Chinese Vendor Releases 48 GB Water-Cooled RTX 4090 for Less Than RTX 5090
A Chinese vendor has begun selling a unique GeForce RTX 4090 with a whopping 48 GB of VRAM, water-cooled via an all-in-one (AIO) liquid cooling system. Priced at $3,400, it undercuts the cost of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5090 in many markets, where the newer GPU can be difficult to find at MSRP—especially with premium cooling solutions.
RTX 4090 48 GB: Specs, Design, and Purpose
This special-edition RTX 4090 card sports a custom AIO cooler (from BYKSI) and a triple-fan radiator design, as showcased in photos shared by Reddit user u/CeFurkan. The product packaging and radiator both prominently display “GeForce RTX 4090 48 GB.” Hardware monitoring in Task Manager and GPU-Z confirms the GPU is based on the AD102 die with 48 GB of GDDR6X memory, 16384 CUDA cores, and the same bandwidth as a standard 4090 (owing to the same 384-bit bus).
While the stock RTX 4090 ships with 24 GB of VRAM, these 48 GB and rumored 96 GB custom modifications are aimed at workloads where high VRAM capacity is critical—particularly AI, 3D content creation, and other memory-intensive applications. For standard gaming usage, the massive VRAM capacity is unlikely to deliver additional performance benefits over a 24 GB model.
Pricing and Availability
GeForce RTX 4090 48 GB: Approximately $3,400
GeForce RTX 5090: Official MSRP is unavailable or often exceeded due to supply constraints and retailer markups
Although $3,400 is significantly higher than a standard RTX 4090, it is still cheaper than many custom RTX 5090 variants, especially those equipped with advanced cooling solutions. The vendor is reportedly also developing a 96 GB variant, although details remain scarce on its final specs or release date.
Key Takeaways
48 GB VRAM suits high-memory workflows like AI inference, large-scale 3D rendering, and scientific computations. On other hand Gamers are unlikely to see major performance differences in traditional gaming scenarios compared to the 24 GB version. The pricing undercuts the premium range of NVIDIA’s RTX 5090, which can be hard to find at or near suggested retail prices. The water-cooled design ensures improved thermal performance, potentially benefiting longer, high-intensity GPU tasks.
As GPU modding and AI-driven needs continue, we may see more “unofficial” high-VRAM editions of existing NVIDIA cards, filling a niche for creators, researchers, and developers looking for big-memory solutions outside of enterprise-grade GPUs.
Will a 48 GB GPU tempt you into an upgrade? What’s your opinion on modified cards outside of official NVIDIA offerings? Share your thoughts below!
