4800. The HWBOT validation of the feat can be accessed here.

A member of the amusingly named and low populated r/4090Burning subreddit has reported a strange incident where the PSU side of his 12VHPWR connector had melted. Shiftyeyes67k shared his equipment's plight two days ago and included two photos with his story: "Started noticing a smell coming from my PSU (be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000 W) recently that smelled like burnt plastic. Decided to swap it out and noticed that the 12VHPWR cable was burned...From everything I've read this generally happens to the connector on the GPU side so I'm wondering if anyone has seen this yet?" His feedback shows that the relatively new connection standard has ongoing reliability issues, even though most 16-pin connector problem cases have affected beastly GPUs such as NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4090.

The be quiet! Dark Power 13 1000 W PSU has native support for the 16-pin cable standard, and no type of adapter was used in Shiftyeyes67k's example. Tom's Hardware reported on this sole incident recently, and a be quiet! representative responded to the article's content (updated today): "This is a unique case and we already have reached out to the customer to learn more." The company statement continues: "As our brand is known for highest quality standards, we treat this seriously and have initiated an investigation." be quiet! recommends that any customers experiencing similar issues should contact their support team directly. Tom's Hardware has attempted to get a comment from NVIDIA about the latest problem, but "an Nvidia spokesperson said we may not hear back for a few days due to a company closure."

Zotac has debuted a new flagship NVIDIA model for the Chinese market only - its latest GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB graphics card now arrives as a Prime Gamer Force (PGF) Overclocked edition, which is reported to sit in a tier above the (more familiar) AMP Extreme series. A listing on JD.com has it priced at 17,599 RMB (just under $2500), so this a serious bit of kit. Zotac PGF cards are normally tricked out with the company's best cooling solutions, which allows for greater clock speeds and power—this new model is the first example of an Ada Lovelace GPU getting togged up with Prime Gamer Force livery. The Zotac RTX 4090 PGF OC's cooler design appears to share the same overall shape from the AMP Extreme AIRO variant, but it has been updated with new shroud and backplate designs, four (software controlled) RGB lighting areas and an understated white/black aesthetic.

The RTX 4090 PGF OC edition is cooled by three 11 cm fans and a vapor chamber (akin to the AMP Extreme AIRO's solution). The card is one of the largest available on the market with dimensions of 381 mm (L) x 154 mm (W) x 74 mm (D)—beating the equivalent Gigabyte AORUS Master and its Zotac AMP sibling (by 2.5 cm length-wise). ITHome published their (mandarin language) review of the China market-exclusive flagship Zotac card earlier today. The RTX 4090 PGF appears to have a single 16-pin power connector and a 24+4 phase VRM design, with a maximum TDP rating of 525 W. An on-card BIOS switch can enable a 2625 MHz OC mode, the default clock speed is set at 2580 MHz—fairly typical for a high-end GeForce RTX 4090 model. The PGF card outdoes its AMP Extreme AIRO sibling by a small margin in overclocked mode—it is 45 MHz faster (2625 MHz vs. 2580 MHz).

EK, the leading computer cooling solutions provider, is introducing the EK-Pro GPU WB AMP/Trinity RTX 4090 Ni + Inox, an enterprise-grade full-cover water block designed specifically for the ZOTAC NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 AMP Extreme Airo, Trinity, and Trinity OC graphics cards.

The water block is meticulously crafted with a CNC-machined nickel-plated copper base and a laser-cut stainless-steel top, providing a durable and efficient liquid cooling solution. It effectively encompasses and cools the entire GPU, VRAM, and VRM components by channeling the cooling liquid directly over these critical areas to dissipate heat.

GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4090 WindForce V2 may not be the company's most premium RTX 4090 custom-design graphics card, but it has arguably the best power connector design. Almost every custom RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 comes with a design where in the PCB is half or two-thirds the length of the card, and the remainder of the length is dedicated to the cooling solution, where the heatsink can extend along the thickness of the card. In case of the RTX 4090 WindForce V2, this extended portion of the cooler is recessed by half, exposing the tail end of the PCB. The 16-pin 12VHPWR power input is pointed toward the tail-end, rather than toward the top of the card.

