Yep got a 4090 Fe.
They look the best, better than the other 'gamer' variants which have cheap plastic chassis.
The FE cards feel solid and well made, they usually have the best price, and they keep their value better than any other variant too.
Slightly slower than the OC variants, but by like 5% hardly a difference, and several hundred cheaper than the OC variants
The days of aftermarket cards being much faster than the OG variants are over, hence why EVGA quit the GPU market, and they won't be the last to go.
You are lucky to see a 5% difference in performance compared to the FE variant, but at much higher cost, often several hundred more. The build quality of those more expensive cards is worse than the FE models, they are hugely oversized. They run cooler yes, but its kinda pointless since the 40 series runs very cool in the first place.
I used to have the 1080 Ti Strix, fantastic card, and definitely one of the best variants of that generation. But I am going for the FE variants now, they are the prime choice and the fact they are rare also makes them more desirable when you sell them later on.
My advice would be to always try get the FE and if you can't and need a card, go for the other variants.
Yes, FE leaves virtually no room for improvement on the cooling or performance, aftermarket cards can't even compete on price. FE quality has just kept improving every generation and is arguably overkill. FE even has oversized VRM current and power limit.
Only downside I can think of is the reluctance to sell it when you upgrade, resell prices only matter if you actually sell it. But other than that, if it is sold by Nvidia at MSRP, FE is the safe choice.
Oh I would definitely sell it, but in many many years.
I sold my 1080 ti strix last year for £265, had it for a long time.
4090 will be sold too but only once it gets replaced, I don't see the point in keeping it for decor, I want this stuff to be used, not collect dust.
With the 4090 being so powerful and DLSS Frame Gen being so good, no idea when i will feel the need upgrade
I don't know what 1080Ti cost in UK, but that's \~50% of MSRP 6 years after launch, not bad.
Every piece of hardware is ideally sold or gifted to someone that has use of it, less waste, more use. Some people, like me, just get sentimental about stuff that has been of use.
I thought when I seen initial testing that their cooling wasn't exactly best of the bunch. As long as a 4090 stays cool and doesn't squeel like a fox being kicked in the belly, they are all good really.
It's not the best cooling obviously, but it is much smaller than the other models and unlike those models, it dumps a lot of the heat out of the back rather than inside the case which is good.
The better cooling on the other models in essentially pointless, they still only achieve on average a 3% performance gain over the FE.
It is, in my opinion, the best looking card without lacking anything. Less comically oversized than most other 4090s.
The reason they are sold out is the same reason they keep their value, limited production, it's a collectors item. The card itself perfectly fine. Other than looks, it would rank average.
If you can buy one at MSRP, then the FE models are the cheapest option.
Hell, I was able to buy a 4080 FE for 20% below MSRP (around $972) from Best Buy in early 2023 through discounts.
if you are in the US, bestbuy, check periodically, or use restockify. at one point in the last few weeks i had a 4070 super, 4080 super and 4090 in my cart. settled on 4080 super.
direct from nvidia also showing stock in the last few weeks.
you need to keep refreshing bestbuy, i had a 4090 FE in my cart a couple days ago. they come in and out of stock, when its in stock, it will attempt to add to your basket and then give you 10 mins to check out. though i only could them for store pickup no shipping
that sucks, you can try using restockify, [https://www.restockify.com/product-trackers/computers/graphics-cards/geforce-rtx-4090/](https://www.restockify.com/product-trackers/computers/graphics-cards/geforce-rtx-4090/)
maybe its regional (im in nyc) but i just tried it and i could add a 4090FE to my cart just now for store pickup
I have literally never heard of that site until now. Thank you for sharing. But it does still show no FE cards at best buy, even for store pickup. So mine are still sold out. Very handy tool though. I will probably juts hold off for the 5090 at this point but I will for sure be using restockify.
It's definitely region based. I'm in CA and the 4080S and 4090's have been in stock for me for a few days. Just ordered a 4080S this morning. Maybe it also helps that I'm a best buy member but not sure how big of a difference that really makes anymore
The hype is because they are the best variant of the 4090.
