Colorful RTX 4090 Neptune goes crazy for TGP
Colorful’s iGame Neptune has the highest maximum power setting of any RTX 4090 GPU.
Almost all RTX 4090 cards have a higher maximum TGP (Total Graphics Power) for overclocking. There are models with sub-500W TGP (ZOTAC), but the vast majority of GPUs go higher. There are even models that go up to 600W (NVIDIA Founders Edition, ASUS ROG Strix or Gigabyte Gaming). However, none of the cards have moved higher so far, until Neptune was announced.
Colorful RTX 4090 iGame Neptune OC, Source: Expreview
The iGame Neptune is a liquid-cooled RTX 4090 from the Colorful iGame series. It is based on the same PCB as the iGame Vulcan series, but the clock speed is actually slightly higher (2640 MHz vs. 2625 MHz). Also higher is the maximum TGP of 630W (80W higher than Vulcan).
This TGP is actually the highest TGP currently available on any RTX 4090 GPU. For this reason, Colorful recommends a 1000W power supply, and it’s probably for good reason.
Colorful RTX 4090 iGame Neptune OC, Source: Colorful/Expreview
It was believed that custom RTX 4090s could break the 600W TGP limit at some point, but such an attitude was to be expected from enthusiast OC cards, such as the upcoming Galax HOF (probably dual 16-pin 12VHPWR power connectors).
The Neptune has already been sent in for reviews, but it looks like not many have been published yet. The team at Expreview has posted a review and they confirm that it comes with a standard 550W TGP and max at 630W. Interestingly, the 100W higher standard TGP was already so high that unlocking another 80W did nothing to improve performance. The card only scored 0.7% higher in 3DMark Time Spy Extreme.
Colorful RTX 4090 iGame Neptune OC in overclocking test, Source: Expreview
In addition, although the card has a standard TGP of 550W, a peak value observed through the NVIDIA PCAT power monitoring tool was only 470W. It’s also worth noting that due to a complex water cooling system, it had a relatively high idle power of 47W.
Colorful RTX 4090 iGame Neptune OC power consumption test (default), Source: Expreview
For graphics cards that come with a non-standard 450W+ TGP, enthusiasts should pay more attention to the 12VHPWR connector. According to TechPowerUP’s review who tested 450W and 600W implementation of this cable, there is no difference when using 450W RTX 4090 GPUs. For any card beyond standard TGP, especially manual and factory overclocked GPUs, a 600W cable is highly recommended.
The 600W specification is also achieved by using four 8-pin power cables to 12VHPWR adapters. This ‘smart’ NVIDIA adapter reverts to 450W specification using just three 8-pin cables. This was explained in detail by Igor’sLAB. It’s worth keeping this in mind when choosing a card like iGame Neptune.
Source: Colorful, Expreview