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The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Founder's Edition signifies the company's official GPU design. It was launched at $1,599 MSRP and can be purchased for the same price from leading retailers. The GPU is arguably lower-end than some designs from partner manufacturers.
In addition, the variant does not look like a traditional video card. Nvidia employs a mix of blower-style and open-air video card designs for its Founder's Edition variant.
Thus, gamers might be confused about this official design and other options in the market. Deciding between FE cards and variants from third-party manufacturers can be difficult as the GPUs are similar.
To solve this confusion, we tested the RTX 4090 FE to determine whether it is worth its price.
RTX 4090 FE is a solid entry into graphics card lineup
Nvidia introduced the FE design with its Pascal-based GTX 10 series lineup. It is based on a reference card design to ensure partners maintain a certain quality barrier.
Design
With every generation, Nvidia alters the design of its FE cards to ensure a unique entry into the series. However, with the RTX 40 series, the company did little to make it stand out. The RTX 40 series FE models look much like the RTX 30 series' offerings.
The card uses heatsink fins as a design cue, much like in the RTX 30 series FE GPUs, and is based on a black and silver duotone design.
The 4090 FE, however, is shorter than the 3090 equivalent, with the new card being thicker. Nvidia packs two large 112mm fans on either side of the product to ensure enough airflow.
The card exhausts hot air through the rear, making it ideal for cramped builds and server PCs.
The Founder's Edition GPU has no RGB lighting but features a strip of white LED that illuminates the GeForce RTX branding on the side.
Thermal performance
The cooling capability of a graphics card is the most important determining factor when choosing a model. Since the RTX 4090 FE is a well-engineered GPU with a massive heatsink weighing over four and a half pounds, it is no wonder the card nails this aspect.
In our review of the RTX 4090, we barely saw the card touching 70℃ in the FurMark stress test. It maintained a temperature of around 52-54℃ while gaming.
Thus, the card has a solid thermal design showing prowess even when the GPU is under load.
However, the Founder's Edition card does not overclock well. Users who opt for this GPU will have to use it in its stock settings.
Conclusion
The RTX 4090 FE is a solid GPU for building a high-end gaming PC. Although it does not pack any extra flares, it looks stealthy when paired with any build, and its performance is on point.
