Introduction
Today we are reviewing the second EVANGELION collaboration release from ASUS ROG, this time around featuring Asuka Langley Soryu with the release of the ROG STRIX RTX 4090 OC EVA-02. Now depending on your region you might’ve already seen this card on shelves but I’ve been holding on to this one as we have yet to see it get a local price tag.
That has yet to come in so I’m posting this already and while it will mostly be a review about the ROG STRIX RTX 4090 OC, there are some details that ASUS has went to great lengths to include for this collaboration release with KHARA. As mentioned, this review will primarily be focusing on the ROG STRIX RTX 4090 OC as the EVA-02 Edition is just a special version of the same card. It will still come at a premium though.
With that out of the way we’ll immediately go into the details of the ROG x EVA-02 collaboration release. More information is in our original story when the news broke about the ROG x EVA-02 collaboration. The new collection will feature the EVA-02’s color scheme but will also comprise of pieces featuring the pilot, Asuka, something absent in the EVA-01 collection which did not have Shinji in any of the product.
There are currently no other GPUs announced for this collection unlike the EVA-01 line and that’s a key factor if you’re going after this collection on top of the fact that the Z790 is up for an encore release this year for Intel’s Raptor Lake Refresh. Going back to the GPU, the RTX 4090 has proven the be the most dominant graphics card in the market today in terms of outright performance and 1 year into its service life, it remains undisputed in its performance crown. Over to the partner side of things, with EVGA out of the picture, ASUS ROG has had a more comfortable position as one of the most coveted models around.
Much like they did with the RTX 30-series, the ROG Strix RTX 40-series manages to still get people’s attention. Personally though, I still think it feels like a cinder block hanging off the motherboard but all that metal on the heatsink cools the RTX 40-series cards very well. In our tests of the ROG Strix RTX 4080 OC, we’ve seen the exact same cooler as the ROG Strix RTX 4090 keep the RTX 4080 at around 65*C.
ASUS gives the ROG Strix RTX 4090 OC a factory overclock of 2.61Ghz, a significant increase from the reference clock speed of the RTX 4090. Memory is untouched but the RTX 40-series ROG Strix cooling features a vapor chamber laying directly on the vital components.
And here we have our look at the ROG x EVA-02 edition of the ROG Strix RTX 4090 OC. Featuring Asuka’s color scheme: bright red with hits of orange and green, this is as loyal as it can get to the anime’s color scheme. It isn’t symbolic as the EVA-01, who even in small hits is unqiuely identifiable via its colorway. So much so that despite having an inverse color scheme used by G1 Devastator, EVA-01’s color scheme is very iconic. This makes it doubly challenging for ASUS to just go for the color. But they found a way around that:
When licensing IPs like these, interested parties would need to license the specific characters meaning that if ASUS wanted to use the likeness of both EVA-02 and Asuka, they need to secure license for them both. And that they did. Asuka prominently graces the backplate of the ROG Strix RTX 4090 OC EVA-02 and perhaps any varying models.
The fan side of the heatsink comprises mainly of the fans. ASUS ROG did not include any RGB on the fans or the shroud except the edge of the card. So much like the regular color scheme, they went with gradient color on the ROG emblem this time around fading from orange to red and finally green.
By default, the card features orange lighting on the ROG logotype and the edge lighting. Users can customize this in Armoury Crate which also gets a reskin specifically this card.
ASUS ROG also gives a special skin for this model only under Armoury Crate. This skin will apply only for the configuration pages of the included products e.g. ROG Strix RTX 4090 OC EVA-02, MAXIMUS Z790 HERO EVA-02, etc.
GPU Tweak also gets its own custom skin for this release.
The trading card in the package is a unique EVA branded card.
Lastly, the cable straps and support stand are also EVA-02 branded to complete the bundle.
If you’ve been skimming past these details or don’t care about Evangelion, please skip to the benchmarks.
Product Gallery – ROG Strix RTX 4090 OC EVA-02
Power Draw and Temperature –Â ROG Strix RTX 4090 OC EVA-02
We start off by testing how high our GPU clocks go as well as how much power our card uses in gaming use. We use the built-in benchmark in Returnal in 4K benchmark as well as Kombustor (when needed) for this tests so that users will have an idea what kind of usage behavior they can see from these cards. Returnal’s benchmark is impressive and gives a good idea on how certain scenario types afffect performance.