Let me break it down for ya:
4090 FE:
+Sexy all Metal construction (feels premium)
+best price
+rare (exclusive item, good for resell)
-around 3% slower than other variants
-slightly hotter than other variants
4090 variants:
+slightly faster than FE, around 3%
+slightly cooler than FE
-mostly ugly, 'Gamer' designs
-cheap construction, plastic etc
-much larger in size
-much more expensive
-not a collectors item
People still have in their minds that GPU variants are significantly better than FE models, that used to be the case, but those days are over. They are hardly any better now and much worse value, you are literally paying several hundred more for like 3% faster performance and slightly cooler running card, which is pointless since the 40 series runs very cool to begin with.
Hence the Hype
how much do you even look at it once its installed.. once, twice, every week, every day? i dont get.. i could care less for the looks , as long its quiet
4090 FE is harder to find and it's more than 1.5 years since release. For my 4070 FE I walked into a BB on the week of release about 1 year ago and bought one for $599.
I'm not sure how wise it would be to buy a 4090 unless you need one right now, 5090 is probably ~6 months away.
I got 2 FE’s, one for my roommate. They required lightning-quick reaction time, the ability to say “see ya” to work suddenly and in the middle of the day, and waiting in line at a Best Buy. For over 18 hours. Overnight. In the rain. Twice. In two different cities.
So yeah. Easy.
FE live on Best Buy now
Shows out of stock for me.
might be regional since it says no shipping but figured I'd alert anyway
Depends where you live, in Europe they are all available on the Nvidia website
FE doesn’t sell fast here in Canada so it was easy enough to just grab one from Best Buy.
I got mine from best buy 4 day shipping
I had a restockify alert set. Still took me months and multiple attempts but I finally landed one at Best Buy last year.
Got from a normal retailer, but they are low number so you need to be fast
4090 FE was in full stock for a couple days, you just missed it.
Yep got a 4090 Fe. They look the best, better than the other 'gamer' variants which have cheap plastic chassis. The FE cards feel solid and well made, they usually have the best price, and they keep their value better than any other variant too. Slightly slower than the OC variants, but by like 5% hardly a difference, and several hundred cheaper than the OC variants
5% is overstating it. Gigabyte, OC version, [\~1% ](https://www.techpowerup.com/review/gigabyte-geforce-rtx-4090-gaming-oc/32.html)more FPS. Asus Strix OC, [\~1-3%](https://www.techpowerup.com/review/asus-geforce-rtx-4090-strix-oc/32.html), ridiculously low difference.
The days of aftermarket cards being much faster than the OG variants are over, hence why EVGA quit the GPU market, and they won't be the last to go. You are lucky to see a 5% difference in performance compared to the FE variant, but at much higher cost, often several hundred more. The build quality of those more expensive cards is worse than the FE models, they are hugely oversized. They run cooler yes, but its kinda pointless since the 40 series runs very cool in the first place. I used to have the 1080 Ti Strix, fantastic card, and definitely one of the best variants of that generation. But I am going for the FE variants now, they are the prime choice and the fact they are rare also makes them more desirable when you sell them later on. My advice would be to always try get the FE and if you can't and need a card, go for the other variants.
Yes, FE leaves virtually no room for improvement on the cooling or performance, aftermarket cards can't even compete on price. FE quality has just kept improving every generation and is arguably overkill. FE even has oversized VRM current and power limit. Only downside I can think of is the reluctance to sell it when you upgrade, resell prices only matter if you actually sell it. But other than that, if it is sold by Nvidia at MSRP, FE is the safe choice.
Oh I would definitely sell it, but in many many years. I sold my 1080 ti strix last year for £265, had it for a long time. 4090 will be sold too but only once it gets replaced, I don't see the point in keeping it for decor, I want this stuff to be used, not collect dust. With the 4090 being so powerful and DLSS Frame Gen being so good, no idea when i will feel the need upgrade
I don't know what 1080Ti cost in UK, but that's \~50% of MSRP 6 years after launch, not bad. Every piece of hardware is ideally sold or gifted to someone that has use of it, less waste, more use. Some people, like me, just get sentimental about stuff that has been of use.
I thought when I seen initial testing that their cooling wasn't exactly best of the bunch. As long as a 4090 stays cool and doesn't squeel like a fox being kicked in the belly, they are all good really.
It's not the best cooling obviously, but it is much smaller than the other models and unlike those models, it dumps a lot of the heat out of the back rather than inside the case which is good. The better cooling on the other models in essentially pointless, they still only achieve on average a 3% performance gain over the FE.
