HomePC DIYNewsA close look at the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and ROG...

A close look at the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080

The next generation of graphics performance has arrived. The latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards are here, and they’re available for sale starting today. To celebrate this moment in style, we’ve prepared an all-new series of cards: ROG Astral. Featuring a new, sophisticated design and an outstanding cooling solution, the ROG Astral GeForce RTX  5090 and ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 are your premium picks for supercharging the performance of your gaming PC.

Ada, meet Blackwell

With the GeForce RTX 50 Series, NVIDIA debuts its latest Blackwell architecture. Armed with fifth-gen Tensor cores, new streaming multiprocessors optimized for neural shaders, and fourth-gen Ray Tracing cores built for Mega Geometry, the new graphics cards unlock access to the next generation of graphics technologies.

A full view of the front of the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card

For many gamers, the highlight of the new architecture is DLSS 4. DLSS is a revolutionary suite of neural rendering technologies that uses AI to boost FPS, reduce latency, and improve image quality. The latest breakthrough, DLSS 4, brings new Multi Frame Generation and enhanced Ray Reconstruction and Super Resolution. But there’s more. NVIDIA Reflex 2 with Frame Warp provides game-winning responsiveness, and these cards are equipped to give you the best experience with ray-traced graphics yet.

The GeForce RTX 5090 is already attracting the attention of PC users whose use cases span the worlds of gaming and content creation. NVIDIA Studio creator tools and technology stand ready to accelerate your creativity, while Studio Drivers deliver rock-solid reliability and the best performance in creative apps.

Alongside the architecture updates comes beefed-up video memory. The GeForce RTX 5090 sets a new bar with its 32GB of GDDR7 and an ultra-wide 512-bit memory bus. And the GeForce RTX 5080 dazzles with 16GB of GDDR7. That adds up to ability to play any game on the market at high resolutions with maxed-out graphics settings — and next-level performance in AI and content creation workloads.

Two ROG Astral cards standing side by side, showing the front and back of the cards

All this new hardware in the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 requires no small amount of power so that it can stretch its legs and run. Your PSU should be capable of at least 1000W to run this card — more on that later. The circuitry that delivers this power is just as important, and it’s one reason why many enthusiasts prefer ROG graphics cards. We’ve equipped the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 for premium power delivery with 80-amp MOSFETs that can supply over 35% more headroom than standard designs. A massive 24-phase VRM array for the GPU and a seven-phase VRM for the GDDR7 memory chips distribute the work of supplying power, ensuring rock-solid stability and long-lasting performance.

To give you peace of mind that your 16-pin PCIe power connector is seated properly, we provide monitoring through Power Detector+ in the GPU Tweak III app so that you can verify that the connector is fully seated. The app can even tell you exactly which pin is not seated properly, if that ever becomes a concern.

Reinvented and refined aesthetics

Many of today’s most popular PC cases put internal components on full display, making aesthetic design an important factor of any graphics card. To accommodate the tastes of a wide range of PC builders, the ASUS GeForce RTX 50 Series lineup covers a wide range of styles. Prime graphics cards offer straightforward good looks in a relatively slim design. TUF Gaming cards deliver a stripped-down, ruggedized aesthetic wrapped around a beefy cooling solution. Anyone who loves classic gamer style and bold RGB LED illumination should look to ROG Strix. For a more detailed breakdown of each family, click here.

A variety of ASUS NVIDIA 50 Series graphics cards arranged on a table

ROG Astral graphics cards stand apart with a sophisticated design that blends art and technology. Inspired by the wonders of the universe, it emphasizes premium materials with the CNC-milled exterior on the die-cast metal shroud, frame and backplate. Contrasting textures draw the eye to its impressive quad-fan array, while blacked-out heatsinks loom large under the reinforced shroud. Indirect RGB lighting along the top edge of the card provides just the right amount of color, and it’s customizable with Aura Sync for endless personalization.

