NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Review

The new king of gaming graphics cards - performance beyond imagination

16,384
CUDA Cores
24 GB
GDDR6X Memory
2.52 GHz
Boost Clock
450W
TDP

The Ultimate Gaming GPU

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is not just an incremental upgrade - it's a monumental leap in graphics performance. Built on the revolutionary Ada Lovelace architecture, this GPU redefines what's possible in gaming, content creation, and AI acceleration.

Architecture Revolution

The RTX 4090 features NVIDIA's new Ada Lovelace architecture with 76 billion transistors fabricated on a custom TSMC 4N process. The key innovations include:

3rd Gen RT Cores

2x faster ray tracing performance

4th Gen Tensor Cores

Up to 2x AI performance with DLSS 3

Shader Execution Reordering

Better utilization of GPU resources

DLSS 3 Frame Generation

AI-generated frames for massive FPS gains

Design & Build Quality

The Founders Edition of the RTX 4090 features a stunning new design with a massive triple-slot cooler. The card measures 304mm long, 137mm wide, and takes up 3 slots in your case. The build quality is exceptional with a metal frame and vapor chamber cooling solution.

NVIDIA has implemented a new 12VHPWR power connector that requires a minimum 850W power supply. The card comes with a 4x 8-pin to 12VHPWR adapter in the box.

Performance Benchmarks

Gaming Performance (4K Ultra Settings)

Average FPS Comparison

Cyberpunk 2077 (RT Overdrive)
87 FPS
Microsoft Flight Simulator
112 FPS
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0
215 FPS
Forza Horizon 5
138 FPS

Ray Tracing & DLSS Performance

The RTX 4090's real magic happens when you enable ray tracing and DLSS 3. With DLSS 3 Frame Generation, performance can more than double in demanding titles:

Cyberpunk 2077 (4K RT Overdrive)

RTX 3090 Ti (DLSS Quality)
24 FPS
RTX 4090 (DLSS Quality)
52 FPS
RTX 4090 (DLSS 3 Frame Gen)
87 FPS

Generational Comparison

Specification RTX 3090 Ti RTX 4090 Improvement
GPU Architecture Ampere (GA102) Ada Lovelace (AD102) New Generation
Transistors 28.3 billion 76.0 billion 169% more
CUDA Cores 10,752 16,384 52% more
Boost Clock 1.86 GHz 2.52 GHz 35% higher
Memory 24GB GDDR6X 24GB GDDR6X Same capacity
Memory Bandwidth 1 TB/s 1.1 TB/s 10% faster
TDP 450W 450W Same
4K Gaming Performance 100% baseline 160-220% 60-120% faster
Ray Tracing Performance 100% baseline 200-300% 2-3x faster

Verdict: The New Performance King

The RTX 4090 is an absolute monster of a graphics card that delivers unprecedented performance gains. With DLSS 3 frame generation, it achieves what seemed impossible just a generation ago - smooth 4K gaming with full ray tracing enabled.

Pros

  • Massive performance uplift over previous gen
  • DLSS 3 is revolutionary for demanding games
  • Excellent 4K and 8K gaming performance
  • Surprisingly good thermals and acoustics
  • Substantial creative workflow improvements

Cons

  • Extremely expensive at $1,599
  • Massive physical size (won't fit in many cases)
  • Requires high-wattage power supply
  • Power connector concerns (early adapter issues)
  • Overkill for anything less than 4K gaming

Conclusion: The RTX 4090 is the most powerful consumer graphics card ever created. While its price and power requirements make it suitable only for enthusiasts, it delivers an unparalleled gaming experience that justifies its position at the top of the GPU market. If you demand the absolute best performance and have the budget for it, the RTX 4090 is in a class of its own.