TLDR Review: GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 4090 Xtreme WATERFORCE Graphics Card
Pros
- •The WATERFORCE Aln-one liquid cooling system, featuring a full 360mm radiator, efficiently keeps both GPU and memory temperatures low, preventing RAM from exceeding 88°C under load.
- •Liquid cooling significantly reduces noise and prevents thermal throttling, making it quieter and cooler than traditional aiooled 4090 cards.
- •Offers flexible fan control options including onboard controller, motherboard connection, and advanced fan management software for precise temperature and noise tuning.
- •With 24GB of GDDR6X VRAM and a 38it memory bus, it easily handles large AI/ML workloads, including running models with 7-8 billion parameters and large token context windows.
- •Performs excellently for local AI frameworks (e.g., ollama, opeebui) without throttle issues and supports Thunderbolt 3/4 with no significant performance loss.
- •Very fast and reliable performance for multimedia work and gaming, capable of max settings at 1080p/60fps, though gaming may be secondary.
- •Installation is straightforward and useriendly, with decent build quality and reputed reliability.
- •Water cooling lowers the internal case temperature, helpful for compact or tightly packed builds.
- •Equipped with multiple ports for external displays and USB devices, expanding versatility.
- •The card is praised for excellent value and meets expectations especially for heavy compute or AI workloads.
Cons
- •Some users report the GPUs not recognized by Windows 11 or device manager initially, often caused by disconnected internal power cables.
- •Customer support availability and responsiveness have been described as very poor or nonexistent.
- •Occasionally produces rattling noises from the case, which can be disruptive unless housed separately.
- •Persistent audio cutouts during use have been reported, requiring workarounds like resetting sample rates or switching devices.
- •Runs hot enough to noticeably heat the room during extended use despite liquid cooling.
- •The included fans on the device sometimes do not activate unless properly configured.
- •May be overkill for purely gaminocused users not leveraging its AI or compute strengths.
Bottom Line
The GIGABYTE AORUS GeForce RTX 4090 Xtreme WATERFORCE 24G is a heavyweight champion for users who need serious GPU power wrapped in an efficient and quiet liquid-cooled package, especially for AI, machine learning, and demanding production workloads. Its versatile fan control and robust VRAM size set it apart, but make sure to double-check power connections to avoid recognition issues. If your focus is strictly gaming, this beast might be more than needed and a traditional air-cooled 4090 could save you some hassle and cost. However, if you want top-notch cooling performance with the quiet operation that comes from a mature AIO liquid cooling design, this card delivers impressively. For users seriously focused on AI workloads with Thunderbolt expansion or multimedia creation under sustained loads, this is an exceptional pick.
Download ShopSavvy App
Compare prices for anything in real-time, set price alerts, watch for deals by keyword, and much more
Install ShopSavvy Browser Extension
Compare and track prices automatically while you shop online at thousands of websites.
Footer 1
Subscribe for Updates
Get the latest news, and updates on ShopSavvy. You'll be glad you did!