ASUS ROG RTX 4090 Matrix Platinum Review

Conclusion

Conclusion

As is always the case when you have a product with a price ticket up at the heights of the ASUS ROG RTX 4090 Matrix Platinum, it’s difficult to fully encapsulate it in a pithy summary. If you’ve got the money to buy this, then you probably don’t really mind how it performs. If you haven’t got the money – as most of us don’t – then it doesn’t really matter how good it is. An already niché product is therefore left with us writing a conclusion for an even more niché audience, namely people who are interested in the Matrix, and maybe could find the money to buy it, and want to know if it is worthy of such a big expense.

Nonetheless we’ll cover as much as we can for everyone. Let’s get the obvious things out of the way. Is the Matrix Platinum the highest performing of the RTX 4090 cards we’ve reviewed? Yes, yes it is. Is it the coolest running RTX 4090? Just about – the ASUS Strix was similarly cool. It’s not quite the fastest average clock speed we’ve seen, a title that belongs to the MSI Suprim X Overclocked, although naturally it’s worth mentioning that the real world performance metric still belongs to the Matrix. Whilst we understand that aesthetic considerations are in the eye of the beholder, we’ll confidently state that the ASUS ROG Matrix Platinum is amongst the very best built cards we’ve seen. The quality of the hoses is undeniable, and they are connected to the card with about the most robust mounting solution we’ve ever seen or even considered. We do like the looks too, although again it’s worth noting that looks are subjective.

It’s not only measurable things that the Matrix Platinum scores highly. Under the hood the use of the Liquid Metal thermal solution ASUS have implemented is a significant step forwards in the fight against both temperatures and finding the most efficient way to connect the top of the die to the cooling. We are sure that this will quickly be adopted across the graphics card world, and it’s by no means the first time that ASUS and their Republic of Gamers arm have brought something new to the market that then becomes the default solution. Additionally ASUS have supplied the Matrix with all of the power necessary thanks to a whopping 24 Phase 70A power stage. Naturally we’re not going to push the limits of the card just in case, but for those of you with more time and a willingness to experiment you certainly won’t be left short of power.

However, as there always is with products like this, the Matrix Platinum comes with some caveats. Yes it’s the fastest of the RTX 4090 cards, and thus is the fastest on the planet. It is only a bit better than the next best though. Consistently, but not in the kind of way where you could consider it a theoretical RTX 4090 Ti or RTX 4095. It’s a very good version of something we’ve already seen and seen way cheaper. Similarly the cooling is excellent, but the redesigned pump has a bit of a whine we don’t recall hearing on their Strix LC model. If you went for a full 3rd party cooling solution such as a complete EK kit you could get it for less than the cost of it plus a reference RTX 4090 when compared to the Matrix. Okay there is work, and nerves, involved but it’s not beyond most of us.

If you’ll allow us a car metaphor, the ASUS ROG RTX 4090 Matrix Platinum is to the regular RTX 4090 what a Porsche 911 GT3 is to a Porsche 911. Both are incredibly quick, but one is a bit quicker, a bit better built, and a huge amount more expensive. You already know if you’re willing to sell a kidney to buy one, and there is little here that will change your mind. However, if you are the type who would legitimately consider selling your kidney for one, the performance isn’t so much better than a standard RTX 4090 that it’s worth the significant extra chunk of change to obtain. It’s the ultimate expression of the “if nothing but the best will do, money no object” mindest, and wins our OC3D Performance Award.

Discuss the ASUS ROG RTX 4090 Matrix Platinum in our OC3D Forums.