Zotac shows off thickest RTX 3090 Ti graphics card yet

Tudor Cibean

Posts: 182   +11
Staff
Why it matters: High-end graphics cards have been getting more and more power-hungry for the past few years. It's why manufacturers have to upsize their coolers to match if they want to keep temperatures and noise under control. Zotac has done just that with their latest release.

Zotac's new RTX 3090 Ti PGF OC is the chunkiest RTX 3090 Ti model on the market right now, employing a 3.6-slot cooler to keep Nvidia's latest and greatest GPU under control.

While measuring an enormous 73mm in thickness, the rest of its dimensions are relatively tame. It's only 309mm long, making it 4mm shorter than Nvidia's Founders Edition, while its width lies at 139mm, 1mm more than the FE.

The PGF OC features a triple-fan cooler with RGB lighting on the shroud and backplate. There's also a cutout in the PCB for airflow to pass through. To keep this heavy card from sagging, Zotac includes a VGA support bracket in the box, along with a 16-pin to 3 x 8-pin power adapter.

The card has a factory-overclocked boost clock of 1890 Mhz, though the default power limit is 'just' 450W, the same as reference designs. There's no mention of the maximum power limit, although it should land around 495W, just like its cousin, the AMP Extreme Holo.

Unfortunately, the Zotac RTX 3090 Ti PGF OC is a China-exclusive for now, with pricing still being unknown. If you're looking for a similarly oversized graphics card to fill your case, check out the Asus RTX 3070 Noctua Edition.

Make sure to check out our review of the RTX 3090 Ti, a card we called fast and dumb for offering just ~10% more performance than the RTX 3090 while costing 33% more and consuming ~30% more power.

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If they'd just build these things with an AIO like Kingpin models and Hybrid models, there would be no need to take up 3 or more slots and thermals wouldn't be an issue. Give it an AIO with a 360mm fan radiator.

I have a Dell 800 Watt PSU and an EVGA 1000 Watt PSU, so I'm not worried about accommodating the 4090.

But, I refuse to buy another card unless it has a built in AIO.

I only hope crypto and NFT trash plummet and burn so we needn't worry about inflation of cards in the future.
 
If they'd just build these things with an AIO like Kingpin models and Hybrid models, there would be no need to take up 3 or more slots and thermals wouldn't be an issue. Give it an AIO with a 360mm fan radiator.

I have a Dell 800 Watt PSU and an EVGA 1000 Watt PSU, so I'm not worried about accommodating the 4090.

But, I refuse to buy another card unless it has a built in AIO.

I only hope crypto and NFT trash plummet and burn so we needn't worry about inflation of cards in the future.

Why would you want a cheap AIO on your GPU. You will hear the pump and whine outside of 3D. An aircooled card emits 0dB outside of 3D.

I friend of mine had a R9 Fury X on water. Noise levels were decent in 3D but when he was working, he could hear the card all the time. He ended up selling it as a result.

I have yet to see a GPU with AIO which uses a quality pump meaning >20dB idle, most are 25-35dB idle, some even more and whine can occur (and mostly will over the years)
 
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Why would you want a cheap AIO on your GPU. You will hear the pump and whine outside of 3D. An aircooled card emits 0dB outside of 3D.

I friend of mine had a R9 Fury X on water. Noise levels were decent in 3D but when he was working, he could hear the card all the time. He ended up selling it as a result.

I have yet to see a GPU with AIO which uses a quality pump meaning >20dB idle, most are 25-35dB idle, some even more and whine can occur (and mostly will over the years)


#1 I have a 3090 FTW3 in a large Alienware Triad case that has an Alienware AIO on the CPU. I have no issues whatsoever with fan noise and I've slept with my computer on.

#2 The AIO built into Hybrid models - especially by EVGA are not problematic at all. Not to mention, warrantied.
 
Soon we'll have two separate boxes, one for the GPU with its own PSU, the other for the rest of the components.
 
Soon we'll have two separate boxes, one for the GPU with its own PSU, the other for the rest of the components.
In my country there's a saying "No avives giles", which means don't give any great or crazy ideas to people that might actually apply them. Who knows? Maybe some ceo reads this comment and think it's a good idea and we end up buying separate cases for cpu and gpus... Just imagine how annoying that would be.
 
