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MSI’s GeForce RTX 4090 Aero S 24G is a reported two-slot, blower-cooled RTX 4090 designed for workstation and server builds where several GPUs must share a chassis. Its rear-exhaust cooler and compact profile address a real fit and airflow problem, but the trade-off is potentially high fan noise and heat. Reports placed the card in China in 2023; MSI did not publish an official product specification page or announcement in the cited coverage.
What is the MSI GeForce RTX 4090 Aero S 24G?
The Aero S 24G is an unusual RTX 4090 with a blower-style cooler rather than the large open-air axial coolers common on consumer graphics cards. HotHardware described a matte-black, minimally branded shroud and a card only slightly taller than its PCIe bracket. The design is aimed at workstation users and dense installations, where large coolers can obstruct neighboring expansion slots or recirculate heat inside the case. HotHardware’s July 2023 report described the card as a quiet or unofficial release.
Tom’s Hardware reported that Chinese datacenter and workstation retailer 3DStor was offering the card, although it was not listed on MSI’s website. The listing named a 2,520 MHz reference boost clock and a 16-pin 12VHPWR power connector. VideoCardz reported an AD102-300 GPU, 16,384 CUDA cores and 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, while noting that MSI had not published official specifications. It characterized a 450 W TDP as probable, not confirmed. VideoCardz’s report also described the release as exclusive to China.
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What is established—and what is not
- Reported configuration: 24 GB GDDR6X and 16,384 CUDA cores, as reported by VideoCardz; MSI did not publish an official spec sheet in the cited coverage.
- Retailer-listed details: 2,520 MHz reference boost clock and 16-pin 12VHPWR connector, according to Tom’s Hardware’s account of the 3DStor listing.
- Power: 450 W is a probable figure reported by VideoCardz, not a confirmed MSI specification.
- Availability: Reports placed it with a specialist Chinese retailer and described it as China-exclusive. Availability elsewhere, current stock, pricing and warranty terms are not established by those reports.
Why use a blower cooler on an RTX 4090?
A blower draws air through the card and pushes much of its hot exhaust out through the rear bracket. In a multi-GPU workstation, this can help keep one card’s heat from flowing directly into the next card. The layout can also suit a slim rack-mounted server that cannot accommodate a tall, wide open-air cooler. That is the Aero S’s core appeal: not a faster RTX 4090, but a physical and airflow arrangement that can make a dense build possible.
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- TRI FROZR 3-Stay cool and quiet. MSI’s TRI FROZR 3 thermal design enhances heat dissipation all around the graphics card.
- TORX FAN 5.0-Fan blades linked by ring arcs and a fan cowl work together to stabilize and maintain high-pressure airflow.
- Copper Baseplate-Heat from the GPU and memory modules is captured by a copper baseplate and then rapidly transferred to Core Pipes.
- Core Pipe-Precision-machined heat pipes ensure max contact and spread heat along the full length of the heatsink.
- Airflow Control-Sections of different heatsink fins disrupt unwanted airflow harmonics and reduce noise.
The compromise is cooling and acoustics. HotHardware and Tom’s Hardware both describe blower cards as louder and less efficient at cooling than conventional axial designs. The relevant comparison is therefore not simply “blower versus gaming card”; it is whether rear exhaust and a narrow profile are worth the likely noise and thermal cost in the particular chassis.
How loud and hot can a blower RTX 4090 get?
A January 2023 Tom’s Hardware evaluation of a separate, unbranded dual-slot blower RTX 4090 provides a useful indication of the design class, but it is not an MSI Aero S test. Under a locked 450 W power limit, the tested card’s fans reached 5,200 RPM. On its default fan curve, the GPU reached 78 °C and memory reached 96 °C. With an aggressive fan curve, those readings fell to 67 °C and about 88 °C. The article reported benchmark performance within the margins of other RTX 4090 cards. Tom’s Hardware’s evaluation characterized the sound under heavy workload as extremely loud.
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- Graphics processing unit: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
- CUDA Cores: 16384 Units
- Memory: 24GB GDDR6X
- Memory bus: 384 bits
- