EVGA's RTX 3090 K|NGP|N is finally here, a crazy graphics card designed to push the Ampere architecture to its limit. Priced at $1999.99, this card is designed more for overclockers than gamers. But of course, it can game incredibly well. The first batch of 3090 KINGPINs goes to EVGA's Elite members; after that, the general public can purchase the card.
Specs-wise, the card features a boost frequency of 1920MHz and a power draw of 350 watts. The card is powered by three 8-pin PCI-E connectors, which you'll definitely need if you want to push this card beyond its default parameters.
Out of the box, the KINGPIN comes with a monstrous 360mm radiator to ensure the 3090 core stays chilly at all times. Because the core is cooled completely by the 360mm radiator, the KINGPIN 3090 can get away with a blower-style cooler to cool the rest of the components like the VRM, memory, and other PCB components. EVGA went the extra mile to ensure those components stay cool with a fully-copper heatsink, something that is incredibly rare to find on a graphics card.
The K|NGP|N has a tiny 176 x 48 resolution OLED display on the side of the shroud EVGA. It shows readouts like temperature, GPU voltages, GPU clocks, and more. Or you can use the display for GIF animations.
Of course, even liquid has its limits – even that beefy 360mm AIO isn't enough to hit world record overclocks, so EVGA has given its customers the choice of buying its new TEK-9 ICON 4.0 and ICON mini LN2 pots, designed exclusively for the RTX 3090 K|NGP|N. These pots allow users to use liquid nitrogen cooling on the card, allowing the RTX 3090 core to operate at much higher frequencies.
To help ensure your overclocking goes smoothly, the 3090 K|NGP|N comes with some handy OC features you won't find in any other graphics card, like three BIOS options: Normal mode, OC mode, and LN2 mode for liquid nitrogen use only. All three can be controlled via a switch on the top of the card. Next to that switch is an integrated header where you can plug in a physical monitoring tool to monitor the graphics card's voltages. This feature is almost a requirement for liquid nitrogen when you're approaching the card's limits, as software-based voltage monitoring isn't that accurate. Plugging a hardware-based solution into the card solves that problem.
If the AIO solution isn't what you need, EVGA will also make a Hydro Copper edition in the future for custom loop builds. For now, there's no word on when it'll go on sale.
For $1,999.99, this card is most certainly a niche unit. If you want to use the card purely for gaming, you are probably better off going with a cheaper RTX 3090, as an out-of-the-box KINGPIN can't really justify its price tag as it's performance is very similar to other RTX 3090 SKUs. But, if you are a serious overclocker, or if you are a lover of tech and want the best of the best, this card most certainly fits the bill.