This makes cabling very convenient, as it no longer needs to bend nearly 180° as it emerges from the back of your motherboard tray. The power cable goes straight into the connector with no bending up to a roughly 8 cm length, before making a 90° turn to the back of your motherboard tray, reducing mechanical strain on the connector. Even the NVIDIA-designed adapter included with the card (the one that converts 4x 8-pin to a 12VHPWR), should look neater. It's likely that as a WindForce-series product, this card offers the lowest tier of factory overclocks by GIGABYTE. You still get dual-BIOS, which lets you toggle between this factory-OC, and a Silent BIOS that runs the card at reference speeds, with tighter fan tuning. The selling point, however, is its unique power connector design.

At the 2023 Computex, FSP showed us their CUT592 ATX mid-tower case designed for easy cable routing. Its core design innovation sees the right-side wall of the bottom partition pushed to the edge, with openings into the crawl-space behind the motherboard tray, minimizing at least one tight bend from the PSU cables from pushing against the right side panel. Also, not the entire motherboard tray has a crawl space, it's been recessed toward the front portion such that two 120 mm fans fit in there (from a 240 mm AIO), better utilizing that space. The case has been extensively tested with custom-design GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards to ensure clearance. The top- and front panels of the case each support 360 mm radiators. The front panel can be switched between a finer mesh and a coarser one. Front panel connectivity includes a 10 Gbps-capable USB 3.2 type-C port, besides type-A.

ASUS at the 2023 Computex launched the ROG MATRIX GeForce RTX 4090, its absolute top-end custom-design graphics card, designed to be the fastest money can buy. The card features the industry's highest factory-overclock for an RTX 4090, and has its power limits set squarely at 600 W, maxing out the single 16-pin 12VHPWR connector. The card also features the strongest VRM solution ever by ASUS for a graphics card, to hold this PL. The star attraction with this card is that it is marketed as the first graphics card that incorporates liquid metal technology.

What it essentially means, is that the cooling solution uses liquid-metal thermal interface material (TIM) for the GPU. The enthusiasts among you know how difficult it is to apply and maintain liquid metal, and ASUS is among the first companies to do this on an industrial scale, using a fully automated process. The company originally designed this mechanized liquid-metal TIM application technique for its high-end notebooks, but figured it could use it even for graphics cards. Liquid-metal TIMs offer the highest possible thermal conductivity as the TIM is pure metal. It's also electrically conductive, which is why application and maintenance is extremely difficult. ASUS innovated a cold-plate design specifically for this task, so the graphics card could survive international shipping from its factories. A third innovation by ASUS has been to develop a special multi-layer resin that protects the SMD components on the PCB against being shorted by the liquid-metal. ASUS is so confident in its liquid-metal technology, that the company is backing this graphics card with a comprehensive 5-year warranty.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of premium gaming hardware, today launched the top-grade water-cooled external graphics - AORUS RTX 4090 GAMING BOX. AORUS RTX 4090 GAMING BOX is equipped with the most powerful NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture - GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card and the Thunderbolt 3 high-speed transmission interface. It endows ultrabooks with 3D computational performance beyond imagination, transforming ultrabooks into game platforms with full ray tracing and becoming a reliable assistant for creators, creating an unprecedented work efficiency experience. In addition, the AORUS WATERFORCE Cooling System is the only solution that combines performance and comfort, allowing users to enjoy a quiet and comfortable environment while handling heavy work.

The AORUS RTX 4090 GAMING BOX is the top-of-the-line water-cooled external graphics box in the market. It enables users to enjoy top-level GeForce RTX 4090 performance with independent high-wattage and stable power supply, while enjoying a quiet and comfortable environment. AORUS has minimized the size of the GAMING BOX, taking up minimal desktop space, making it the ideal companion for ultrabooks.

As COMPUTEX once again opens its door, MSI, the world leader in gaming, content creation, business & productivity, and AIoT solutions, is all geared up to dominate the show floor with a full slate of new lineup and its Best Choice Award honorees. "We are thrilled to be back at COMPUTEX," said Sam Chern, MSI Vice President of Marketing. "We expect to see users' tech experiences reinvented and MSI is at the forefront. Our COMPUTEX 2023 lineup showcases the ultimate fusion of breakthrough technology and everlasting aesthetics that surpasses all limits and indulges global users with the best possible experience like never before."

