An enormous-looking RTX 4090 Ti has resurfaced, but do we even need it?

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(Image credit: DANIEL CONSTANTE via Shutterstocks)

We may have our first look at the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Ti’s heatsink and shroud, thanks to a couple of leaked images. And it is massive.

The two leaked images of the possible graphics card showcase just how large it, as well as its impressive quad-slot cooler, could be. The possible existence of the Nvidia RTX 4090 Ti has been a subject of debate since 2022. But these images, provided by Twitter user VallahExperte and claimed to be from the second-hand market website for PC hardware Goofish, is yet another piece of evidence that it is coming.

The second image especially gives us a shot of the card and cooler next to the RTX 4090 Founders Edition, which looks positively svelte compared to the 4090 Ti. According to PCGamesN, this matches previously leaked photos, “both featuring the card’s distinctive PCIe power positioning.” However, what we’re actually seeing could be the standard RTX 4090 Ti, a Titan, or something else entirely.

Naturally, this is all still unconfirmed by Nvidia, so take these images and any other leaks with a large pinch of salt.

Is an RTX 4090 Ti even worth it? 

Rumors have been circulating around the RTX 4090 Ti since 2022. There was even speculation that its development got canned due to ridiculously high power consumption, which would make sense since the RTX 4090, one of the best graphics cards on the market right now, is already well-known as a power hog.

But a leak from January 2023 from well-known Twitter leaker Kopite7kimi reveals that the revamped flagship GPU could be running with 18,176 CUDA Cores while featuring 24GB of GDDR6X VRAM (running at 24Gbps) and a total board power usage of around 600W. The 4090 Ti is also said to use the same board as the RTX 4090, which wouldn’t be surprising.

This had coincided with another Twitter leaker MEGAsizeGPU leaking images that supposedly shows us an RTX Titan. According to said rumors, it would be a four-slot behemoth that pushes power usage up to 800W using the same AD102 GPU and doubles up the video memory of the RTX 4090 to 48GB.

Of course, the real question remains? Would this massive size and power consumption increase even be worth the price or deliver on improved performance? The RTX 4090 is already extremely powerful, so it’s hard to imagine something giving more than a 15% increase in performance. 

In my opinion, it's not worth it at all especially considering how pricey this generation has gotten in terms of components. I think that if Nvidia were to release more cards in the 4000 series, they should be the more budget options instead. We need a break from overly expensive cards.

If you're looking for an affordable GPU, our picks of the best cheap graphics cards should have something within your budget.

Allisa James
Computing Staff Writer

Named by the CTA as a CES 2023 Media Trailblazer, Allisa is a Computing Staff Writer who covers breaking news and rumors in the computing industry, as well as reviews, hands-on previews, featured articles, and the latest deals and trends. In her spare time you can find her chatting it up on her two podcasts, Megaten Marathon and Combo Chain, as well as playing any JRPGs she can get her hands on.