NVIDIA’s latest graphics card family, the GeForce 40 series, and its top model, the GeForce RTX 4090, are the envy of gamers not only for its performance but also for its symbolism. This is because it is the best way to run the latest PC games with all the best technology in the smoothest way possible.
Zotac GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity OC White Edition / Source = IT Donga
No matter which GeForce RTX 4090 product you choose, the performance will definitely be strong, but consumers who purchase a product of this level are bound to pay attention to small ‘details’. If it provides even slightly better performance and higher stability, as well as a more unique design or additional functions, it is the icing on the cake.
The ‘ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity OC D6X 24GB White Edition’ to be introduced this time is also a product aimed at these consumers. In addition to the powerful performance of the GeForce RTX 4090, let’s take a look at the features of this product, which is differentiated with a powerful cooling system based on ‘Ice Storm 3.0’, a dual BIOS structure that balances performance and quietness, and a unique appearance including RGB LED.
Show off your presence with a unique cooling system
The ZOTAC GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity White has the same configuration and performance as the previously released ZOTAC GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity, but the external color has been changed to expand the range of choices. The product size is 356.1×150.1×71.4 (length, width, thickness) mm, which is not much different from similar products sold on the market. We recommend combining it with a PC case that is large enough to accommodate the length of 35.6cm and the thickness of 3 slots.
It has a significant presence thanks to the thickness of 3 slots and the pure white cooler / Source = IT Donga
The thing that stands out the most in the appearance of the product is, of course, the cooler. In addition to the three large fans (two 110mm, one 100mm), the large heat sink that almost fills the inside of the cooler is impressive. However, the thickness of the aluminum fins that make up the heat sink is very thin, so it is effective in dissipating heat, and it is equipped with nine precision-machined copper heathypes, so a high heat dissipation effect can be expected.
It has a thick heat sink composed of aluminum fins and heat pipes made of copper with nickel plating. / Source = IT Donga
In addition, a vapor chamber that quickly circulates heat through fluid circulation was placed above the heat sink, and nickel plating was added to the copper material to increase cooling efficiency. The overall cooler composition is based on ‘ICE STORM 3.0’, a cooling technology emphasized by ZOTAC.
Dual BIOS system for performance or quietness
When cooling performance is high, the cooling fan rotation speed increases and quietness is often impaired, but the ZOTAC GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity White alleviates such concerns. The fan’s rotation speed is automatically adjusted according to the current system usage, and the fan can be completely stopped when idle or under low load (web surfing, etc.), creating a quiet environment. In addition, an anti-vibration pad is installed inside the cooler, and among the three fans, only the middle fan rotates in the opposite direction, so a high vibration dispersion effect can be expected.
Equipped with a dual BIOS switch button that switches between two operation modes / Source = IT Donga
Another additional feature related to performance and quietness is the dual BIOS function. BIOS is a type of internal firmware that determines the basic operating policy of the product, and the ZOTAC GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity White can switch between two modes of BIOS through the button next to the auxiliary power port at the top. By pressing this, you can select between Amplify mode, which pursues the GeForce RTX 4090’s inherent high performance, and Quiet mode, which pursues higher quietness.
Personality and performance as you wish, ‘Firestorm’ exclusive software
Visual satisfaction is increased with RGB LEDs that shine in various colors / Source = IT Donga
And on the top of the cooler, RGB LEDs that emit various lights were installed. You can change the color, brightness, and glowing pattern of the RGB LED using ZOTAC’s dedicated software, Fire Storm, and connect the separately sold RGB LED strip (a type of line lighting) to the graphics card to set the same LED mode as the graphics card. It is also possible to set it to shine. It also provides a conversion cable that can be connected to the 3-pin ARGB header on the motherboard, so it will be useful when you want to visually tune the inside of your PC by synchronizing with other RGB peripherals.
‘Firestorm’ software that can control RGB LED and clock, fan speed, voltage, etc. / Source = IT Donga
For reference, in addition to controlling the RGB LED, Firestorm also provides functions that allow you to change or monitor the clock speed, voltage, and cooling fan rotation speed of the GPU and memory. Of course, there will be no problem using the product even if you do not use it, but advanced users who are looking to further improve performance with their own tuning method will find it interesting.
Backplate and included accessories for added durability and stability
The backplate on the back of the graphics card is also unique. The entire plate is made of metal using an integrated die-cast method, and is firmly fixed with a retention bracket, so high strength and durability can be expected. If a large graphics card is used for a long time, the board may bend, so the role of the backplate is very important. In addition, a support bar installed inside the PC case to support the weight of the graphics card is provided as standard, reducing concerns about damage to the motherboard slot due to long-term use.
High durability can be expected by installing a die-cast metal backplate on the back / Source = IT Donga
High-performance graphics cards such as the GeForce RTX 4090 also consume high power, so stable power supply is important. This product also requires a high power of 450W (a power supply rated at 1000W or higher is recommended), and for this purpose, it is equipped with a 16-pin 12VHPWR auxiliary power port. It would be standard to combine such a graphics card with an ATX 3.0 standard power supply that can supply 12VHPWR power in a native manner, but there are still more users of existing power supplies of the ATX 2.0 standard. To this end, the ZOTAC GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity White provides a conversion cable that changes four existing PCIe 8-pin auxiliary power ports to one 12VHPWR port. Even users of existing power supplies will be able to use the product without any major problems.
Included graphics card support (left) and auxiliary power conversion cable (right) / Source = IT Donga
Current highest level of gaming performance, further enhanced with AI
ZOTAC GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity White is a unique product in many ways, but the most notable thing is the GPU, which is the core of the graphics card. The GeForce RTX 40 series GPU installed in this product applies Nvidia’s latest architecture, Ada Lovelace, and among them, the top model, GeForce RTX 4090, has 76 billion transistors and 16,384 CUDA cores. It was. Based on this, it demonstrates a shader processing capacity of 83 teraflops, which is more than twice that of the previous generation product. It is by far the best performance among GPUs for gaming graphics cards that the general public can buy.
