The flagship of the Nvidia RTX 4090 has a problem beyond simply dimensioning its large dimensions and bulky nature, as the company has produced a custom connector to bypass the gremlin of squeezing the power supply cable.
Okay, let’s start over here. The RTX 4090 is known to be a beast among graphics cards, and prospective buyers have to take into account many factors: not only the huge cost of the GPU, but other elements as well, such as enough space to fit a PC case.
It may seem like a matter of comparing the dimensions of your computer chassis to the dimensions of the RTX 4090 graphics card you intend to buy – which is quite long and wide no matter how you slice it – but there’s another point that comes into play if you need to use power supply.
This is true for many people who do not have an ATX 3.0 (16 pin) power supply, so need to use an 8 pin to 16 pin adapter and cable configuration for the GPU to work with the ATX 2.0 power supply. The problem is that the adapter cable can actually be very stiff, so plugging it into the side of the board and then bending it to fit inside the case can be tricky (first, the RTX 4090 is so wide, and in some cases not leaving large space).
This led to several Twitter posts (followed by Sebastian Castellanos (opens in a new tab)) showing frustrated RTX 4090 owners who are unable to install the adapter without removing the side panel of the housing. This is obviously not a great situation as the computer is exposed to dust and possibly, worse, prone to some spill or a thrown object that got lost as another example. (It also looks bad).
A step forward CableMod (noticed by Wccftech (opens in a new tab)) With 16 pin angled connector at a 90 degree angle (opens in a new tab) which allows the adapter configuration to be accurately adjusted at right angles, to remove a stiff cable that does not bend around the problem, and to allow the side panel to be reattached for affected users.
Analysis: Lots of reflection on the modern flagship
Good thing the solution arrives fairly quickly, although keep in mind that you cannot purchase the accessory yet (it will be available for pre-order at the end of October).
This entire episode only highlights the problems of huge, energy-absorbing flagship GPUs that leave buyers with much more to consider than the simple cost of the product.
There is an ever-growing checklist of things like having a powerful enough power source to run the RTX 4090 (and other components), matching it to the case, making sure the adapter fits the way we see here, and considering case thermals with GPU heat. . And of course, another potential gremlin is the card sag – the strength of the RTX 4090 itself pulls into the PCIe slot where it’s installed.
The latter problem is something that the European graphics card manufacturer has faced recently with the launch of the Gallardo RTX 4090, with a very innovative solution: an integrated spirit level on the side of the board that shows if it stays in the slot or not. We’ll soon have an entire niche industry devoted to making sure high-end GPUs fit and perform well in a PC case (well, maybe not, but you get the point).