#1 I have a 3090 FTW3 in a large Alienware Triad case that has an Alienware AIO on the CPU. I have no issues whatsoever with fan noise and I've slept with my computer on.

#2 The AIO built into Hybrid models - especially by EVGA are not problematic at all. Not to mention, warrantied.

Well my PC is >20dB idle and outside of gaming, you might accept higher noise output, I don't. Every single cheap AIO will emit high noise output even when RPM on pump is "low" - which is still 1000+ RPMs in most cases.

Find me ONE SINGLE review that says otherwise. Those cheap AIO pumps always are loud, unless you are deaf.

Aircooled cards go to 0dB when idle. Cards with AIO never goes below 25dB because of pump noise. Most of them are in the 30-35dB range when idle. That is just insanely high. Unacceptable for me.

I have a semi passive PSU, fan pretty much never turn on even during gaming. Full SSD, no HHDs and GPU with fans off below 60C and Noctua fans running at 500RPM idle, which is prety much almost inaudible, yet pushes air.

I care about noise output alot. You might not care as much, but I do. AIO always mean weird noises and high idle noise output. No pump is inaudible. Not even the real expensive ones used for custom watercooling, which I have done plenty of builds with.

And most often GPUs cooled with AIOs have poor memory cooling. This is especially true for cards using GDDR6X memory, which can exceed 100C easily, and even worse for dual memory chips like 3090 has. I bet the memory is hotter than the GPU on your EVGA Hybrid ;) ALOT hotter.

EVGA even forgot thermal tape for the memory on tons of cards 😂

I have had several water cooled cards in the past, but using custom high-end parts and fullblocks. I will never buy a GPU with a cheap AIO that is for sure. 2-3 years of warrenty on AIO cooled cards is a joke really. Needs at least 5+

Most cheap AIOs begin to make weird noises after a few years... drippping sounds inside, pump issues etc. Leak is not that common, but can happen. Warrenty, great, but what about your entire system and data on it if water spills over the motherboard lol. Often second hand prices is lower on cards with AIO, because people know all this.

A friend of mine actually lost his entire system because of an EVGA AIO CPU cooler a few years back... EVGA gave him a new cooler but refused to pay anything else lol, his motherboard, soundcard, cpu, memory, psu and nvme ssd died, GPU lived tho


;)
 
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If you need your GPU to be watercooled, most likely you also need your CPU watercooled... at this point, AIO is less practical as you need 2 separate radiators...

If you MUST go water, then a custom loop is probably the better option... EKWB makes great stuff, but there's plenty of competition...
 
So nVidia and Zotac are going fasterer and dumberer. 🤣

IMO, this trend is stupidity incarnate. To me, it seems like nVidia is pushing the limits of the current gen silicon without justification except to sell more cards to those who cannot live without bragging rights. IMO, they have far surpassed "Just because you can does not mean you should" to the point where they profusely exhibit IDGAF on a regular basis as long as it puts money in the bank.
 
Absolutely aberrant where the GPUs are heading in terms of bigger size, power consumption, heat and price!

Makes me vomit.

When the 250W GPU tier disappears or costs more than $600 (MSRP), then I know it's time for me to stop upgrading my PC for gaming and switch to consoles completely.
 
Well my PC is >20dB idle and outside of gaming, you might accept higher noise output, I don't. Every single cheap AIO will emit high noise output even when RPM on pump is "low" - which is still 1000+ RPMs in most cases.

Find me ONE SINGLE review that says otherwise. Those cheap AIO pumps always are loud, unless you are deaf.

Aircooled cards go to 0dB when idle. Cards with AIO never goes below 25dB because of pump noise. Most of them are in the 30-35dB range when idle. That is just insanely high. Unacceptable for me.

I have a semi passive PSU, fan pretty much never turn on even during gaming. Full SSD, no HHDs and GPU with fans off below 60C and Noctua fans running at 500RPM idle, which is prety much almost inaudible, yet pushes air.

I care about noise output alot. You might not care as much, but I do. AIO always mean weird noises and high idle noise output. No pump is inaudible. Not even the real expensive ones used for custom watercooling, which I have done plenty of builds with.

