ASUS Unveils SFF-Ready Prime Series GeForce RTX 40-series Graphics Cards

[btarunr]

ASUS launched the Prime Series of GeForce RTX 40-series "Ada" graphics cards that meet NVIDIA's new SFF-Ready specification that sets 304 mm x 151 mm x 50 mm (length x height x thickness) as the maximum dimensions for a graphics card to qualify. What's interesting, is that NVIDIA intended for the SFF-Ready standard to apply to performance-segment and enthusiast-class GPUs (RTX 4070 SUPER and up), however, ASUS has designed the Prime series for the RTX 4060 Ti, RTX 4070, and RTX 4070 SUPER; there are no cards in the series based on the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER or the RTX 4080 SUPER, yet.

ASUS is using a common board design for its RTX 4070 SUPER, RTX 4070, and RTX 4060 Ti Prime series graphics cards, which measures 269 mm x 120 mm x 50 mm, while the heatsink and PCB underneath the cooler shroud may vary between the RTX 4070/SUPER and the RTX 4060 Ti cards. The cooler uses a trio of 70 mm fans to ventilate an aluminium fin-stack heatsink, much of the airflow from the third fan goes through the heatsink and back out from a large cutout in the backplate. The RTX 4070 and RTX 4060 Ti cards use single 8-pin PCIe power inputs, while the RTX 4070 SUPER uses a 16-pin 12VHPWR input. There are a total of six SKUs, two per GPU, one of which sticks to the NVIDIA reference clock speeds, and the other being an OC SKU with a minor factory overclock.



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[Chaitanya]

This whole "SFF-Ready" is a joke.

 

[AusWolf]

How is any of the pictured cards SFF-ready?

 

[sepheronx]

Would be nice for a SFF 4080 lets say. But nah, these GPU's are huge.

 

[tabascosauz]

What I did I say when Nvidia announced this "standard"?? This is EXACTLY the type of shit that will happen.

Card makers will milk the new branding for all its worth by enlarging lower end GPUs into this form factor that they have zero business being in. Like the 4060 Ti and 4070 Super here. The 4070 Ti Super is slightly more understandable but it's literally still just what the status quo already was (maybe for everyone except Asus, who still can't seem to grasp the concept of "compact" for everything that doesn't have a Dual model). Scratch that, 4070 Ti Super also has a Dual, so Asus truly put zero effort into this line.

While at the same time they have zero interest in applying the standard to make smaller cards that actually matter (4080s and 4090s) because 1) they believe they won't sell in high enough volumes 2) bigger card = more marketing = better.

What a dumb joke.

 

[btarunr]

How is any of the pictured cards SFF-ready?

Well, these dimensions are what NVIDIA means by "SFF-ready." They took the memes about future NVIDIA GPUs resembling motorcycle engines seriously.

 

[nguyen]

Looks great, the Asus TUF series is too wide that leave too little room for the PCIe 12v-2x6 cable in a lot of cases

Asus TUF 4070 Super width: 139mm
Asus Prime width: 120mm

Gonna build an SFF for my pal soon

 

[Pumper]

None of these need triple fan cooling in the first place.

 

[chrcoluk]

Waiting for FE RTX 4080 Super SFF model. So I can get a card that doesnt take over my case. The original 4080 FE design is excessive, we have gone from several years ago of having inadequate cooling to now excessive.

Build Small, Play Big – Introducing SFF-Ready Enthusiast GeForce Cards & Compatible Cases

Size guidelines ensure you can build with confidence, knowing your GeForce RTX card will fit inside a SFF case.

www.nvidia.com

But looks like it will only be on partner cards.

I also think the 2.5 slot limit is too big, they need to cap it to dual slot.

 

[AusWolf]

Well, these dimensions are what NVIDIA means by "SFF-ready." They took the memes about future NVIDIA GPUs resembling motorcycle engines seriously.


View attachment 351409

Yeah - it's a joke, honestly. A pitiful attempt to redefine standards instead of making stuff that fits.

In my books, SFF means single slot, or low profile graphics cards, or double slot but then no longer than the PCI-e connector. No Nvidia marketing BS will change that.

 

[nguyen]

None of these need triple fan cooling in the first place.

3 fans models are up to 25C cooler than 2 fans

 

[tabascosauz]

3 fans models are up to 25C cooler than 2 fans
View attachment 351414

And your point is...? Some are an obscene size so the smaller cards should be too?

Who exactly, whilst appreciating their more compact sizes, is complaining about 65C on the Dual or 70C on the FE? All I see is rather proportionate performance out of Dual and FE in relation to their size. TUF is a 300mm card, Master is 342mm. Technically sub-2 slot Ghost is straight up just not a good choice.

Small FE should be the benchmark size for "SFF-ready". Nvidia's current "SFF-ready" standard can be an extension that should be applied only to 4080/4080S/4090, as it is meaningless for any of the lower cards.

 

[nguyen]

And your point is...? Some are an obscene size so the smaller cards should be too?

