PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO Review - Still a 4K Powerhouse, But the RTX 5090 is Close

TweakTown's Rating: 92%

The Bottom Line

In 2024, the GeForce RTX 4090 is still a powerful GPU and the only card that can deliver Full Ray Tracing in 4K at 100+ FPS with DLSS. The PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO is an excellent variant that runs cool and quiet. But the RTX 5090 is right around the corner.

Pros

• Still the 4K gaming champ
• DLSS 3 and Frame Generation have matured to become game-changers
• Plays the latest Full Ray Tracing titles in 4K thanks to DLSS 3
• PNY's whisper-quiet design and excellent thermal performance
• Efficient performance that rarely, if ever, uses 450W

Cons

• GeForce RTX 5090 is right around the corner
• GeForce RTX 4090 pricing hasn't come down

Should you buy it?

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Introduction

There's not a lot of mystery surrounding the GeForce RTX 4090, from its incredible gaming performance to its impressive AI hardware that can turn any desktop PC into a supercomputer. The GeForce RTX 4090 debuted two years ago, and it's still an absolute beast when it comes to playing the most demanding PC games at a high resolution, high refresh rate, and detail settings turned up to maximum.

A quick look at the PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO

As we're on the cusp of NVIDIA unveiling the Blackwell generation and RTX 4090 successor at CES 2025 with the GeForce RTX 5090, we thought we'd take one final in-depth look at the world's most powerful gaming GPU through an updated 2024 lens. We're doing so with the PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO, an impressively well-built variant from NVIDIA's long-standing partner and a card with a robust build and exceptional thermal performance.

Our review of the GeForce RTX 4090 Founder Edition went live on October 11, 2022, and its 4K performance blew us away. Alongside every GPU we had ever tested up to that point. However, it launched alongside the brand-new DLSS 3 and mysterious 'Frame Generation' technology. Which, at the time, was promising but not all that exciting because it had yet to be widely adopted by developers. Fast-forward to 2024, and DLSS 3 and Frame Generation have proven themselves and then some, with support found in most major PC releases. DLSS 3 has also been a game changer in pushing visual fidelity forward.

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Thanks to DLSS 3, we've ushered in the Full-Ray Tracing or Path Tracing era, which is exceptionally hardware-demanding and technology that wouldn't be here without AI-powered rendering. From Cyberpunk 2077's incredible 'RT Overdrive' mode to Black Myth: Wukong's stunning visuals to Remedy's Alan Wake 2 taking cinematic visuals to a whole new level. It's a remarkable achievement because it's a glimpse at what games could look like 5 or 10 years from now on today's hardware.

So, with that in mind, this review will not only take a closer look at the PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO GPU, from its physical design to thermal performance, but also see how well the GeForce RTX 4090 holds up as the 4K gaming card with some of 2024's best-looking and most GPU-intensive PC games. Yes, rays and paths will be traced.

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The Ada Lovelace Generation

Below is a summary of GeForce RTX 40 Series technology.

Visual fidelity and performance go hand-in-hand when it comes to PC gaming. It isn't simply a matter of a game looking good; when you're playing a PC game, it also needs to be buttery-smooth. Back in the day, this combination of performance and visuals was about how much GPU and silicon you had under the hood. With the GeForce RTX 40 Series, NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace generation evolved the company's history of embracing AI and hardware-accelerated ray-tracing to push visual fidelity and ensure that visual fidelity and performance go hand-in-hand.

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The GeForce RTX 40 Series is a lineup of GPUs built on a cutting-edge process node while leveraging and evolving all of the AI and hardware-based ray-tracing advances that NVIDIA helped become mainstream with the GeForce RTX 30 Series. Named after mathematician Ada Lovelace, considered the world's first computer programmer, the GeForce RTX 40 Series is built on TSMC 4N process technology - a giant leap forward over the Samsung 8nm process used in the GeForce RTX 30 Series Ampere generation.

From a pure numbers perspective, the full NVIDIA Ada GPU features 76.3 billion transistors, up to 18,432 CUDA Cores (70% more than the previous generation), and delivers clock speeds over 2.5 GHz while maintaining similar power requirements as the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti. Ada also introduces the latest generation of RT and Tensor Cores, with the latter introducing brand-new hardware responsible for the next iteration of AI rendering - DLSS 3 and DLSS 3.5.

NVIDIA's DLSS, or Deep Learning Super Sampling, is one of the reasons why raw power is no longer the be-all-end-all; it's an AI-based form of upscaling that can provide a sizable boost to in-game performance without sacrificing visual fidelity. It can even improve image quality compared to native rendering. The brand-new DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction dramatically improves ray-tracing image quality with groundbreaking AI denoiser technology. DLSS 3 Frame Generation uses the power of AI to generate new frames and dramatically improve performance.

