Asus' new $4,000 RTX 5090 is already sold out — ROG Matrix Platinum's exorbitant price tag is no deterrent for well-heeled enthusiasts

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The allure of exclusivity is eternal.

asus-matrix-5090
(Image credit: Asus)

Top-shelf graphics cards have always commanded a substantial price premium, but some folks simply crave the best no matter the cost. Asus' shiny ROG Matrix Platinum RTX 5090 is the company's new halo card, and it's coming in at a hefty $4,000. There's just one small problem: You can't get one anymore.

Asus really made the Matrix an exclusive product, as it only produced 1,000 of these cards, and they're reportedly sold out already. That's a fairly impressive feat for a card that carries about a 42% price premium over the $2,800 that standard-issue RTX 5090s are currently going for. Given the regular cards are still available from several vendors, it's safe to say the Matrix has quite the halo-product allure.

It's worth mentioning that even if you do have four grand burning a hole in your pocket, taking in and feeding the Matrix is quite the project. To make the most of its 800 W power limit, you'll need a motherboard with a BTF graphics card power slot, which effectively means a higher-end Asus model. The card's power delivery system can use either the BTF connector or a summery 12V-2x6 connector, but you'll need both to unlock its full potential.

German Youtuber der8auer has put the Matrix 5090 through its paces and pretty much confirmed Asus' claims of a roughly 10% performance boost, provided you enable the 800 W power limit. Although 10% seems low, keep in mind we're talking 10% over what is already a massive performance figure.

In this age of diminishing returns on top-shelf hardware, it's still mildly impressive, cost and practicality concerns aside. Der8auer did remark that he was not a fan of the card's liquid metal application, pointing out that it would benefit from an area barrier to prevent it from potentially oozing out further than intended.

The card's cooling system is equally impressive, comprised of a massive heatsink and four fans in a 3+1 setup, in addition to the liquid metal TIM. The whole assembly reportedly weighs in at around 3.2 kg, or 7.1 lb. It's also simply gigantic, at 370 x 150 x 77 mm, or 14.58 x 5.92 x 3.04 inches.

A card this large is almost guaranteed to sag in time without support, and Asus fitted it with an angle sensor for an added layer of safety. Because no one wants broken hardware, especially after you just shelled out thousands for a GPU.

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Bruno Ferreira
Bruno Ferreira
Contributor

Bruno Ferreira is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. He has decades of experience with PC hardware and assorted sundries, alongside a career as a developer. He's obsessed with detail and has a tendency to ramble on the topics he loves. When not doing that, he's usually playing games, or at live music shows and festivals.

7 Comments Comment from the forums
  • logainofhades
    A fool and their money is soon parted.
    Reply
  • dimar
    I mean, if live far in the mountains and running a solar farm, why not..
    Reply
  • valthuer
    Honestly, the Matrix 5090 selling out so fast just proves one thing: there will always be a market for premium, no-compromise hardware. Whether or not the price makes sense to most of us, it’s hard not to appreciate the engineering that goes into a product like this.

    At the same time, it also highlights how far the industry has come—where a 10% boost on already extreme performance is enough to excite enthusiasts, while everyone else can stick with the "regular" flagship and still have more power than they’ll ever need.

    In the end, it’s simple: if you want the absolute best, you pay for exclusivity; if you don’t, nothing changes for you. No drama, no controversy—just another reminder that passion and practicality coexist just fine in the PC world.
    Reply
  • LordVile
    Coming to an eBay page near you!
    Reply
  • SayAgain
    valthuer said:
    Honestly, the Matrix 5090 selling out so fast just proves one thing: there will always be a market for premium, no-compromise hardware. Whether or not the price makes sense to most of us, it’s hard not to appreciate the engineering that goes into a product like this.

    At the same time, it also highlights how far the industry has come—where a 10% boost on already extreme performance is enough to excite enthusiasts, while everyone else can stick with the "regular" flagship and still have more power than they’ll ever need.

    In the end, it’s simple: if you want the absolute best, you pay for exclusivity; if you don’t, nothing changes for you. No drama, no controversy—just another reminder that passion and practicality coexist just fine in the PC world.
    Most likely bought to be resold on eBay or other hardware resale sits for $2000 over purchase.

    The scalpers that buy and sell these items for profit most be in desperate times … do people really live so close to the financial edge that reselling GPUs is something they need to do?

    As for any “real buyer” that plans to use the GPU … 800W and 10% gain … not even noticeable in most games and certainly not in rendering. Just go buy a $2000 PNY 5090 and Koolance EXC-900 Liquid chiller running down to dew point (900W thermal capacity) for $2000 and get 15-20% gain in performance.
    Reply
  • valthuer
    SayAgain said:
    Most likely bought to be resold on eBay or other hardware resale sits for $2000 over purchase.

    The scalpers that buy and sell these items for profit most be in desperate times … do people really live so close to the financial edge that reselling GPUs is something they need to do?

    As for any “real buyer” that plans to use the GPU … 800W and 10% gain … not even noticeable in most games and certainly not in rendering. Just go buy a $2000 PNY 5090 and Koolance EXC-900 Liquid chiller running down to dew point (900W thermal capacity) for $2000 and get 15-20% gain in performance.

    True — the scalper angle is definitely part of the story with any limited-run hardware, and it wouldn’t be surprising if a chunk of those units end up on eBay at ridiculous markups. That’s unfortunately just how the hype economy works.

    As for the performance side, I agree that the 10% boost isn’t life-changing in real-world gaming or rendering, especially when there are cheaper ways to chase higher clocks or better cooling. For most people, a standard 5090 (or even a cheaper model) is already beyond overkill.

    But that’s kind of the point: products like the Matrix aren’t really about practical value. They’re status pieces, engineering showcases, and collector bait. The “use case” is exclusivity as much as performance. Whether that makes sense or not depends entirely on the buyer — and for everyone else, the good news is that the sane options are still on the shelf.
    Reply
  • aberkae
    Meanwhile the Liquid cooled Zotac 5090 is selling for $2799 and Suprim liquid for $2849.
    Reply