This year, MSI themes its booth around The Leap to Singularity, envisioning a future in which the technological singularity brings forth superintelligence to improve human lives. Among the highlights on display will be the Raider GE78 HX Smart Touchpad, Stealth 16 and Creator Z17 laptops powered by up to 13th Gen Intel Core i9 processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series graphics, making them powerhouses for gamers and creators alike.

Galax has expanded its NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card lineup with a new Hydro models available in white or black - the latter will become available at a later date. The new design sports a 360 mm AIO liquid cooler with a triple-fan setup and 50 cm long tubing, which seems to be a first for Galax - all of its previously released GeForce RTX 40-series cards have been air-cooled. A full-cover aluminium alloy backplate is attached, according to Galax's product page.

It is not clear where the RTX 4090 Hydro cards sit in Galax's model rankings, but the pair look to be positioned below their flagship air-cooled HoF (Hall of Fame) sibling. The HoF boasts a 2595 MHz boost clock plus a 1-Click OC Clock of 2610 MHz (enabled via Galax's software), while the Hydro makes do with a 2580 MHz boost clock which aligns it with the 4090 SG 1-Click OC (air-cooled) variant, but the specification sheet points to the Hydro missing Galax's software-enabled overclock feature.

The White Edition model range expands with the Trinity OC White Edition. With its signature sleek design, the 40-Series Trinity OC White Edition GPUs walk the fine line between sophistication, minimalist design, and performance.

ICONIC WHITE
Gracefully pure and beautifully elegant, the ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 40 Series White Edition GPUs are the culmination of sleek design and the allure to build the desirable. The White Edition series walk the fine line between sophistication and function, expressing the pure essence of clean design overlaying the raw performance underneath.

First launched in 2022, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 took the world by storm, instantly establishing itself as the world's fastest gaming GPU. Boosted by AI-powered technologies like DLSS 3 frame generation, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 bows to no one. The original ROG Strix and TUF Gaming variants of this card provided extra thick, robust designs with plenty of cooling potential to push your card to the limits and beyond. But those with smaller cases may prefer a more compact version of the RTX 4090, which is why we're introducing two brand-new cards. The ROG Strix LC GeForce RTX 4090 and TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 OG bring the power of this flagship silicon to smaller form factor builds for gamers of all stripes.

Strix goes with the flow
The ROG Strix LC GeForce RTX 4090 (and its overclocked variant, the ROG Strix LC GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition) is a gaming monster. Using the same pump, radiator, and fan combination that allowed us to tame last generation's flagship Strix LC GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, the LC card utilizes the increased thermal efficiency of liquid cooling to bring out the very best of NVIDIA's silicon. Featuring a full coverage cold plate that spans both the GPU die and the memory, as well as a sleek shroud and blower style fan for the power-delivery components, the ROG Strix LC GeForce RTX 4090 oozes ROG styling and engineering expertise. A 240 mm radiator, 560 mm long tubing, and a 2.6-slot design gives the ROG Strix LC GeForce RTX 4090 wide compatibility with different PC cases.

Late last week ASUS posted a cryptic announcement, as well as giveaway product questions, on its Twitter page about an upcoming product launch event (scheduled for today - May 10). Hopeful commenters were guessing that a TUF-edition RTX 4070 was incoming, or that a very premature (and potentially surprising) RTX 4060 Ti reveal was due. ASUS has in fact shown off a few new GeForce RTX 4090 custom designs, including a pair of "OG" TUF offerings: "TUF Gaming graphics cards have always been known for their rugged styling, rock solid stability, and excellent gaming performance. The TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 OG and TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 OG OC Edition feature three Axial-tech fans, with the center fan rotating in the opposite direction for less turbulence and fan noise. Dual ball bearing fans, military-grade capacitors, and other TUF components assembled via our Auto-Extreme manufacturing process guarantee reliability for years to come."