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For this reason, DLSS and other algorithm-based upscaling and frame generation have become some of the most talked about bits of technology in the PC gaming space. Take Alan Wake 2, Cyberpunk 2077, or Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's Path Tracing (aka Full Ray Tracing) mode with DLSS 3.5, NVIDIA Reflex, and Frame Generation. Seven of eight pixels are AI-generated, meaning path tracing is impossible without these technologies. In the case of the GeForce RTX 40 Series, the addition of DLSS 3 and Frame Generation has proven to be a true game changer.

DLSS 3 combines DLSS Super Resolution (DLSS 2) with NVIDIA Reflex to reduce system latency and the brand-new hardware-accelerated Frame Generation technology. Three bits of rendering tech = DLSS 3.

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The Ada generation is much more than "smaller = more," with NVIDIA introducing back-end technology in the form of Shader Execution Reordering, which effectively ensures render tasks happen more efficiently and without running into bottlenecks. There are generative AI advances, with TensorRT-LLM for Windows accelerating and leading the way to AI computing in the era of the "AI PC."

The Ada generation also levels up NVIDIA's already formidable content creation chops with the arrival of AV1 encoding, which provides better video quality for streamers without sacrificing performance or bandwidth. AV1 encoding is 40% more efficient than traditional H.264, and NVIDIA works with platforms like Twitch to bring the technology to all streamers. Of course, video conferencing can also dramatically improve in the age of working from home.

Specs and Test System

Specifications

Unlike the GeForce RTX 30 Series, we never got a GeForce RTX 4090 Ti, so the GeForce RTX 4090 and its specs and hardware represent the pinnacle of RTX 40 Series gaming. But this isn't a bad thing because unlike the GeForce RTX 3090, the GeForce RTX 4090 presents a sizeable leap forward compared to the "second-best Ada Lovelace" GPU, the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER. The GeForce RTX 4090 features 60% more CUDA Cores than the RTX 4080 SUPER, meaning 60% more ray-tracing and AI hardware. It also features 50% more VRAM capacity, with over 1 TB/second of memory bandwidth. Throw in 72MB of L2 Cache, and the super-fast GDDR6X memory and cache play a significant role in unlocking the full power of Ada Lovelace.

In 2024, these specs are still impressive, as they should be because the GeForce RTX 4090 not only commands a premium price but continues to sell out in many locations. The PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO GPU is a reference or MSRP model in that it mirrors the specs and configuration of the Founder Edition design without any out-of-the-box overclocking.

Kosta's Test System

Physical Design and Cooling

GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs are large, physically speaking, and the PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO GPU is no different with its triple slot thickness and 337mm length. However, it's worth noting that it is smaller than many other RTX 4090 options. When you get to this enthusiast or 'halo product' level, compact isn't usually a concern as long as it can fit into a standard mid-tower chassis while leaving enough room for a radiator and plenty of fans.

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The all-black look is minimal, with the only bit of lighting arriving via the 'PNY' branding on the side. It's the sort of big rectangle design that will slot into most builds without drawing too much attention to itself. With a metal backplate, sizeable heatsink, vapor chamber cooling, three 100mm fans, and fins that run the entire length of the GPU, what immediately stands out about the design once you install it into a case is that it's whisper-quiet - even when stressed. And when you add in the all-black shroud and minimal design, the PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO GPU is essentially a stealth giant. Hard to miss? Yes, but it also won't make its presence known.

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Like the Founders Edition design, the PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO GPU features three DisplayPort 1.4 ports on the rear and a single HDMI 2.1 port. When the RTX 4090 first appeared, many felt that NVIDIA's decision not to include the newer DisplayPort 2.1 was a misstep, especially considering AMD adding DisplayPort 2.1 to its RDNA 3 generation. However, even now, in 2024, there aren't many DisplayPort 2.1 monitors available for PC gaming, so it's not a deal breaker.

Benchmarking 2024's Most Demanding PC Games

The Games and Tests

As mentioned in the introduction, it's not a secret that the GeForce RTX 4090 is a beast of a gaming GPU. If you were to stumble across a PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO card out in the wild, you probably wouldn't need to look up a review to figure out that RTX 4090 = 4K 100+ FPS in basically any game you can throw at it. That said, the latter half of 2023 and 2024 saw the arrival of some of the most visually impressive games to ever grace a PC screen, with many taking advantage of cutting-edge Path Tracing or Full Ray Tracing made possible thanks to technologies like DLSS and Frame Generation.

