EVGA and Galax have revealed their over-engineered GeForce RTX 3090 Ti graphics cards that require two 16-pin PCIe 5.0 power connectors (12VHPWR). The unique power arrangement opens the door for the graphics cards to pull up to 1200W.
Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3090 Ti has pushed the TDP up to 450W, with some custom models topping out at the 510W. Consequently, graphics card manufacturers had to resort to beefy coolers that take up to 3.5 to 4 PCI slots and liquid cooling to cool the new Ampere flagship. The EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti KiNGPiN Edition, on the other hand, sports a hybrid cooling solution, combining traditional air cooling and liquid cooling.
The EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti KiNGPiN Edition, which likely adheres to a dual-slot design, has a blower-type cooler attached to an AIO liquid cooler. Unfortunately, EVGA hasn't officially announced the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti KiNGPiN Edition, so we don't know the graphics card's clock speeds or the size of the radiator. However, the KiNGPiN Edition of the GeForce RTX 3090 came with a 360mm radiator, so the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti variant probably has a similar, if not bigger, radiator.
Galax has launched the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti HOF OC Lab Edition and GeForce RTX 3090 Ti HOF OC Lab Limited Edition. The former is the faster out of the two and the more premium model with a Bitspower water block. Unlike EVGA's GeForce RTX 3090 Ti KiNGPiN Edition, Galax opted for a regular air cooler, which is why the graphics cards occupy up to three PCI slots.
The GeForce RTX 3090 Ti HOF OC Lab Edition has the same 1,860 MHz boost clock as the Founders Edition. Galax calls this the P-Mode, which qualifies for 480W. An S-Mode also bumps the boost clock up to 1,920 MHz and the TDP to 516W. The company hasn't confirmed the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti HOF OC Lab Limited Edition specifications, but we can expect a clock speed around the 2,000 MHz mark.
Galax and EVGA's graphics cards target extreme overclockers who'll probably take off the shroud and put the graphics cards under liquid nitrogen to break world records. However, the spacing requirement is something to consider for the average joe, especially if you have to make space for a triple-slot graphics card or a 360mm radiator.
Using the PCIe 5.0 power connector is not a must as many brands provide 3x8-pin to 12VHPWR adapters. However, things will get messy since you'll essentially connect six 8-pin PCIe power cables to the adapter. The EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti KiNGPiN Edition and GeForce RTX 3090 Ti HOF OC Lab Edition will likely come with an unlocked vBIOS for overclockers to push the graphic cards to their max.
Neither Galax nor EVGA have shared the pricing or availability for their latest graphics cards.