GeForce RTX 4090 GPU based on Ada Lovelace architecture / Source = NVIDIA
And the GeForce 40 series features a 4th generation Tensor core that delivers up to twice the AI performance of the previous generation product. Thanks to this, it is worth noting that NVIDIA DLSS technology, which corrects low-resolution images to high resolution through AI (artificial intelligence), has been greatly strengthened. The DLSS 3.0 technology applied to this product can correct not only the resolution but also the frame rate per second through AI.
For example, applying DLSS 3.0 to a game that runs at 60 frames per second at full HD resolution means that you can experience high quality at 120 frames per second at 4K resolution.
Principle of DLSS 3.0 technology that simultaneously improves resolution and frame rate / Source = NVIDIA
However, since the performance resources consumed to run the game do not increase much, it is possible to simultaneously pursue improved game quality and power consumption efficiency. Not all games support DLSS technology yet, and in particular, the number of games that support DLSS 3.0 is even smaller. However, if more games support DLSS 3.0 in the future, the usability of GeForce 40 series graphics cards, including the GeForce RTX 4090, will increase further.
It is also equipped with a 3rd generation RT core that demonstrates up to twice the ray tracing processing power of the previous generation product. Ray tracing is a technology that can express more realistic light in games, but it requires a lot of performance resources, making it difficult to enjoy the game smoothly with ray tracing enabled. However, if you use the GeForce RTX 4090, you will be able to lessen those concerns.
In order to smoothly bring out the increased performance of the GPU, a 24GB GDDR6X standard high-speed memory has been combined, and a 384-bit memory interface can be used to expect excellent data processing capabilities.
The original NVIDIA reference (standard) standard GeForce RTX 4090 GPU exhibits a boost clock of up to 2520MHz, but the ZOTAC GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity White is shipped tuned to a higher boost clock specification of 2535MHz. You can expect better graphics performance compared to similar products.
Equipped with 3 DP (1.4a) and 1 HDMI (2.1) / Source = IT Donga
The output interface also clearly reveals the characteristics of the product. It is equipped with a total of 4 video/audio output interfaces, including 3 Display Ports (DP) and 1 HDMI port. In particular, DP complies with the 1.4a standard and HDMI complies with the 2.1 standard, so the performance of high-performance display devices such as 4K resolution/120Hz refresh rate and 8K resolution/60Hz refresh rate can be utilized to the fullest extent.
Top-notch performance, impressive DLSS 3.0 technology
I conducted a simple test to evaluate the performance of the product. The test system is a Windows 11-based PC combining an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X processor, 32GB DDR5 memory, and a Gigabyte X670E Aorus Master motherboard.
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X-based system used for performance testing / Source = IT Donga
The score was measured by running 3DMark software, which can measure the system’s game playing ability. In Time Spy mode, which can achieve the performance of active games based on Direct ) was recorded. And in Port Royal mode, which measures ray tracing processing ability, it recorded 26556 points.
Performance score measured in 3DMark time spy mode / Source = IT Donga
The results of all three test modes recorded the highest scores among the graphics cards we have tested so far, which means that the ZOTAC GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity White can smoothly run most games currently in service in 2023 even at the highest options. means.
So, how much performance can you experience in actual games? The game used in this test was ‘Cyberpunk 2077.’ Although it is not the latest, it is still classified as a game that requires fairly high system performance, and has been continuously updated until recently to support advanced technologies such as ray tracing and DLSS 3.0, making it suitable for testing graphics card performance. In these tests, if an average of 30 FPS (frames per second) or more is recorded, the game is usually classified as being able to play without major inconvenience, and if it is 60 FPS or more, it is often classified as being able to play the game very smoothly.
‘Cyberpunk 2077’ is a game that supports many of the latest technologies such as ray tracing and DLSS 3.0 / Source = IT Donga
After running Cyberpunk 2077 and setting the screen resolution to 4K (3840×2160) and the graphics options to ‘Ultra’, I ran the benchmark mode provided within the game and recorded an average of 83.26 FPS (frames per second), with ray tracing enabled. In one state, it recorded an average of 43.52 FPS. It is definitely a good score and does not interfere with playing the game smoothly, but some users may not be satisfied with this level.
When DLSS 3.0 is activated, it can run at 147.36 FPS even in the 4K+ ray tracing option / Source = IT Donga
However, by activating DLSS, I was able to experience improved performance beyond my expectations. The graphics option recorded an average of 169.18 FPS with Ultra+DLSS and 147.36 FPS with Ultra+Ray Tracing+DLSS. Even with DLSS enabled, there was no noticeable decrease in image quality, and what is most impressive is that the game runs very smoothly even with ray tracing enabled.
GeForce RTX 4090, noteworthy details and additional features of each product
The high performance of the GeForce RTX 4090 is already well known among gamers. As a result, the preference is high and various manufacturers have introduced various products to the market. Most prices are in the low to mid 2 million won range. In this situation, differences in even the smallest details can quickly become the basis for selection.
Zotac GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity OC White Edition / Source = IT Donga
The fundamental performance of the Zotac GeForce RTX 4090 Trinity White is not much different from other GeForce RTX 4090s. However, it differentiates itself from other products in terms of additional features including an advanced cooling system, dual BIOS, and dedicated software, and the product color is also a white edition product, which is not commonly seen in the market. Consumers who want to enjoy most of the existing games at the highest quality, but who also have a desire to pursue unique individuality, should pay attention to this product.
Donga.com IT specialist reporter Kim Young-woo [email protected]