The two TUF OG cards look identical from the outside, but the OC edition adds some customized clock speed tunings: 2595 MHz (OC mode) / 2565 MHz (Default mode). The brand new OG models are slightly smaller than their older TUF siblings - 325.9 x 140.2 x 62.8 mm compared to 348.2 x 150 x 72.6 mm (respectively). ASUS thinks that this shrinkage in overall card dimensions will accommodate customers with tighter PC enclosure conditions: "What makes the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 OG truly stand out is its size. Its sleek 3.2 slot design allows for much better case compatibility than other RTX 4090 graphics cards. If you've been looking for a flagship GPU but couldn't find one that fits in your current build, the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 OG might be for you."

NTT-X, a retailer in Japan is advertising a strange promotion to its moneyed customers - a free Intel Arc A750 Limited Edition GPU with every purchase of an ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB OC Edition graphics card. You would normally expect a couple of extra digital download codes for video games as some sort of bonus incentive, but NTT-X has chosen a non-traditional approach to getting fancy silicon into clients' hands. The shop is selling the high-end ASUS card for just over $2300 (converted from the value in Japanese Yen), and mid-range Intel board will set you back roughly $350 (when sold separately). It seems that PC hardware prices in Japan tend to be higher when compared to USA market trends.

It is not really clear if this particular hardware outlet is experiencing slow sales for top-end RTX GeForce 40 series cards simply because of high asking prices, or it is having difficulty in shifting the Alchemist card due to wavering hardware buyer perception. Super enthusiasts with plenty of cash to spare on cutting edge tech will tend to purchase the best stuff available - perhaps NTT-X are offering their target audience a chance to construct a secondary or tertiary computer. These additional PCs could host the promotional Intel Arc A750 graphics card, with the retailer gaining further sales via customers buying more components for another build, be it for a compact computer or home theater/media center PC.

A special edition of the Colorful GeForce RTX 4090 has been spotted online, the Colorful RTX 4090 iGame LAB. This will be a special limited edition graphics card designed specifically for overclocking. Spotted over on Bilibili.com, the Colorful RTX 4090 iGame LAB will be only made in 300 units and looks similar to the Colorful iGame Vulcan version, just in white color. The card is a result of Colorful's in-house overclocking team and will apparently have binned GPUs, which means it could reach higher clocks.

Since there is no Colorful RTX 4090 iGame KUDAN version, the iGame LAB will take the flagship place. According to the specifications the RTX 4090 iGame LAB will still feature a single 16-pin power connector which means it will still be limited to 600 W. The specifications also mention the 2625 MHz Boost GPU clock. Unfortunately, there is no word on global availability or will it be limited to China only.

ASUS ROG has started selling its RTX 4090 XG Mobile external graphics card in China and Japan this week. Japanese customers are being charged a cool $3000 for the pint-sized powerhouse external GPU, and Chinese buyers are getting a slightly better deal at $2700. It should be noted that this eGPU is the (GN21-X11) mobile variant of the GeForce RTX 4090, and not the full fat desktop version. The newly updated XG Mobile enclosure can only be connected to an ASUS Flow laptop, which limits the scope of compatibility to an already very expensive range of devices. The proprietary connection standard will keep customers in the ASUS ROG mobile hardware ecosystem - but their higher end laptop models can be configured with the very capable GeForce RTX 4070 mobile GPU, so the RTX 4090 XG Mobile seems to appeal to a very small buying niche.

The XG Mobile interface uses the PCIE Gen 3 x8 standard of connection, and the GPU has access to a dedicated 63 GB/s of bandwidth. This beats the Thunderbolt 4 standard of 40 Gb/s, by a 57% margin. The enclosure acts as a docking station - its features include an up to 2.5 Gbit Ethernet, a single HDMI 2.1 port, one DisplayPort 1.4 with G-Sync support and three USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (3x Type-A + 1x Type-C). ASUS ROG has engineered the docking station/enclosure to be as compact as possible (21.7 cm x 16.5 cm x 3.26 cm), when compared to competing products from other manufacturers. The whole package weighs in at 1.3 kg, which will ensure decent portability for gamers on the move.