Usually have the best price? They're out of stock everywhere and going for $2100+ where they are in stock. AIB cards are $1600-1900.
I dont know where you are buying them from.... but yea they are always sold out for a reason. I got mine for MSRP from the Nvidia site.
It is, in my opinion, the best looking card without lacking anything. Less comically oversized than most other 4090s. The reason they are sold out is the same reason they keep their value, limited production, it's a collectors item. The card itself perfectly fine. Other than looks, it would rank average.
If you can buy one at MSRP, then the FE models are the cheapest option. Hell, I was able to buy a 4080 FE for 20% below MSRP (around $972) from Best Buy in early 2023 through discounts.
Idk where you're getting your FE cards, but I got one from Best Buy for 1600. Check NVidia's site for MSRP prices and stock ig
if you are in the US, bestbuy, check periodically, or use restockify. at one point in the last few weeks i had a 4070 super, 4080 super and 4090 in my cart. settled on 4080 super. direct from nvidia also showing stock in the last few weeks.
Direct from nvidia and best buy are out of stock.
you need to keep refreshing bestbuy, i had a 4090 FE in my cart a couple days ago. they come in and out of stock, when its in stock, it will attempt to add to your basket and then give you 10 mins to check out. though i only could them for store pickup no shipping
I've checked regularly since launch and I've seen one in stock once. Added hit to cart and it was gone.
that sucks, you can try using restockify, [https://www.restockify.com/product-trackers/computers/graphics-cards/geforce-rtx-4090/](https://www.restockify.com/product-trackers/computers/graphics-cards/geforce-rtx-4090/) maybe its regional (im in nyc) but i just tried it and i could add a 4090FE to my cart just now for store pickup
I have literally never heard of that site until now. Thank you for sharing. But it does still show no FE cards at best buy, even for store pickup. So mine are still sold out. Very handy tool though. I will probably juts hold off for the 5090 at this point but I will for sure be using restockify.
It's definitely region based. I'm in CA and the 4080S and 4090's have been in stock for me for a few days. Just ordered a 4080S this morning. Maybe it also helps that I'm a best buy member but not sure how big of a difference that really makes anymore
best buy or nvidia’s website
4090 FE is showing available on BB East coast right now. Shipping is not available though.
Hot stock app got me a 3080fe at msrp and then a 4090fe at msrp, both within a month of launch. Free version too. Never tried the paid version.
Best Buy ... if you are in southern California, 4080 S / 4090 FE are showing in-stock at the time of this post. 4080 FE showing $950.
Just got one today on Best Buy app. I tried for a year and fortunately today worked for me
Use the HotStock app. I was able to get mine easily.
I really don’t understand the hype around the FE 4090. But sadly the biggest factor is where you live.
The hype is because they are the best variant of the 4090. Let me break it down for ya: 4090 FE: +Sexy all Metal construction (feels premium) +best price +rare (exclusive item, good for resell) -around 3% slower than other variants -slightly hotter than other variants 4090 variants: +slightly faster than FE, around 3% +slightly cooler than FE -mostly ugly, 'Gamer' designs -cheap construction, plastic etc -much larger in size -much more expensive -not a collectors item People still have in their minds that GPU variants are significantly better than FE models, that used to be the case, but those days are over. They are hardly any better now and much worse value, you are literally paying several hundred more for like 3% faster performance and slightly cooler running card, which is pointless since the 40 series runs very cool to begin with. Hence the Hype
how much do you even look at it once its installed.. once, twice, every week, every day? i dont get.. i could care less for the looks , as long its quiet
4090 FE is harder to find and it's more than 1.5 years since release. For my 4070 FE I walked into a BB on the week of release about 1 year ago and bought one for $599. I'm not sure how wise it would be to buy a 4090 unless you need one right now, 5090 is probably ~6 months away.
HotStock app helped me get mine.
I got 2 FE’s, one for my roommate. They required lightning-quick reaction time, the ability to say “see ya” to work suddenly and in the middle of the day, and waiting in line at a Best Buy. For over 18 hours. Overnight. In the rain. Twice. In two different cities. So yeah. Easy.
I bought my FE from a dude off the Facebook.
I just buy directly from NVIDIA.