ASUS's ROG Astral RTX 50 Series GPUs include a gyro and accelerometer to detect sag

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. TweakTown may also earn commissions from other affiliate partners at no extra cost to you.

ASUS has enabled a new and previously unreported feature in its flagship ROG Astral line of GPUs for the GeForce RTX 50 Series, available in RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 form. As spotted by Uniko's Hardware (translated), a recent update to ASUS's impressive GPU Tweak software unlocks the ROG Astral line-up's Bosch Sensortec BMI323 Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) chip.

2

ASUS's flagship ROG Astral line of GPUs can automatically detect and monitor GPU sag.

If you're wondering what this chip is, it includes a gyrometer and accelerometer (the same technology used for videogame motion controls). In GPU Tweak, the chip detects GPU sag and ensures that a horizontal ROG Astral installation has been done correctly. It's even used to monitor the GPU's position and warn you when the card's angle crosses a certain degree threshold.

This is an excellent and innovative feature on a flagship GPU, especially for an ROG Astral card. As we noted in our review of the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 OC Edition, ASUS's new flagship is one of the largest and heaviest GPUs we've ever encountered.

Weighing around 3 kilograms with dimensions of 357.6 x 149.3 x 76 mm, it's an absolute beast, and with flagship GPU prices being what they are, the last thing you want is damage or wear-and-tear on the card or your system from GPU sag. Of course, the card includes a reinforced shell to compensate for the increased size and weight, and like all larger GPUs, it also ships with a bracket. However, as a feature, a gyrometer and accelerometer would be fantastic to see on a wide range of cards, even more compact ones.

ASUS's Equipment Installation Check feature for its ROG Astral line of GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs is an excellent addition. It complements the company's Power Detector+ feature, which measures power distribution on the 12V-2x6 cables, and the Thermal Map feature, which measures hotspots across the entire PCB.