And most often GPUs cooled with AIOs have poor memory cooling. This is especially true for cards using GDDR6X memory, which can exceed 100C easily, and even worse for dual memory chips like 3090 has. I bet the memory is hotter than the GPU on your EVGA Hybrid ;) ALOT hotter.

EVGA even forgot thermal tape for the memory on tons of cards 😂

I have had several water cooled cards in the past, but using custom high-end parts and fullblocks. I will never buy a GPU with a cheap AIO that is for sure. 2-3 years of warrenty on AIO cooled cards is a joke really. Needs at least 5+

Most cheap AIOs begin to make weird noises after a few years... drippping sounds inside, pump issues etc. Leak is not that common, but can happen. Warrenty, great, but what about your entire system and data on it if water spills over the motherboard lol. Often second hand prices is lower on cards with AIO, because people know all this.

A friend of mine actually lost his entire system because of an EVGA AIO CPU cooler a few years back... EVGA gave him a new cooler but refused to pay anything else lol, his motherboard, soundcard, cpu, memory, psu and nvme ssd died, GPU lived tho


;)



So much wrong here I don't know where to start:

#1 The AIO liquid cooler fluid is "distilled water" or a glycol mix. You think they didn't think of a possible spill? The fluid is non conductive of electricity.

#2 Warranty means exactly that. If it breaks or wears out, I can "return it" and get a "new one" or "my money back".

#3 I'd like to see evidence regarding the EVGA AIO, but I probably won't get it.

Suffice to say, I use my credit card warranty to cover my purchases.

I have not had a single issue in 15 years of buying equipment.

And as far as "noise".

My computer is quiet enough.
 
If this goes on our PCs will be filled with graphics card! I guess many ATX case owners don't mind too much, but it is important that slimmer models remain to be available for other usecases. Currently without any additional cards I could live with this Zotac's behemoth, but I really prefer lighter weight and also appreciate effectiveness in cooler design. I think it's waste of material and a tad lazy to just slam more and more metal on top. I encourage to buy reasonable solutions rather than the chunkiest thing you find, even if it would top the cooling performance charts by one or two celsius'.
 
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So much wrong here I don't know where to start:

#1 The AIO liquid cooler fluid is "distilled water" or a glycol mix. You think they didn't think of a possible spill? The fluid is non conductive of electricity.

#2 Warranty means exactly that. If it breaks or wears out, I can "return it" and get a "new one" or "my money back".

#3 I'd like to see evidence regarding the EVGA AIO, but I probably won't get it.

Suffice to say, I use my credit card warranty to cover my purchases.

I have not had a single issue in 15 years of buying equipment.

And as far as "noise".

My computer is quiet enough.
So much wrong here I don't know where to start:

#1 The AIO liquid cooler fluid is "distilled water" or a glycol mix. You think they didn't think of a possible spill? The fluid is non conductive of electricity.

#2 Warranty means exactly that. If it breaks or wears out, I can "return it" and get a "new one" or "my money back".

#3 I'd like to see evidence regarding the EVGA AIO, but I probably won't get it.

Suffice to say, I use my credit card warranty to cover my purchases.

I have not had a single issue in 15 years of buying equipment.

And as far as "noise".

My computer is quiet enough.

Exactly what evidence do you need? Are you saying AIO or custom water cooling can't leak and or destroy internal electronics? They have and will again. Kudos for your years of not having issues but lets not act like your experience is the same for everyone else.
 
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These top tier graphics cards, the 3090 Ti, is becoming so incredibly obscene in terms of price/performance, practicality, power usage, and price, that you might as well be reading Automobile Monthly and suddenly instead of showing the next Ford or Fiat, they start only talking about the new Bugatti Veyron or Lamborghini Urus.

this is the HyperCard of the PC Industry. it is not for common people so stop bringing it in the news of common people. Thanks.
 
This is getting ridiculous. Anyone remember in the early 2000's people would run 2 power supplies? if this keeps going we might start seeing that again.
 
#1 I have a 3090 FTW3 in a large Alienware Triad case that has an Alienware AIO on the CPU. I have no issues whatsoever with fan noise and I've slept with my computer on.

