Over the last few days, the news has been all about NVIDIA’s new graphics cards. Between stock-outs, raffles organised to buy them, drivers that crack the cards and cables that melt, these cards have been the talk of the town. However, the older generation is not to be outdone, as we learn that an RTX 4090 ran at 20°C under full load. How did this happen? By being connected to an air conditioner!
An RTX 4090 connected to an air conditioner = 20°C under load!
In broad terms, the RTX 4090 is the most powerful graphics card in the RTX 40 range. It offers colossal performance and high power consumption (we’re talking 450 here). However, all that power has to be cooled, and that’s where a designer on Bilibili comes in, with the idea of connecting the card to an air-conditioning unit. The latter has a power of 12,000 BTUs and offers an exchange surface equivalent to that of nine 360 mm watercooling radiators.
Of course, such a connection required major modifications, but the results are there. In fact, at full load on Furmark, the card boasts a dream temperature of around 20°C!
Secondly, we learn that the creator would have liked to try the experiment with an RTX 5090, but unfortunately this is only available in very limited numbers. What’s more, in its Founders Edition version, there’s no compatible waterblock yet, given the card’s design. That’s what we told you here. In fact, the triple PCB of the Founders Edition may impose too many constraints on waterblock designers, which could result in high purchase costs. The operation may not be profitable, which is why we only find blocks for custom and reference boards… Which differs from the Founders Edition design.