Starting with the first of these products, we are looking at a GeForce RTX 4070 prototype designed to eliminate the risk posed by improperly inserted 16-pin ATX 3.0 power supply connectors. While MSI bets on special cables that show a bright yellow color when not tight enough, Asus eliminates them entirely by using a new rigid connector on the board capable of supplying up to 600W of power.
According to publish WCCFTech, which has discovered the prototype at the Asus booth (the company doesn’t even include it in its list of novelties for the fair), the card is installed in a specially equipped TUF Z790 motherboard with a single power connector, located next to the PCIe 4.0×16. Initially the board accepts graphics cards of conventional design, since the power connector does not protrude above the PCIe. Ideally, compatible graphics cards will also have a 16-pin connector to ensure they work with traditional motherboards, but that’s something we’ll find out when the time comes.
Although it is described as a concept design, Asus seems to have taken the development of this connector very seriously and will release more information about its capabilities closer to its commercial release.
ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090: all-in-one liquid cooling for the fastest 4090
On the other hand, Asus has unveiled the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090, described as the fastest consumer RTX card in the world. Carefully designed, it is fully encapsulated by its own “all-in-one” liquid cooling system, connected in turn to a group of three fans on a 360mm radiator to expel the heat generated during operation. The thermal paste used is liquid metal to promote heat exchange.
While Asus has no qualms about labeling it the fastest GeForce RTX 4090 card out there, the company hasn’t provided any numbers to give context to this claim. We only know that the chips have been specially selected by the company and that the card will go on sale in the form of a limited series in the third quarter of 2023. The price will undoubtedly be very considerable.