Given that most cards will boost all the way to their highest potential, the numbers we see here should be a good indicator of what to expect from these cards in general. Results are captured via inline power metering instruments primarily Powenetics v2 by Cybenetics/Hardware Busters for accurate card-only data capture. Occassionally, we use PCAT v2 (or v1) for FrameView-related functionalities. Powenetics v2 is the modern iteration of our original Powenetics system licensed from Cybenetics Labs and allows more thorough read-outs for the entire system including the CPU power, GPU power (+PCIe slot) and the system power overall. This removes the guess work from taking power readings from differing GPU APIs and provides consistent readings regardless of vendors.
Temperature and Power Draw
Comparison – RTX 4090
Most partner cards will perform roughly the same across the board and once a baseline has been established, there’s really not a lot of sense in presenting granular data per partner card. That said, we are moving towards focusing more on unique graphics card traits like cooling, power draw, fan speed, etc after our day 1 review which will usually be represented by either a reference model card or the only card we have at the time, updated later on with a reference card. For now, we’re still developing this methodology but we aim to put GPU models from different brands against each other, showing performance figures primarily representing power, cooling, and clock stability as well as voltage and fan speed.
Test Setup and Methodology
Processor: Intel Core i9-13900K
Memory: Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5-6400 32GB
Storage: Kingston FURY Renegade 2TB SSD
PSU: FSP Hydro G Pro 1000W
Cooling: ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO Cooler
Monitor: ROG PG27UQ 4K 144hz HDR1000
VGA: Listed
For a full-hardware workout, visit https://benchmarks.ul.com for our system warm-up and stress test of choice.
For benchmarking methodology please see our game benchmark method guide.
Test results are gathered and produced on CapFrameX. This makes it easier for use to get both line graph comparison and raw averages without extra tools. Simply the easiest tool for benchmarking and its available for everyone to use, free of charge. Check it out at capframex.com.
Since this is a GPU review, we benchmarked the area of the games that put heavy load on the GPU.
All our test runs are repeatable, click the links below for area and details. Read our benchmarking methodology.
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: FPS Benchmark Workshop Map
- DOTA2 – (New Frontiers Update) Match ID: 7161139105 – Blacklist Rivalry vs. Execration Game 1 28:00-29:00
- PUBG Battlegrounds – Custom Scene
- Valorant
- Call of Duty (2023) – in-game benchmark
- Forza Horizon 5 – Panoramica Sprint (Benchmark Mode)
- Cyberpunk 2077 – in-game benchmark
- Marvel’s Spider-Man – Empire State area
- F1 2023 – Singapore, night time, wet (in-game benchmark)
- Microsoft Flight Simulator – Landing activity, YSSY
- A Plague’s Tale: Requiem – opening chase scene with Hugo, Amicia and Lucas
- Hogswarth Legacy – Hogsmeade Square loop
- The Last of Us Part I – Game prologue – town panic area
- Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla – in-game benchmark
- Far Cry 6 – in-game benchmark
For retirement:
- Rainbow Six: Siege
- Apex Legends
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider
- Destiny 2
- Elden Ring
- Overwatch 2
See our Youtube playlist for benchmark sequences.
Note: Some proprietary technologies of NVIDIA like PCSS, HBAO+, and HairWorks work on AMD GPU’s BUT to maintain uniformity amongst GPUs, these have been turned OFF.
You can click on any of the benchmark charts enlarge. You can also move forward and backwards to quickly navigate through our charts via gallery view. For this test, only the out-of-box normal mode will be tested.
Kindly let me know if you spot an errors in the charts. I do my best to keep them error free but while test results are reliable and accurate, bringing them over to Excel and relying on formulas to generate the reports sometimes can cause mix-ups.
Notes:
- All data are gathered from exactly the same system, with exactly the configuration we list here. No data is reused from another system or from any variations of. We gather data from only one system as indicated here.
- Graphics cards are allowed to heat up prior to benchmarking. Cooler graphics cards may boost higher than normal.
- Following up on the above, we try to enjoy the game and play a bit before proceeding to the actual benchmark scenario. This allows us to detect any other problems like stuttering, frame skipping, or any other problems.
- Games that receive graphical updates that affect performance e.g. (DOTA2 moving from DX9 to DX11) will be retested completely.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO)
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, popularly known as CSGO, competes for Steam’s most popular game. It has found a resurgence in its popularity and has recently peaked in 2020 in the number of players that play the game. Based on Valve’s Source Engine, the game received major asset overhauls during the years since its inception nearly 10 years ago. Still, it’s a light game and can be played on fairly lighter systems but the competitive scene for CSGO has seen average players demand high FPS from their systems thus gaining favorable standing with GPU vendors just from the demand for higher FPS alone. CSGO is a game that can easily go past 500FPS on enthusiast systems on maximum settings. We’re including CSGO as requested by our community.