The air-cooled ROG Astral graphics cards are the first to hit the shelves. If you’re willing to be patient for just a little while longer, we’ll soon be selling a liquid-cooled version, as well. The ROG Astral LC GeForce RTX 5090 opts for a low-profile heatsink under the shroud, with a full-coverage cold plate that allows the extra-thick 360mm radiator to cool the GPU and other heat-producing components on the PCB. With 30% better thermal performance than air cooling, the ROG Astral LC GeForce RTX 5090 is the clear choice for ultimate performance under quiet operation.

Cooling that’s ready to meet the moment

A view showing the fourth fan on the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card

The weighty die-cast frame that encloses ROG Astral graphics cards not only provides a stunning first impression, but also a lasting one. These rigid materials and reinforced bracing are ready to maintain the card’s shape over time, protecting the card against torsion while also providing integrity to the PCB to combat micro-fractures for long-term stability. This reinforced frame has some heft to it, so make sure to use a graphics card holder to protect your investment. If you don’t have one already, you’ll find one in the box.

The shroud also surrounds one of the best cooling solutions we’ve ever offered in a graphics card. The ROG Astral cards set a new standard as ROG’s first quad-fan graphics cards. Rather than standard backplate venting, we installed a fourth fan in the backplate to establish a powerful vertical airflow channel that boosts air pressure by up to 20%. The boosted pressure allows us to pack more heatsink fins in this region of the card for bolstered cooling performance.

In addition, the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 deploy our patented vapor chamber design with milled pathways, allowing eight heatpipes to sink into the surface without flat edges for improved heat dissipation. And between that heatsink and the GPU, we’ve swapped traditional thermal paste for a premium phase-change thermal pad, which not only optimizes heat transfer but also the longevity of the thermal interface material.

The GPU gets the luxury cooling treatment, but other vital components in these graphics cards need dedicated cooling support, too. As you’d expect, the memory chips get some love with thermal pads of their own. But as you might not expect, there are thermal pads under the metal backplate, as well. Notably, we add a pad on the backside of the 16-pin power connector to reduce heat during normal operation.

Another quality-of-life feature that you’ll enjoy with ROG Astral cards is access to a pair of FanConnect II headers. These can be especially valuable for gamers, as the fan headers on motherboards rely on a curve based on CPU temperatures, but games typically put more of a workload on the GPU. Connect a couple nearby chassis fans to these headers, and the fans will ramp up alongside GPU temperatures to ensure great cooling for demanding 3D tasks.

A full PC build featuring the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card

This robust cooling solution does demand some elbow room in your PC chassis: the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 is 357.6mm long and it features a 3.8-slot design. That’s well within the range of most of today’s ATX cases. If you prefer a more compact chassis, be sure to check compatibility. But if you make room for this card, you’ll be rewarded with excellent cooling and subdued noise levels, even when you dial in a heavy workload.

High-bandwidth next-gen connectors

If there’s any element of the next-gen upgrades provided by NVIDIA 50 Series graphics cards that’s flying under the radar, it’s the connectivity selection. The ports on the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 are equipped for stunning bandwidth, enabling you to take advantage of some truly next-level displays.

The I/O options for the graphics card, including three DisplayPort 2.1b ports and two HDMI 2.1 ports

Both cards offer three DisplayPort 2.1b ports capable of up to 80Gbps of throughput thanks to the four lanes of the UHBR20 link. The engineers on our display team will have no shortage of ways to play with all that bandwidth, but here’s one that’s coming your direction very shortly: DisplayPort 2.1 allows for 4K 240Hz without compression. Check out the just-announced ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM to experience high-resolution, high-PPI gaming without the need for DSC. Even more dazzling combinations are theoretically possible with DisplayPort 2.1 and DSC. We’re not ready to make any announcements on this front yet, but unhindered access to the next generation of gaming displays is undoubtedly a major draw of the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080.

Such monitors are admittedly on the horizon, not immediately available today. So here’s a quality-of-life feature that you can enjoy right away with ROG Astral graphics cards. Both offer two HDMI 2.1 ports in addition to the DisplayPort 2.1 ports, giving you five total. Standard cards on the market — even flagship models from some of our competitors — only offer one HDMI port.

