Gigabyte Shrinks Cooler, Relocates 16-Pin Connector on Revised RTX 4090
Gigabyte (via Twitter user) vector) has quietly revised its branded GeForce RTX 4090 WindForce 24G graphics card. The V2 model features a more compact design with the 16-pin power connector ported to the back of the graphics card instead of the side.
The manufacturer has improved the cooler for the GeForce RTX 4090 WindForce 24G. The WindForce cooling system, which consists of a large copper plate, nine composite copper heat pipes and three 100mm cooling fans, is still present. The aesthetics are different, but what’s more notable is that Gigabyte has optimized the design of the cooler, making it significantly more compact.
However, gigabytes did not reduce the length of graphics cards. The GeForce RTX 4090 WindForce 24G and GeForce RTX 4090 WindForce V2 24G are still 13 inches (331 mm) long. However, the latter are not as wide or tall as the regular ones. With the GeForce RTX 4090 WindForce V2 24G, Gigabyte has shrunk the width from 5.9 inches (150mm) to 5.4 inches (136mm), equivalent to a 9% reduction.
Like many custom GeForce RTX 4090 models that aren’t liquid cooled, the GeForce RTX 4090 WindForce 24G features a triple slot design. But with V2, Gigabyte was able to shrink the graphics card down to his 2.5 slot design. This meant lowering the height from 2.8 inches (70mm) to 2.2 inches (55.5mm), resulting in a V2 that was about 21% shorter.
One concern with the original model concerns the structural integrity of the graphics card. The GeForce RTX 4090 WindForce has a triple-slot design, but only had two tabs to secure it to the case. As a result, graphics cards are equipped with metal backplates that provide additional structural support, but there was always the possibility of sagging.
Meanwhile, the GeForce RTX 4090 WindForce V2 24G supports and comes with Gigabyte’s anti-slack bracket. Unlike other holders and braces that basically require you to place a bar or tempered glass underneath your graphics card, Gigabyte’s Anti-Slack Bracket allows you to place your graphics card on the motherboard’s standoff 2 in the bottom right corner. It can be fixed using screws. motherboard. Obviously, there are certain requirements such as motherboard design, space, and primary PCIe expansion slot location.
The most notable change in the GeForce RTX 4090 WindForce V2 24G is Gigabyte’s decision to put the 16-pin power connector on the back of the graphics card. Not many vendors do this with consumer graphics cards. When EVGA was still in the graphics card business, the manufacturer preferred to place the power connector on the back of the graphics card, like some brands custom GeForce RTX 3090 Ti models. Many people prefer to have the power connector on the back of the graphics card, because there is more clearance space in that area compared to the tiny space between the graphics card and the side panel, so the cable I felt it was easy to handle. The 16-pin power connector is fragile and should be bent carefully.
The different placement of the 16-pin power connector means that the GeForce RTX 4090 WindForce V2 24G may use a different PCB design than the original. Despite this, the graphics card still features the same 2,520 MHz core clock as the first revision. Therefore, Gigabyte did not touch the specification. It makes me wonder if a triple cooler was necessary in the first place.
It is unknown when the GeForce RTX 4090 WindForce V2 24G will be available or if it will come with a premium over the regular model. Unfortunately, the new revision was not found at any retailers.