NVIDIA’s RTX 3090 has its shortcomings, like its $1,500 price tag, but it’s still one of the swiftest consumer GPUs in the world paired with 24GB of VRAM, which is particularly useful for rendering, modeling, and editing.
NVIDIA being NVIDIA, they had to one-up their flagship and release the RTX 3090 Ti. Unfortunately, this one is even more expensive, priced at $2,000.
If you’re looking to put this $2,000 GPU in your system, you’ll want one that’s quiet, cool, and the most efficient.
So, let’s explore some of the finest AIB variants.
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MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Suprim X
Interface: 3 x Display Port, 1 x HDMIrnBoost Clock: 1965 MHzrnDimensions: L: 338 W: 140 H: 71mm
The Pros:
- Solid designrnHigh-quality materials
The Cons:
- Runs hot with the default BIOS
Suprim X is one of MSI’s top-tier coolers, and it usually ends up only on flagship GPUs like the RTX 3090 Ti or RX 6950 XT. So, how does the MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Suprim X fair?
Pricing
The MSRP of the RTX 3090 Ti is already quite high at $2000, and predictably, MSI increases the price to $2200 for this model. Is the $200 price premium worth it, or should you go with the Founders Edition?
Design
Design-wise we must admit that it is a stunning-looking card. The shroud surrounding the PCB is aluminum, adding to that premium feel and look. But that’s also why it weighs 2146 grams.
It has a considerable heatsink with three fans on top of it, making this a four-slot card.
There’s plentiful RGB to go around if that’s something you’re into.
Performance And Overclocking Capabilities
From the factory, the MSI RTX 3090 Ti Suprim X should clock at 1965 MHz, but it actually boosts higher than that, around 2040 MHz. So is that adequate enough to fork out an additional $200? Well, let’s look at some overclocking.
Based on some reviews we’ve seen and numerous user experiences, the Suprim X can be pushed to 2140 MHz and memory clocks to 1500 MHz. So, realistically, it’s not an especially remarkable OC, but that’s primarily because the power limits are locked on this card.
If you’re an enthusiast of overclocking, we suggest skipping this one.
Thermals And Acoustics
No matter what type of heatsink you attach to an RTX 3090 Ti, it just won’t be adequate. This massive beast requires liquid cooling to control its power draw of 480W.
So, during gaming, the Suprim X jumps to 80 degrees Celsius, and the fans accelerate to 1600 RPM, producing around 32 dBA of perceptible noise.
If you would like to decrease the temperature to the low 70s, select the Gaming BIOS option, as it has a more intense fan pattern. Just remember that the fan noise will rise to around 40 dBA.
EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti FTW3 Ultra
Interface: 3 x Display Port, 1 x HDMIrnBoost Clock: 1920 MHzrnDimensions: L: 300 W:136 H: 3.5 slots
The Pros:
- Great solution for GPU sag (eLeash)rnThree BIOS options
The Cons:
- Questionable design
In this buying guide, we’ll focus primarily on the top-tier AIBs since anything else won’t be sufficient to cool this 480W GPU. That’s why we went with EVGA’s RTX 3090 Ti FTW3 Ultra, their current flagship.
Although there were some signs about a Kingpin variant with liquid cooling, which should be the new flagship.
Pricing
Pricing is identical to the Suprim X at $200, so it seems like the trend is to add a substantial price premium to a top-tier card such as the RTX 3090 Ti.
Design
In terms of size, the RTX 3090 Ti FTW3 Ultra is considerably shorter than MSI’s variant (300mm) and is 3.5 slots wide rather than 4.
However, design-wise, we don’t have a lot of praise. While the carbon-fiber-like black shroud surrounding the fans looks OK, but the ostentatious transparent piece of plastic across the shroud for RGB and the peculiar wavy surface ruins the entire look and feel of the card. But, of course, looks can be subjective.
Although the back looks quite sleek, so if you’re not going for a vertical mount, it’s not that awful.
What’s unique about the RTX 3090 Ti FTW3 Ultra is the “eLeash.” The cable can be hooked on a computer chassis and the GPU to remove GPU sag. It’s a splendid idea and a much neater solution than a support bracket.
Performance And Overclocking Capabilities
Official EVGA specifications put this GPU at 1920 MHz, but in-game, the card swiftly boosts up to 2050MHz+ and averages around that mark. Naturally, this depends on which BIOS is selected.
And thanks to the unlocked power threshold (around 7%), the FTW3 Ultra can be overclocked to around 2170Mhz. Only a minor difference with the Suprim X.
Thermals And Acoustics
This card has three BIOS options: Performance, Standard, and OC. For the optimal thermals, use the default Performance BIOS, which keeps temperatures at 71°C, but noise levels will jump to 44 dBA.