Protect your investment

A flagship graphics card is an investment, so we go above and beyond with the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 to give you peace of mind that your card is ready to go the distance.

Your graphics card is built from the ground up for long-lasting performance through ASUS Auto-Extreme technology. An automated manufacturing process that sets new standards in the industry by allowing all soldering to be completed in a single pass, Auto-Extreme technology reduces thermal strain on components and avoids the use of harsh cleaning chemicals, resulting in less environmental impact, lower manufacturing power consumption and a more reliable product overall.

ASUS GPU Guard applies adhesive to secure all four corners of the GPU to reduce the risk of cracks, while a GPU bracket helps ensure uniform mounting pressure and extra stability. Live in a region of the world with humid seasons? You’ll appreciate the protective conformal coating that envelops the circuit board to protect against short-circuits caused by moisture, dust, or debris.

Unleash your graphics card’s potential with GPU Tweak III

Some folks just prefer to roll with the out-of-the-box experience they get with their PC hardware. Others don’t mind using our Dual BIOS switch to toggle between performance and quiet modes, depending on their preferences. But many others love to roll up their sleeves and optimize every aspect of their hardware. To satisfy your desire for granular performance tuning in an easy-to-use app, we offer GPU Tweak III.

ASUS GPU Tweak III is an all-encompassing GPU overclocking and monitoring software for graphics cards. It works with any brand of card — not just ASUS and ROG — and will help you overclock, undervolt, tweak your fan speeds, and monitor every metric under the sun to ensure no drop of power is wasted. Using such overclocking tools effectively can unlock potential performance gains, making every gaming session even more thrilling.

A screenshot of the Thermal Map functionality in GPU Tweak III

One way that GPU Tweak III empowers your tuning efforts with ROG Astral graphics cards is with the Thermal Map. Embedded sensors across the VRMs, chokes, and VRAM collect data for the Thermal Map, empowering you to check real-time temperatures in each area and easily adjust settings accordingly.

Power considerations

If you’re buying an ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 or 5080, we recommend taking a moment to make sure that your power supply is up to task. If you’re building your first PC, or if it’s been a while since you last bought a PSU, click here to learn more about how to pick a PSU and what differentiates the different ASUS lineups.

A chart of recommended PSU wattages for a variety of next-gen graphics cards and CPUs

Perhaps you’d prefer a quick recommendation instead. For the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090, we’ll point you to the ROG Thor 1200W Platinum II. As a 1200W PSU, it gives you the headroom to pair this graphics card with an AMD Ryzen 9 or Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU — and some headroom on top for efficiency’s sake and to make sure you have the juice for performance tuning.

An ROG Astral graphics card standing next to an ROG power supply

For the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080, you can safely drop down to an 850W PSU like the ROG Thor 850W Platinum II. (That is, unless your system is also rocking a high-end desktop CPU like an AMD Threadripper.)

Find your ROG Astral graphics card today

Availability starts today for the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080. Equipped for dazzling gaming experiences with ROG engineering expertise, ultra-fast GDDR7, and the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, these cards establish a new tier of performance for gamers and creators alike.

A complete ROG PC build featuring the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card

It’s possible that initial inventory will sell out quickly, so we’ve compiled a list of links to a variety of retailers to help you find an available unit. If a card isn’t available for you, sit tight — we’ll be restocking the shelves as soon as supply permits.

ModelUSCA
ROG Astral GeForce RTXâ„¢ 5090 32GB GDDR7B&H
Central Computers
Canada Computers
ROG Astral GeForce RTXâ„¢ 5090 32GB GDDR7 OC EditionAmazon
Best Buy
B&H
Central Computers
Newegg
Canada Computers
ROG Astral GeForce RTXâ„¢ 5080 16GB GDDR7Central Computers Canada Computers
ROG Astral GeForce RTXâ„¢ 5080 16GB GDDR7 OC EditionAmazon
Best Buy
B&H
Central Computers
Newegg
Canada Computers
RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular