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Asus’ new RTX 5090 is powerful, flashy, and impossibly hard to get

This is the GPU of my dreams, but how am I going to get it?

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The Asus ROG Matrix 5090 GPU.
Asus

What’s happened? Asus just launched a new limited edition GPU, and it’ll most likely top every ranking of the best graphics cards. The GPU in question is the Asus ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 5090 – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition.

  • This GPU is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It sports a whole new take on cooling and ups the power headroom by a whole lot compared to the (already beastly) RTX 5090.
  • The new RTX 5090 Matrix was made to celebrate 30 years of Asus being in the graphics card business.
  • Specs-wise, it’s basically an RTX 5090, but there are notable differences.
  • This model of the RTX 5090 will ship with a 2,730MHz boost clock speed when used at 800 watts.
  • The ROG Matrix GPU comes with two power connectors, one standard 16-pin 12V-2×6 and one GC-HPWR, also known as BTF, which connects directly to an Asus motherboard.
  • Outside of the performance boost, the ROG Matrix RTX 5090 is a unique-looking card, with an unusual shape and black and white coloring.
  • The design reminds me of cards from a decade ago — it’s been a while since we’ve seen similar shrouds.

This is important because: Asus’ is pushing new heights with its new halo card, boosting clock speeds, cooling, and power delivery beyond even its most expensive GPUs.

  • With Asus promising to deliver an up to 10% performance boost compared to the standard RTX 5090, this GPU will likely become the most powerful consumer card on the market.
  • Using both connectors gives the card up to 800 watts of power, which is a massive increase over the RTX 5090 — at least 200 watts.
  • This ups the overclocking headroom considerably, and the card comes overclocked from the get-go.
  • Asus calls it a limited edition, positioning Matrix as a collectible flagship alongside the standard ROG lineup.
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Why should I care? For most builders, this GPU is pure eye candy. It might never make it into our hands, but it’s thrilling to see.

  • The ROG Matrix RTX 5090 offers everything you’d want in a high-end GPU.
  • It comes with liquid metal GPU cooling, quad fans, and copper cooling.
  • With higher clocks, it’ll likely be the best GPU out there, but you may not be able to buy it.

OK, what’s next? The GPU was introduced at Gamescom and can be won during the event.

  • Buying a GPU is hard if you want to own this particular model. Asus hasn’t revealed how to get it outside of Gamescom.
  • Only 1,000 units will be made, which means that this GPU will likely be highly sought after.
  • The pricing is yet to be revealed, but it’ll likely cost well above $3,000.
  • This isn’t the only unique card Asus launched this year. The gold-coated Dhahab Edition RTX 5090 is yet another example of an extreme RTX 5090.
Monica J. White
Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written…
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