MSI GeForce RTX 4090 Suprim 24GB GDDR6X

The MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM LIQUID X is the fastest, coolest GPU we've tested, with thermals in the 100th percentile and ray tracing in the 99th. The 240mm AIO keeps it under 60°C under load while staying quiet. CAD pricing is chaotic, ranging from CAD 2,600 to CAD 6,500, so shop carefully. If you need maximum 4K performance and have the power budget, this is the card to beat.

The raw numbers here are absurd. PassMark G3D comes in at 38,098, which puts this card in the 97th percentile for raster performance and 99th for ray tracing. In practical terms, that means 4K gaming at high refresh rates without breaking a sweat. The 24GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus gives you 576 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which matters a lot when you're pushing 4K textures or working with large 3D scenes.

The 450W TDP is the trade-off. This card pulls serious power under load, and MSI recommends a 1000W PSU. But here's the thing: the liquid cooling means that power gets converted into performance instead of thermal throttling. Users consistently report temperatures under 60°C under load, which is remarkable for a card this powerful. The efficiency percentile sits at 42nd, so it's not winning any green awards, but for the performance you're getting, the power draw is actually reasonable.

The RTX 5080 cards are the obvious competition here. The ASUS ProArt RTX 5080 and Gigabyte AERO GV-N5080AERO OC-16GD both offer newer architecture with better efficiency, but they're packing 16GB of VRAM versus the 4090's 24GB. For 4K gaming with heavy texture mods or for AI workloads that eat VRAM, the 4090 still has a clear advantage. The ZOTAC AMP Extreme Infinity and PNY ARGB OC are also solid 5080 options, but they're air-cooled and will run hotter and louder under load.

The Sapphire NITRO+ is an interesting wildcard. It's a different class of card entirely, but if you're considering this MSI for creative work rather than pure gaming, it's worth a look. The real question is whether you need the 4090's raw compute power and VRAM headroom, or whether a 5080's efficiency and newer feature set makes more sense for your use case. For pure 4K gaming right now, the 4090 still wins. For a more balanced build with lower power draw, the 5080 cards are compelling.

Here's where things get tricky. The USD price sits at $3,799, which is a lot of money for a graphics card no matter how you slice it. But the CAD market is all over the place. We're seeing listings from CAD 2,600 to CAD 6,500 across just two vendors. That's a CAD 3,900 spread, which is frankly ridiculous. If you're in Canada, the CAD 2,600 listing is the one to hunt for. At that price, this card is actually competitive with some RTX 5080 listings.

At the higher end of that CAD range, you're paying a massive premium for availability rather than performance. The 4090 is still the fastest GPU in most workloads, but the RTX 5080 cards are closing the gap in some areas while drawing less power. If you can find this MSI card at the lower end of its price range, it's a solid buy. At the top end, you're better off waiting or looking at alternatives.

The MSI RTX 4090 SUPRIM LIQUID X is what happens when you take the fastest consumer GPU on the planet and strap a closed-loop liquid cooler to it. We're talking 16,384 CUDA cores, 24GB of GDDR6X, and a boost clock of 2,800MHz. This isn't a card for people who just want to play Fortnite at 1080p. This is for the person who wants Cyberpunk 2077 with path tracing at 4K and refuses to compromise on frame rate or fan noise.

What makes this particular 4090 interesting is the cooling. Most 4090s are massive air-cooled slabs that dump heat directly into your case. The SUPRIM LIQUID X uses a 240mm AIO radiator, which means the GPU itself stays compact at 280mm while the heat gets pushed out through your case's fan mounts. That's a big deal if you've got a smaller case or want to run multiple GPUs for rendering work.

MSI positions this as their premium SUPRIM line, and it shows in the build. The shroud is metal, the backplate is solid, and the whole thing feels like it costs what it costs. Our database puts this card in the 100th percentile for thermals and 99th for ray tracing. It's not just fast, it's the fastest thing we've tracked in several categories.

If you're gaming at 1440p or 1080p, this card is massive overkill. You're paying for performance you'll never use. A 4070 Ti Super or even a 4070 Super will max out those resolutions for a fraction of the price. The power draw alone makes this a poor choice for mid-range builds.

Also skip this if you're building in a small form factor case without room for a 240mm radiator. The liquid cooling is the whole point of this card, and if you can't mount the radiator properly, you're better off with a compact air-cooled option. And if you're on a tight budget, the CAD 6,500 listings are frankly insulting. Wait for a price drop or look at the 5080 cards instead.

If you're building a no-compromise 4K gaming rig or a workstation for rendering and AI work, this card is hard to beat. The liquid cooling solves the biggest problem with flagship GPUs: heat and noise. You get top-tier performance without your PC sounding like a jet engine. The 24GB of VRAM future-proofs you for years of texture-heavy games and creative workloads.

But if you're gaming at 1440p or you're sensitive to power consumption, this is overkill. A 5080 or even a 4070 Ti Super will serve you well for less money and less heat. The 4090 SUPRIM LIQUID X is a specialist's card. It's for people who know exactly why they need this much power and are willing to pay for it.