RTX 3090 Founders Edition Looks Massive Inside This PC Case

(Image credit: Chiphell)

We've done an unboxing of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, but it looks like someone's already popped the RTX 3090 into a PC case. In a recent forum post on Chiphell.com, a user posted an image of what looks like the RTX 3090 Founders Edition installed into some unknown computer chassis.

Considering how huge the RTX 3090 looks inside the chassis, the case appears to be a standard ATX tower. In the picture, the card is long enough to use the adjacent HDD cage as an anti-sag device. I'm sure whoever made this computer chassis never intended the cage to be used in such a way, but, hey, it works.

GeForce RTX 3090 compatibility chart (Image credit: Nvidia)

So what does this tell PC enthusiasts and builders? As Nvidia's next attempt at the best graphics card, the RTX 3090 Founders Edition is no joke. It's a ginormous graphics card, so if you you don't have a large case already, it's a good idea to check out the dimensions of the card to ensure proper compatibility. Nvidia specs the card to be 12.3 x 5.4 inches (313 x 138mm), plus its three slots thick, meaning you'll need three PCIe slots open at the minimum. If you're installing this card in one of the few ITX chassis that can support triple-slot cards, make sure you have enough breathing room for the card to get fresh air.

Expect the RTX 3090 to be a pretty beefy card in terms of weight. We know the RTX 3080 weighs in at 1.355kg, so expect the RTX 3090 to be heavier than that. This may very well make GPU sagging a real problem (many of today's aftermarket cards come bundled with an anti-sag device already). So if you have your eyes on an RTX 3090 Founders Edition or even the RTX 3080, you'll probably want to consider a cheap anti-sag support bracket. Graphics Card sag can add extra wear and tear to your PCB, and in worst case scenarios, severe sagging will cause heatsinks to lose contact with your GPU and PCB components -- enough so to cause overheating.

The RTX 3090 really is the "BFGPU," as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in the Nvidia keynote announcing the Ampere cards. This is definitely the largest card Nvidia has ever produced. And that's not to mention the several aftermarket cards coming that'll dwarf the Founders Edition in size.

Aaron Klotz
Contributing Writer

Aaron Klotz is a contributing writer for Tom’s Hardware, covering news related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.

  • Barty1884
    I don't get it.
    It's 'only' 12.3" (313 mm) x 5.4" (138 mm) and 3-slot.

    That's on par, or smaller than a THICC or Gaming Trio in a lot of instances.

    It's maybe 1/2" taller (PCIE slot to top of card), but I suspect that's the accommodate the size of the rear fan.

    It's a big card cooler, no doubt about it - but the card is still going to fit in a MeshifyC, a fairly compact ATX tower - albeit just barely.
    Reply
  • Darkbreeze
    I don't get where they think it's the biggest Nvidia card ever. There are quite a few longer cards, like the MSI 1080 ti gaming Trio which is 325mm long, and while it's not as wide, it's usually the length that is the most limiting dimension for any case. Width, might be an inconvenience if you wanted to use any of those slots, but it's doable, whereas if the card is too long to fit the case and you don't have removable drive cages, too bad, so sad.
    Reply
  • chickenballs
    Is that a ITX motherboard inside an ATX tower?
    why do idiots do that?
    Reply
  • Barty1884
    chickenballs said:
    Is that a ITX motherboard inside an ATX tower?
    why do idiots do that?

    There's 4 DIMM slots, so it's at least mATX.
    Beyond looking a bit funny & limiting your expansion, there's nothing inherently 'wrong' with ITX inside an ATX Tower..... Especially for standardizing a review/benchmark setup.
    Reply
  • drivinfast247
    Darkbreeze said:
    I don't get where they think it's the biggest Nvidia card ever. There are quite a few longer cards, like the MSI 1080 ti gaming Trio which is 325mm long, and while it's not as wide, it's usually the length that is the most limiting dimension for any case. Width, might be an inconvenience if you wanted to use any of those slots, but it's doable, whereas if the card is too long to fit the case and you don't have removable drive cages, too bad, so sad.
    Maybe they meant an actual card built by Nvidia
    Reply
  • Darkbreeze
    Maybe.
    Reply
  • chickenballs
    Barty1884 said:
    There's 4 DIMM slots, so it's at least mATX.
    Beyond looking a bit funny & limiting your expansion, there's nothing inherently 'wrong' with ITX inside an ATX Tower..... Especially for standardizing a review/benchmark setup.
    In this case
    They probably used a smaller mobo to make the gpu appear larger... which is rather misleading
    Reply
  • Barty1884
    chickenballs said:
    In this case
    They probably used a smaller mobo to make the gpu appear larger... which is rather misleading

    They might have - but at the angle the picture is taken, it wouldn't matter.
    mATX is still the same 'width', but differs in length (12" vs 9.6")... So at the angle the picture is taken, you can't see the last couple of inches of the board below the GPU anyway.

    It might be there, it might not. Doesn't make any difference IMO
    Reply
  • spongiemaster
    Here's a 3090 with a new Asus themed NVlink bridge connected to it.


    Wait. No, Sorry, that's an ITX motherboard, not a bridge.
    Reply
  • chickenballs
    Barty1884 said:
    They might have - but at the angle the picture is taken, it wouldn't matter.
    mATX is still the same 'width', but differs in length (12" vs 9.6")... So at the angle the picture is taken, you can't see the last couple of inches of the board below the GPU anyway.

    It might be there, it might not. Doesn't make any difference IMO

    If they have put a Msi RTX 2080Ti Gaming X trio in that motherboard it would appear even more oversized

    the MSI 2080Ti: 327mm x 140mm x 55.6mm
    Reply