Who exactly, whilst appreciating their more compact sizes, is complaining about 65C on the Dual or 70C on the FE? All I see is rather proportionate performance out of Dual and FE in relation to their size. TUF is a 300mm card, Master is 342mm. Technically sub-2 slot Ghost is straight up just not a good choice.

Small FE should be the benchmark size for "SFF-ready". Nvidia's current "SFF-ready" standard can be an extension that should be applied only to 4080/4080S/4090, as it is meaningless for any of the lower cards.

Why is shorter better though? SFF cases can fit 270-300mm long GPUs just fine. IMO SFF build look better with longer GPU that fill the length of the case.
This guy has the same idea LOL

Furthermore you can fine tune the fan speed for a quieter gaming experience, especially when the SFF build sit right next to you.

 

[HOkay]

The whole Nvidia SFF spec thing is a good idea, they just got the name of this size wrong. They should have done an actually SFF one & then a Medium FF or SFF-XL or something for this size.

 

[Chrispy_]

SFF is a premium segment now with $100 PCIe 4.0 riser kits, $200 premiums on motherboards, and decent cases being twice the price for half the size.

So why did Asus think "PRIME will be a great fit for this segment. Those premium buyers will love the low-rent cheap back plastic instead of high-quality aluminium. Also, it's SFF so we'd better make the backplate a few mm thicker than usual to, uh.... Hey, look over there! A squirrel!!"

Honestly, the only thing that really matters for some SFF builds is the position of the power connector and its infernal minimum bend radius. If Asus were going to innovate one single thing for this it would be right-angle power connector or a set of low-profile right-angle adapters in the box.

 

[Mack4285]

SFF for me is about 17cm long and single fan. One 8-pin connector and TDP below 200W. The low profile GPU:s like Gigabyte 4060 are also nice. So we need more cards like that, not these behemots.

 

[nguyen]

SFF is a premium segment now with $100 PCIe 4.0 riser kits, $200 premiums on motherboards, and decent cases being twice the price for half the size.

So why did Asus think "PRIME will be a great fit for this segment. Those premium buyers will love the low-rent cheap back plastic instead of high-quality aluminium. Also, it's SFF so we'd better make the backplate a few mm thicker than usual to, uh.... Hey, look over there! A squirrel!!"

Honestly, the only thing that really matters for some SFF builds is the position of the power connector and its infernal minimum bend radius. If Asus were going to innovate one single thing for this it would be right-angle power connector or a set of low-profile right-angle adapters in the box.

Yup, the Asus 4070S Dual is 134mm wide, the new Prime will be 120mm, which leave more room for the power connector

 

[Onasi]

I’ve said it when this ridiculous “standard” was announced and I will say it again - there is no need for a separate SFF designation. Just have at least a few cards in manufacturers repertoire adhere to the PCIe AIB specifications in all three dimensions instead of being massive monsters and there it is, your ready made SFF cards.

 

[Chrispy_]

PCIe AIB specifications in all three dimensions

I've often complained about this in the past. HTPC cases are notorious for modern GPUs because just about every single >75W GPU made in the last two decades violates the height spec, and many HTPC cases are constrained to the same dimensions as other HiFi equipment in an AV rack. Triple-slot cooler? no problem. 300mm long? no problem. Card 20mm too tall to close the case up and stack your amp or receiver? Game over.

If GPUs weren't supposed to be used in AV stacks then why did AMD and Nvidia push HDR, HDMI, Atmos/DTS bitstream passthrough, and all these other TV-first features that existed in the AV space long before they came to desktop gaming setups?

 

[AusWolf]

Why is shorter better though? SFF cases can fit 270-300mm long GPUs just fine. IMO SFF build look better with longer GPU that fill the length of the case.
This guy has the same idea LOL
View attachment 351418

Furthermore you can fine tune the fan speed for a quieter gaming experience, especially when the SFF build sit right next to you.

Just because a case only fits a mini-ITX motherboard, it doesn't mean it's SFF.

SFF is something like this:

Small form factor gaming - build log and support forum for new builders

I just got an ML-09B last week but I really regret not getting the more flexible sleeved cables for the SFX power supply. It's a nice case for it's size. Previously I tried some generic 4L case from ebay but the 1U PSU got wasn't modular so the cables were in the way for the side slot that I...

www.techpowerup.com

 

[chrcoluk]

SFF is a premium segment now with $100 PCIe 4.0 riser kits, $200 premiums on motherboards, and decent cases being twice the price for half the size.

So why did Asus think "PRIME will be a great fit for this segment. Those premium buyers will love the low-rent cheap back plastic instead of high-quality aluminium. Also, it's SFF so we'd better make the backplate a few mm thicker than usual to, uh.... Hey, look over there! A squirrel!!"

Honestly, the only thing that really matters for some SFF builds is the position of the power connector and its infernal minimum bend radius. If Asus were going to innovate one single thing for this it would be right-angle power connector or a set of low-profile right-angle adapters in the box.

The vendors I think they think bigger = premium. Traditionally people have preferred beefier coolers, but I think some of us have think its gone too far, and personally I think a smaller card (especially in slot size) is more of a premium than just sticking a massive chunk of metal on it.

