Gigabyte chops off RTX 4090 card to hide power connector
The RTX 4090 WindForce gets a new revision.
Gigabyte has completely revamped its RTX 4090 WindForce design. The card that was originally 3.5-slot thick and had a massive heatsink extending beyond the board, has got thinner and features an unusual backside design with a hidden power connector.
The new cooler design has the 12VHPWR connector still attached to the board, but on the other side. This enables better cable management and should give less worry about the required clearance for cable to bend. On the other hand, the cable will be exposed and there is no cover that would hide the cable, just as we saw on AXGaming design a few days ago.
GeForce RTX 4090 WindForce V2, Source: Gigabyte
The company did not officially introduce this model to the general public; rather, it was quietly posted on the Gigabyte website alongside the existing RTX 4090 models. As it turns out, the card is already on sale and some gamers in China were quick to grab this model for their new builds.
GeForce RTX 4090 WindForce V2, Source: NAG Forums
Neither the original RTX 4090 Windforce nor the updated Windforce V2 design is factory-overclocked, both cards ship with NVIDIA reference specs and power requirements. The new model is of the same length (33.1 cm), but it is narrower (13.6 cm vs. 15.0 cm) and thinner (5.5 cm vs. 7.0 cm).
Gigabyte graphics cards were reported to have an issue with cracking of the PCB, likely to due to unusual PCB design choice. It is unclear if this card has any changes implemented to prevent or at least limit such cases, but the PCB layout (except for the power connector) appears to be similar to other RTX 40 models.
Source: Gigabyte, @harukaze5719
