Best Nvidia RTX 4090 graphics card in 2023 – top GPUs for gaming

After seeing a few GPUs drop below MSRP, now’s a great time to pick up the best RTX 4090 graphics card. Now that stock levels have returned to normal for the 4090, we’re looking at partner boards from manufacturers including ASUS and MSI.

With the Founder’s Edition in mind, we’ve picked graphics cards offering the best value, cooling and performance that have the edge. So, whether you’re a big spender, or more budget-conscious gamer we’ll hopefully have something for you. Expect to see top RGB picks, excellent cable management and more. Let’s jump to it.

Best budget RTX 4090 graphics card – MSI Gaming X Trio RTX 4090

Just to be extra clear – potential buyers shouldn’t expect a bargain with the MSI RTX 4090 Gaming X Trio. It’s still an expensive card, like all other 4090s. You’ve also got to factor in whether or not you’ve got the best CPU for RTX 4090.

This card performs pretty closely to the Founder’s Edition as an entry level graphics card. It’s a quad slot graphics card which is pretty massive, though not the largest we’ve seen. We like how it features three PC brackets which allows you to mount the card at the back.

Similarly, this card features RGB which is great for the RGB fans out there who want something a little more flashy for their gaming setup.

We’re a little disappointed that this card only features one HDMI port. This shouldn’t be a problem if you’re only planning to connect a single monitor to your graphics card.

Overall, it’s a powerful graphics card that is one of the cheapest we’ve seen.

Best RTX 4090 for ITX and compact cases – MSI RTX 4090 Suprim Liquid X

The MSI Suprim Liquid X is a good alternative to the Founder’s Edition and ASUS ROG Strix card. It stands out from the rest for a few reasons.

First, instead of a massive heatsink, it uses an external radiator which keeps the card a more reasonable size, at two slots thick. It’s still worth taking a look at the best PC cases for RTX 4090 and ensuring there’s enough clearance for a 240mm radiator, but overall this card avoids the monstrous look of say, the ASUS ROG edition.

We’re also big fans of its beautiful aluminum backplate and minimalist design which features customizable RGB lighting. You can either keep the lighting as the default white light or customize it in an array of colours.

Some might also like this graphics card for its clean design that lacks the messy cables seen on other liquid cooling cards.

Other features include a dual-bios switch, and a MSI mousepad.

Overall, we recommend choosing this card over the Founder’s Edition if you value a clean and quiet graphics card.

Best RTX 4090 graphics card for performance – ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC Edition

This flagship model takes the Founder’s Edition performance even further, though not without a few caveats.

This is one hefty card, and is easily the heaviest RTX 4090 card on the market. It’s also one of the largest, and worth being aware that you’ll need to vertically mount the card if you want to see the front design.

In terms of performance, this card is beastly, and can handle 120FPS at 4K. It pairs excellently with a 244Hz monitor

Not everyone rates the red and blue colour design on this card since its difficult to match to existing PC setups. However, we quite like its distinctness, and with a boost clock of 2610MHz, it’s difficult to hate on it.

The power comes from the same 16pin cable used with the Founder’s Edition card which is alright, but we recommend investing in a longer cable that will help with cable management. It’s worth adding that you’ll probably be fine if you already have an 850W power supply, though if you’re buying a new one, definitely go for one of the best PSUs for 4090 to help future-proof your setup.

ASUS has been generous with the connectivity ports, featuring 3 DisplayPort and 2 HDMI connections, which is more than most other RTX 4090 cards.

Frequently asked questions

We understand there are plenty of queries that need to be addressed before investing in a new graphics card, so we’ve done our best to answer them here.

Is the RTX 4090 overkill for 1440p?

Considering the 4090’s predecessor, the 3090, sometimes struggles at 1440p in some titles, the 4090 isn’t overkill for 1440p. That being said, you’ll need to make sure it doesn’t bottleneck your CPU if you want to get the most out of your card.

Is the RTX 4090 future-proof?

The term future-proof is a dubious one given manufacturers like Nvidia and AMD are always releasing newer cards. However, the RTX 4090 is probably the best graphics card you can get for FPS.