#2 The AIO built into Hybrid models - especially by EVGA are not problematic at all. Not to mention, warrantied.
First of all, an alienware case? alienware AIO? Ewww sude, you brag about your 3090s then admit you use trash like that?

#2, AIO warranties mean **** all. air coolers ALSO come with the same warranty in most cases, if they fail they dont destroy other parts of the PC, and as fury X users can attest to, after 4-5 years most AIO loops go EOL as the fluid gradually dissipates and these pre made AIOs are NOT designed to be fixed or refilled easily.

GPU lifetimes are already being forcibly extended by high prices, kneecapping them with an AIO makes little sense unless you are a water enthusiast. Especially something like a 360mm aio, which many cases cannot accommodate.
So much wrong here I don't know where to start:

#1 The AIO liquid cooler fluid is "distilled water" or a glycol mix. You think they didn't think of a possible spill? The fluid is non conductive of electricity.
Holy pot calling kettle black batman....

yeah, glycol NEVER damages PC components. Just ask the mac G5 users who had glycol cooling systems and found out one day their $5000 machines had their CPU boards corroded by leaking glycol........oh wait.
When my 6900XT dies, I will move to Stadia. To buy new graphics cards makes no sense.
Dude no matter how bad diabetes may be I'd never willingly trade it for AIDS.

Also lets be real here NOBODY with the money and drive to buy a 3090 tier card would be pleased by the 720p Xbox one tier video quality of stadia.
These top tier graphics cards, the 3090 Ti, is becoming so incredibly obscene in terms of price/performance, practicality, power usage, and price, that you might as well be reading Automobile Monthly and suddenly instead of showing the next Ford or Fiat, they start only talking about the new Bugatti Veyron or Lamborghini Urus.

this is the HyperCard of the PC Industry. it is not for common people so stop bringing it in the news of common people. Thanks.
If you dont like looking a HyperCards stop commenting and reading articles about Hypercards. Thanks.
 
#1 I have a 3090 FTW3 in a large Alienware Triad case that has an Alienware AIO on the CPU. I have no issues whatsoever with fan noise and I've slept with my computer on.

#2 The AIO built into Hybrid models - especially by EVGA are not problematic at all. Not to mention, warrantied.
We should see more AIO models over time given how power hungry GPUs are becoming. But I have to say, I am not a fan of AIO cooler as well because of the fact there are more points of failure than good old air cooling. The problem with most CLC/ AIO coolers we see in the market is the use of noisy fans. The fans pushes a lot of air, but generally at the expense of noise. CPU wise, we generally don’t see temps hitting 80s with a good AIO cooler, so fans may not be running at full speed. But on GPUs, 80+ is common. And usually at this sort of temps, the fan curve would force the fan to run at full if not close to full speed. That is when it will get really noisy.
 
Honestly, who cares how thick this card is (not a knock to the article but rather some of the comments)? Is anyone planning to store dishes in the extra space in their case lol? If you're buying this card, you already have a mid or full size tower, not a Dell office rig.

One can always find stories of someone's AIO leaking, thanks to the internet. One can also find stories of someone being swallowed by a python.

The point is, it's extremely rare- and the odds of it happening to you or anyone you know are slim to none. It's 2022; they've got it figured out. And let's not forget about user error: crimped hoses, hoses pulled too tight which causes failure at the connection points, etc.

Both my cpu and gpu (EVGA 1080Ti Hybrid) have AIOs, and I'm not worried in the least. And as I sit here typing this, I can't hear either one at all. Also, like most gamers, I wear headphones when gaming so I don't notice if or when the fans ramp up anyway.

BTW this is one of the best looking gpus I've ever seen.
 
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Evga has the 3080 xc3 ultra hybrid at $1299 12 gig version in stock as well as the 3080ti ftw3 hybrid at $1479 in stock FYI. Some consider these 4 slot cards the Ferrari of graphics cards 😂.
 
When my 6900XT dies, I will move to Stadia. To buy new graphics cards makes no sense.
Yep who wouldn't want 10x the input latency than a dedicated PC because bigger is better. You maximize your death to kill ratio and maximize your head shot! I love it!
 
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