Especially if someone manages to make a smaller card with same cooling performance, that would be the true marvel.

I think it must be possible to make a FE card, that has the same core design but just chop a bit of its height so its a 2 slot card. It should be cheaper to manufacture as well. If needs be drop its power limit a little bit.

I also agree with Auswolf, so even though I say 2 slot max, I agree with what he is saying SFF is the wrong terminology to use unless its a 1 slot card.

 

[Noyand]

Just because a case only fits a mini-ITX motherboard, it doesn't mean it's SFF.

SFF is something like this:

Small form factor gaming - build log and support forum for new builders

I just got an ML-09B last week but I really regret not getting the more flexible sleeved cables for the SFX power supply. It's a nice case for it's size. Previously I tried some generic 4L case from ebay but the 1U PSU got wasn't modular so the cables were in the way for the side slot that I...

www.techpowerup.com

For a case like that, the 4060LP is probably as good as you'll realistically get for something that won't sound like a jet engine. Palit has a single fan RTX 4060TI, and the fan needs to spin at 2600RPM to keep the GPU cool. I wouldn't expect a LP or even a single fan 4070 and up to be desirable.

From a business POV, it's understandable that the 4060 ti will be as good as it can get, sub 10 liters builds are a niche within the niche: on the SFF PC discord, most builds are around the 10 liters mark. Cases like the fractal terra are probably what those guys are targeting for compatibility.

When the creator of Dan Cases saw the specs of AiB RTX 4000, he had to get back to drawing boards and make the C4 SFX bigger, and even then, some GPUs caused issues because of how the power cable was implemented. If you couldn't get an FE, building a ~10 liter sff case could be painful with that generation, even with those cases being designed to fit 3 slots GPUs from the ampere era.

Those GPUs are still not as good as the 4070 FE, but it is better than the first batch of GPU. Waiting to see a 4080 though

 

[Yashyyyk]

When ITX GPU?

I want an ITX / low length/single fan RTX 4070 with 16GB VRAM. (Or rather something like the 1080Ti mini for the 4070Ti (Super/16GB VRAM)) It's ~200W just like the numerous ITX 1080/2070(S)/3060Ti, all ~1 "Liter" in size, so ~200 "Watt per Liter" We should be getting better/more...

www.techpowerup.com

They basically took the upper bound dimensions and said it's the limit

I don't mind 3 slot GPU, but can I get single fan 3 slot GPU?

@Noyand a single fan 4070 is very doable if OEMs are competent, it's ~200W just like single fan 1080/2070/3060Ti

 

[Noyand]

What I did I say when Nvidia announced this "standard"?? This is EXACTLY the type of shit that will happen.

Card makers will milk the new branding for all its worth by enlarging lower end GPUs into this form factor that they have zero business being in. Like the 4060 Ti and 4070 Super here. The 4070 Ti Super is slightly more understandable but it's literally still just what the status quo already was (maybe for everyone except Asus, who still can't seem to grasp the concept of "compact" for everything that doesn't have a Dual model). Scratch that, 4070 Ti Super also has a Dual, so Asus truly put zero effort into this line.

While at the same time they have zero interest in applying the standard to make smaller cards that actually matter (4080s and 4090s) because 1) they believe they won't sell in high enough volumes 2) bigger card = more marketing = better.

What a dumb joke.

Some of the duals are 1cm taller than those prime, that's a lot, there are a few cases that are using a reference layout that cannot accommodate them once you include the cable. A lot of modern SFF case are narrow, but long, so length is less of an issue than height

 

[AusWolf]

I don't mind 3 slot GPU, but can I get single fan 3 slot GPU?

You could back in the Evga days. My brother has a 3-slot single fan 2060, but it is loud and throttles at stock. I have the 1660 Ti version of the same card and it's just about at the limit of what the cooler can do.

For a case like that, the 4060LP is probably as good as you'll realistically get for something that won't sound like a jet engine. Palit has a single fan RTX 4060TI, and the fan needs to spin at 2600RPM to keep the GPU cool. I wouldn't expect a LP or even a single fan 4070 and up to be desirable.

From a business POV, it's understandable that the 4060 ti will be as good as it can get, sub 10 liters builds are a niche within the niche: on the SFF PC discord, most builds are around the 10 liters mark. Cases like the fractal terra are probably what those guys are targeting for compatibility.

When the creator of Dan Cases saw the specs of AiB RTX 4000, he had to get back to drawing boards and make the C4 SFX bigger, and even then, some GPUs caused issues because of how the power cable was implemented. If you couldn't get an FE, building a ~10 liter sff case could be painful with that generation, even with those cases being designed to fit 3 slots GPUs from the ampere era.

Those GPUs are still not as good as the 4070 FE, but it is better than the first batch of GPU. Waiting to see a 4080 though

I think the problem is that we've been throwing around the SFF moniker like it was a thing, when in fact, no one has created a definition for it. We just kind of accepted it with an arbitrary meaning. Now, Nvidia took the helm and bent the definition to make their gigantic beasts fit. My problem is that their definition is vastly different than mine. I will never accept anything longer than 20 cm and thicker than dual slot as SFF.