API: DirectX9 (default)
Maximum In-Game Settings
Texture Streaming Disabled
Vsync OFF
DOTA 2
Note: JUNE 2020 – DOTA2 has recently implemented a transition from DirectX9 to DirectX11 and new install of the game will prompt users to switch from DX9 to DX11. With that said, we are testing DOTA2 in DX11 from now on. April 2023 saw the New Frontiers update also invalidated all previous benchmark due to incompatibnility with the new map.
In contention for the most popular game on Steam and the biggest competition in eSports: DOTA 2 is powered by the Source 2 engine. The game is fairly light on low to medium settings but maxed out, with heavy action on screen especially during clashes, can really stress most systems. This is a game where frame times matter as responsiveness is very important in high-stakes competition. We’re looking at consistently low frametimes in this game for the best experience.
You can watch the replay of the actual game used in the benchmark in your Dota2 client. Search for this game: 7161139105. Nothing special in this particular match but the clash is a good enough test. You can download it for your own reference. (save it to your DOTA2 replays folder)
API: DirectX11 (default)
Best-Looking slider setting (Ultra)
FPS_MAX 0
Vsync OFF
PUBG Battlegrounds
Developed and published by PUBG Corporation, PlayerUknnown’s Battlegrounds now officially PUBG Battlegrounds, was an ARMA3 mod which has gained a massive global playerbase after being released as a stand-alone game. The game is now available for almost all platforms from PC to mobile but PC has been the definitive edition of the game. The game has evolved much since its release, receiving multiple polish to arrive at its current state.
API: DirectX 11
Settings: Ultra
Vsync: OFF
Valorant
Developed by League of Legends developer, Riot Games, Valorant is a first-person shooter featuring multiple heroes or agents which have unique skills to assist them within the games traditional team-based FPS combat. The game is gaining incredible success and has taken a large chunk of the now-incredibly massive CSGO playerbase as well, presenting a more refreshed take on classic TDM FPS but spices it up with skills, etc. Like CSGO and League, this game is light as a feather for the largest adoption possible. With 360hz monitors and input lag/system latency a major focus for these games, we’re now including it as reference for players.
API: DirectX 11
Max Detail settings
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2022)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) is the latest addition to the COD franchise and once again puts the main game back into the hands of Infinity Ward. With Black Ops Cold War and Vanguard both failing to continue the success of 2019’s COD Modern Warfare which has in-turn changed to Warzone, Activision is set on resetting the slate once again with COD Modern Warfare 2. Built alongside Warzone 2.0 on the IW 9.0 engine, CODMW2 ditches some partner technologies like ray tracing to keep it friendlier to all systems but still pushes more detailed models and environments for a modern look.
API: DirectX 12
Render Resolution: 100%
Ultra Preset
Forza Horizon 5
Developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios, Forza Horizon 5 is the latest installment in the Forza series, picking up straight after the British escapades of Horizon 4, Horizon 5 takes us now to Mexico for another open-world racing spectacle, that is Horizon. Built on proprietary ForzaTech engine, the game harnesses its power to provide an excellent experience on both PC and Xbox.
API: DirectX 12
Settings: High
Raytracing: Off
Vsync: Off
A Plague’s Tale: Requiem
API: DirectX 12
Detail Settings: Ultra Preset
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
CD Projekt Red’s latest installment in the Witcher saga features one of the most graphically intense offering the company has to date. As Geralt of Rivia, slay monsters, beasts and men as you unravel the mysteries of your past. Vast worlds and lush sceneries make this game a visual feast and promises to make any system crawl at its highest settings. This game has found great resurgence in its playerbase thanks to the release of Netflix’ Witcher series. On December 2022, The Witcher 3 received a next-gen patch which bring ray tracing as well as many other changes to the game.
API: DirectX 12
Ultra Preset
Cyberpunk 2077
The most anticipated game of 2020 has just received its sort of “launch patch” this 2022 with version 1.5 changing many things in terms of performance as well as few things in the graphics department. Perhaps the most anticipated game of the last decade, Cyberpunk 2077’s launch has been a rollercoaster gamers on PC are largely in agreement that it was definitely worth the wait bar the bugs. Made by CD Projekt Red and based on the REDengine4, Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most modern games introducing full utilization of raytracing amongst others. We do not enable raytracing in this test segment, that will be for the latest section of this review..
API: DirectX 12
Settings: Ultra Preset
Raytracing Off
DLSS Off
Vsync: OFF
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
Sony’s streak of PlayStation exclusives going to PC continues with Spider-Man. Originally releleased for PS4 in 2019, the game sees a PS5 upgrade and 2022 PC remastered release. The PC version of Spider-Man features a ton of modern PC graphical enhancements including all modern upscaling techniques along with ray tracing. The game natively supports ultrawide monitor resolution and is actively updated with with technologies from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
API: DirectX 12
Settings: Very High Preset
F1 2023
F1 23 doesn’t vary much from its predecessor but updates the game to feature more robust control and racing experience thanks to all the learnings and adjustments we’ve had from the 2022 changes. On the PC, F1 2023 will also receive some new graphical updates but primarily uses the same presentation engine as the game before it.
