Palit RTX 4090 GameRock OC Review – Midnight Kaleidoscope

Assessing the third RTX 4090 card we have tested, and the second AIB model, today we have put Palit's RTX 4090 GameRock OC through its paces, and there is a lot to like about this card.

Starting with gaming performance as we always do, there's isn't a ton to say here. Even with a 90MHz factory overclock, that doesn't result in much of a real-world gain for the GameRock OC, as we saw it outperform the Founders Edition by 2% at most. It's still an RTX 4090 so you're going to get a fantastic gaming experience, but the difference between the two just isn't noticeable while actually gaming.

We did see a noticeable improvement in thermal performance, however, with the GameRock OC operating at about 66C out of the box. Once noise-normalised, it offers the best thermal performance of any card we've tested so far, and while that is admittedly a small sample size, it's still a good place to be.

As good as it is, I feel the card's cooling performance almost takes a back seat to the overall design, which is arguably much more of a selling point for the GameRock OC. It's visually unique, with a bling-tastic RGB light show that's unlike any other card on the market. It will certainly divide opinion, however!

That said, if you like the design, there's a couple of things to be aware of. First, to get the most from the RGB, you'd really need to vertically mount it, which may not be a good idea considering how thick the card is, as it would likely be starved of airflow with the fans against your case's side panel. Secondly, the ARGB cable header, to allow synchronisation of the lighting with your motherboard, is smack bang in the middle of the card itself, creating a bit of a cable management problem. These are minor points, yes, but things to be aware of when spending in excess of £1700 on a graphics card.

My only other complaint comes down to the slight buzzing noise made by the fans, but to me, this was only noticeable when my system fans were disabled, so I don't consider it much of an issue.

So those points aside, if you like the look of the GameRock OC, you will also find plenty to like in terms of its cooling performance, dual-BIOS support and low noise levels. We look forward to testing more custom cards in the coming weeks to see how they compare.

It is currently out of stock, but the Palit RTX 4090 GameRock OC is listed at Overclockers UK HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

Pros

• Visually unique design with extraordinary RGB lighting.
• Darker aesthetic looks good compared to the 30-series models.
• Runs cool and quiet.
• Best thermal performance when noise-normalised that we have seen so far.
• Dual-BIOS.
• Quietest 4090 we have tested so far.

Cons

• Needs to be vertically mounted to get the most from the RGB, which has cooling implications.
• ARGB header is awkwardly placed.
• Slight buzzing noise from the fans (but only audible with system fans disabled).

KitGuru says: The GameRock OC is another solid RTX 4090 card. Its cooling performance is impressive, but the design and RGB lighting steal the show.

Become a Patron!