The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series have officially made their debut at CES 2025, and ASUS is here with their take on these next generation cards. Aside from the premium features and pricing that we can expect from the ROG lineup, they are introducing a new flagship series on the roster: the ROG Astral series.
The ROG Astral series is now the flagship lineup for their range of graphics cards. The ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 will now have four fans to take cooling to the next level with up to 20% more airflow and pressure compared to the previous tri-fan design.
Its addition of a fourth fan also allows for a denser heatsink to add to its cooling potential. Complementing these improvements is the return of a patented vapor chamber with milled pathways that allow heatsinks to sink into the surface without flat edges.
Between the heatsink and the PGU is a phase-change thermal pad to optimize heat transfer and the longevity of the thermal interface material. It works by liquifying to fill the gaps between the GPU and the heatsink.
The Astral series also packs 80-amp MOSFETS that allow for 35% extra headroom compared to standard designs. All its features are encased in an ultra-rigid metal frame, fan shroud, and backplate with a new design.
Other additions to these cards are support for GPU Tweak III which includes a Thermal Map of the PCB, Power Detector+ to check its 12VHPWR connection, and a Mileage Tracker to track power usage over its life span. ROG also includes a Dual BIOS Switch and two FanConnect II headers.
For liquid-cooling enthusiasts, ASUS will be offering the ROG Astral LC GeForce RTX 5090 that comes with a low-profile heatsink under its shroud with a full-coverage cold plate for its 360mm radiator to cool the GPU and PCB. They claim that their design can cool the card by up to 30% better compared to air cooling.
The ROG Strix is still one of the mainline series for the company this generation. The Strix variants, which will include the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070, will come with a vented exoskeleton, Dual BIOS switch, phase-change thermal interface and Aura Sync.
On the other hand, the TUF Gaming lineup focuses on reliability. Available in RTX 5090, RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070 variants, these cards will come with a phase-change thermal compound, a protective PCB, TUF chokes, and TUF 5K Black Metallic Capacitors that claims to provide 52% wider temperature tolerance. The RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 models will come with a vapor chamber.
The ASUS Prime series also joins the launch with tri-fan cooling and a phase-change thermal compound. The RTX 5080, 5070 Ti, and 5070 models will have a 2.5-slot design that meets the SFF-Ready Enthusiast GeForce Card guideline to fit small formfactor builds. The RTX 5080 variant will come with a vapor chamber for improved cooling.
Official pricing and availability for ASUS’ range of GeForce RTX 50 series cards are yet to be announced. Stay tuned.
