Nvidia's unreleased quad slot RTX 4090 Ti behemoth smiles for the camera

Nvidia quad slot unreleased graphics card next to a Titan card for size reference

(Image credit: gamer2live via Videocardz)

After the release of the RTX 4090, we expected Nvidia to eventually follow up with a Ti model unleashing the full capabilities of the AD102 GPU. Though the RTX 4090 Ti was never confirmed, pictures of a large and unique quad slot cooler appeared as far back as October 2022, indicating Nvidia was at least preparing for the eventuality that a mammoth cooler was required for some kind of GPU.

The since-deleted picture comes from a Reddit poster (via Videocardz). I mean, just look at it. That's the kind of cooler that looks like it could handle a 600W TDP. And it appears to be a complete card. Given the previously leaked design of the cooling baseplate with its unique perpendicular PCB, surely most of the design and engineering work has been done?

The RTX 4090 Ti was reportedly canceled, but that doesn't mean Nvidia can't un-cancel it. We'll never know what discussions took place deep inside Nvidia. Perhaps melting 16-pin connectors spooked it, maybe it was an unneeded backup plan in case the Radeon RX 7900 XTX took the crown, or maybe Nvidia decided to divert AD102 GPUs to higher margin professional products.

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Given Nvidia has what appears to be an all but ready RTX 4090 Ti variant on its hands, the question is: will it go ahead and release it? My guess is yes, it will. The RTX 3090 Ti was released 18 months after the RTX 3090 and just six months before the RTX 4090. Given that we're probably a year away from the release of the RTX 50-series, a mid-2024 launch is highly probable.

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The AD102-300-A1 GPU in the RTX 4090 comes with 16,384 shaders, whereas the fully enabled AD102 has 18,432. Add to that more RT cores, more Tensor cores, and some additional power-gulping clock speed and faster GDDR6X memory and the RTX 4090 Ti would comfortably outpace the RTX 4090.

Nvidia could charge a steep price: $2,499 or more isn't out of the question. Deep-pocketed gamers will still line up for it. The AD102 GPU is now well into its life. Yields will be mature and Nvidia will have an ample supply of chips—at least those that aren't immediately siphoned away for professional cards, such as L40 variants.

Would you consider an RTX 4090 Ti? Or wait for the RTX 5090? If the RTX 4090 Ti does make it to market, if nothing else it'll make a great winter house warmer and blunt force object, not to mention being a 4K pixel-pushing monster.

Chris' gaming experiences go back to the mid-nineties when he conned his parents into buying an 'educational PC' that was conveniently overpowered to play Doom and Tie Fighter. He developed a love of extreme overclocking that destroyed his savings despite the cheaper hardware on offer via his job at a PC store. To afford more LN2 he began moonlighting as a reviewer for VR-Zone before jumping the fence to work for MSI Australia. Since then, he's gone back to journalism, enthusiastically reviewing the latest and greatest components for PC & Tech Authority, PC Powerplay and currently Australian Personal Computer magazine and PC Gamer. Chris still puts far too many hours into Borderlands 3, always striving to become a more efficient killer.