For something quieter and more serene, use the Normal BIOS to go down to 40 dBA. Temperature levels will also rise.
And lastly, utilize the OC BIOS for the maximum clock speeds, without fan disturbance, sound levels up to 44 decibels, and temperature peak at 71 degrees Celsius.
ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 Ti STRIX LC
Interface: 3 x Display Port, 2 x HDMIrnBoost Clock: 1980 MHzrnCard Dimensions: L:293 W:133 H:52 mmrnRadiator Dimensions: L:272 W:121 H:54 mm
The Pros:
- Great design and tons of RGBrnThe best overclocking potential of the bunchrnRuns cool
The Cons:
- Runs loud for a water-cooled GPU
We already mentioned a few times that tackling the immense power draw of NVIDIA’s two-thousand-dollar GPU is not straightforward and that liquid cooling might be the only solution.
Well, ASUS went down that route and made the ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 Ti STRIX LC.
Let’s see how this LC card fares against traditional air-cooled GPUs.
Pricing
Since this is a liquid-cooled card and we’re talking about ASUS, we anticipated a cost much higher than MSI or EVGA. But, surprisingly enough, ASUS’ 3090 Ti STRIX LC is priced at $2200, exactly the same as the other contenders.
Design
Even though this is a water-cooled graphics card, it’s still rather broad, but it takes up only 2.6 slots and is more compact.
The shroud surrounding the one fan is made from plastic, while the back has quite a considerable aluminum back plate. On the card’s side are two tubes that transfer liquid from the water block to the radiator. The 240mm radiator comes with two RGB 120 mm fans.
Performance And Overclocking Capabilities
We expected an aggressive factory overclock on this RTX 3090 Ti since it is water cooled, but out of the box, it boosts to 2050 MHz. A minor difference from the other two contenders in this guide.
However, the user can use that water cooling advantage and overclock this enormous GPU to 2200MHz+. A considerable boost over the stock OC.
Thermals And Acoustics
Now comes the strongest point of any water-cooled GPU, and that’s the temperature. With the default BIOS, temperatures sit at 55°C, but noise levels reach 46-47 dBA.
If users find this unacceptable, we recommend switching over to the Quiet BIOS to drop noise to 38 dBA with a slight increase in temperature to 59°C.
Zotac GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Amp Extreme Holo
Interface: 3 x Display Port, 1 x HDMIrnBoost Clock: 1890 MHzrnDimensions: L:355 W:149 H:63 mm
The Pros:
- Solid designrnNo price premiumrnQuietest RTX 3090 Ti
The Cons:
- No real disadvantages
Zotac’s GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Amp Extreme Holo certainly has a name you’ll have difficulty remembering. However, if you’re amazed by its performance, you’ll have something to recall it by.
Pricing
Unexpectedly, this RTX 3090 Ti should sell at exactly the same price as the Founders Edition, according to Zotac. So, $2000 for an AIB? Not terrible at all.
Design
The plan is not very novel, but it’s quite easy, and we like it. A line that looks like burnt titanium is seen on the side that’s solely for RGB. This is done better than the large RGB plastic from EVGA.
The only downside here is that Zotac’s RTX 3090 Ti is 350mm long, making this the biggest GPU in this guide. The worst part is that the extra length comes from the plastic shroud, which doesn’t add any supplementary functionality.
Performance And Overclocking Capabilities
The RTX 3090 Ti Amp Extreme Holo has the tiniest factory clock speeds at just 1890 MHz. Fortunately, the card boosts up to ~2030 MHz in-game.
Overclocking potential is also held back even though power limits can go up to +10%. So expect an OC around 2140 MHz or fewer.
Still, not bad, considering it’s $200 less expensive than the alternatives.
Thermals And Acoustics
And even though it is the most cost-effective GPU on this guide, it is the quietest one too. That’s right, with the Quiet BIOS selected, noise levels stay at 35 dBA with temperatures sitting around 76°C.
With the default BIOS, temperatures drop to 68°C, and noise levels rise up to 42 dBA. So, still quieter than some other alternatives and fairly cool for a 480W GPU.
Which RTX 3090 Ti Graphics Card Should You Buy?
With four RTX 3090 Ti listed in this buying guide, which one of them should you get?
Well, if you’re looking for a Premier Choice and an overclocking beast, definitely consider the ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 Ti STRIX LC.
If you feel like $2000 is already enough money spent on a GPU, get Zotac’s GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Amp Extreme since it is the Best Worth option.
This doesn’t make the MSI RTX 3090 Suprim X a poor pick. If you find it to be superior design-wise, go for it. It’s a fantastic GPU.
And, if you don’t find EVGA’s design as uninspiring as we did, it is another superb option.