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This is why the benchmarks in this review are focused on the most visually advanced games of 2024. We want to see if the GeForce RTX 4090 is still as impressive today as it was a couple of years ago and whether there's a real need for a GeForce RTX 5090. There are also games without ray-tracing, like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and one of the most popular co-op action games of the year, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II. There's even some racing, with F1 24 - which does feature quite a bit of ray-tracing.

Here's the breakdown of games, graphics settings, and what's being tested.

Benchmarks - Full Ray Tracing and Path Tracing

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Benchmarks Summary - Full Ray Tracing Performance

When Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red released its 'RT Overdrive' or Full Ray Tracing mode, the team made it clear that the only reason it was able to pull it off on current hardware like the GeForce RTX 4090 was due to the arrival of Frame Generation. Cyberpunk 2077 is still among the best-looking PC games, especially with DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction and RT Overdrive enabled. The only two GPUs on the market that can handle Cyberpunk 2077 with RT Overdrive enabled are the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER (or RTX 4080) and the GeForce RTX 4090. The PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO hitting 118 FPS in 4K with RT Overdrive and DLSS 3 is impressive stuff, and the game looks stunning when played this way.

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Alan Wake 2's ray-tracing is also next level, and the PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO's 108 FPS average in one of the game's most demanding areas is a testament to the fact that this level of ray-tracing in 4K, or even 1440p, is the distant future for consoles and even mainstream GPUs. Black Myth: Wukong is similar; however, it is a game that punishes hardware with or without ray-tracing.

With DLSS upscaling or Super Resolution, all the Full Ray Tracing games tested hit a steady 4K 60+ FPS on average with the PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO. This figure jumps up to 100+ FPS with Frame Generation enabled. If you're wondering how the Radeon RX 7900 XTX would fare in the charts, with RDNA 3's lackluster ray-tracing performance when it comes to Full Ray Tracing, all five titles would be unplayable with these settings.

Benchmarks - High Refresh Rate 4K Gaming

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Benchmarks Summary - High Refresh Rate 4K Gaming

As one of the early "wow" games that debuted on the PlayStation 5, Horizon Forbidden West presented gamers with a stunning open world to explore; with the game arriving on PC earlier this year, it did so with several visual improvements. When using the 'Very High' quality setting, you're looking at significantly more detailed visuals than the PS5 version, and the PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO can render it at over 100 FPS without DLSS or Frame Generation. Add those into the mix and look at 4K 170+ FPS Horizon action.

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Although Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II runs natively in 4K at under 100 FPS on the PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO with the game's 'Ultra' settings, the game recently added Frame Generation support, so with DLSS, you can play comfortably with 150+ FPS in 4K with excellent responsiveness. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is another game that benefits from upscaling. However, the GeForce RTX 04090 is one of a handful of GPUs that can run the game natively in 4K at 60+ FPS.

Temperature and Power Efficiency

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With the full GeForce RTX 40 Series lineup out in the wild, including three SUPER variants that dropped early in 2024, the Ada architecture has proven itself to be one of the most efficient in years. So even though the RTX 4090 is technically a 450W, across all of the games tested in this review, the average power usage was almost 100W less. When not in use, the RTX 4090 idles at around 12W - which is also impressive.

The PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO's overall thermal performance is exceptional. It has low idle and load temperatures and near-silent performance in both situations, thanks to fans that barely creep above 30% speed or around 1,100 RPM.

Final Thoughts

After testing some of 2024's most demanding fully ray-traced games with the PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO in 4K, NVIDIA's flagship gaming GPU of the Ada Lovelace generation has barely lost any of its wow factor. That said, the only area where the GeForce RTX 4090 begins to sweat is when it comes to Path Tracing or Full Ray Tracing, especially in 4K, where you must ensure that DLSS and Frame Generation are working to give you a playable and immersive experience.

This could be the one area where the GeForce RTX 5090 provides its most significant generational leap forward, as 4K Path Tracing still feels a few years off from becoming mainstream.

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One thing is for sure: with this level of whisper-quiet performance, the PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO will not become obsolete anytime soon. The GeForce RTX 4090 will be a viable gaming GPU for many years to come, as it should be, considering the level of flagship performance it delivers. Of course, reviewing anything this close to a new generation of GeForce RTX graphics cards and being impressed isn't precisely an endorsement to rush out and buy one. The PNY GeForce RTX 4090 24GB VERTO is a 4K gaming powerhouse but one that currently resides in a looming GeForce RTX 5090-sized shadow.