API: DirectX 12
Settings: Ultra Preset
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) is the much awaited release since Flight Simulator X from 2006. Harnessing the power of Microsoft Azure, Bing Maps and AI functionalities, Microsoft Flight Simulator brings the definition of realism to a new level with maps that are alive and real, rendered directly from their real-world counterpart and populated ingame with details. The game is constantly update to maintain real world relevance particularly for large events or other recent occurences.
API: DirectX 12
Settings: Ultra Preset
Conclusion
Thoughts on the RTX 4090
Almost a year since its first availability, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 remains the undisputed performance leader in every category whether raster, ray traced or upscaled. There may be games where the Radeon flagship may claim some wins but with a performance advantage of almsot 20% in most games, the RTX 4090 still has a commanding lead over the rest of the GPUs in the market. This does so at the exchange of a few things: power, size and cost.
The RTX 4090 consumes a 360W on gaming on average but can go upwards of 500W in certain games or workloads. This has put many PSUs to the test and has caused many headaches from both owners as well as PSU makers in making their PSUs as compliant as possible to the unique power requirements of the RTX 4090. This also leads to a higher cooling requirement and no partner wants to try condensing the cooling for the RTX 4090 with nearly all coolers we’ve seen so far for a 4090 a literal brick in both size and weight. Even cooling blocks also get wider because of the larger PCBs on partner cards.
And then we go to cost: at launch we saw Philippine pricing of reference RTX 4090 go as low as PHP100,000. That was 12-month ago. OC cards went for PHP110K or higher. For our international readers, that’s $1800 in today’s exchange rate, give or take a couple of bucks. While lockdown pricing may have desensitized us on these pricing, it doesn’t change the fact that this is a very premium asking price and something you should keep in mind as we lead into our partner conclusion.
Before we do that though, the RTX 4090 isn’t expensive for the sake of being expensive. Its a brutally performant card and that also means that productivity applications that can leverage its power reap all the benefits whether its AV1 encoding or accellerated text-to-image creation to plain old 3D rendering, the RTX 4090 does what any modern consumer card can do but simply do it faster bar none.
Thoughts on the ROG STRIX RTX 4090 OC EVA-02 Edition
If you’re reading this review as an Asuka or EVA collector, then the value of this product is something I cannot put a value on. I am personally biased towards Asuka if its between the pilots but Misato is best gril in the entire series. If you’re building the entire EVA-02 set, its going to be an easier question to answer if this card is worth it but as it is, it just falls if you like how it looks or not.
Because regardless if you go with the classic ROG Strix black, the more coveted white edition or the EVA-02 edition, you are getting a monster of a card in both performance and cooling. The card performs roughly 2% faster than a reference RTX 4090 overall but games that benefit from its OC potential can get some extra mileage. This is aided by the large cooling from ASUS that keeps this card below 60*C under load despite drawing a massive >450W average draw. A ~100W increase over rereference RTX 4090’s 360W.
You get all the bells and whistles of an ROG Strix RTX 40-series card including Dual BIOS, GPU fan headers, AURA SYNC, a very meaty cooler and an obscene price tag but speaking of price tag, talking about the ROG STRIX RTX 4090 OC EVA-02 specifically, there is currently no local price for this card. Basing it off the ROG STRIX RTX 4090 OC regular edition, a card that goes for PHP145,000~, expect a bit of an increase for this card. This is still markedly cheaper option if you’re into ROG given that the AIO-cooled ROX Matrix RTX 4090 goes for nearly $4000 in the PH with a pre-order price of PHP223,000. That gets you watercooling and massive bragging rights.
That said, from a practical standpoint there is nothing that the ROG STRIX RTX 4090 can do that a reference RTX 4090 cannot. They are one and the same card and if we are to pick out one thing that the ROG STRIX RTX 4090 does well over competing cards, its perhaps its amazing cooling performance even under its quiet settings.
Aside from its pricing and probably compatibility requirements due to its size, the ROG STRIX RTX 4090 OC is an excellent card for those that can afford it. The EVA-02 version on the other hand just an alternative skin for the same product and is up to you to decide if you want it or not, especially as an Asuka nut. Lol i said nut.
ASUS backs the ROG STRIX RTX 4090 OC with a 3-year warranty. It gets a B2G Performane Award with a special highlight for cooling performance.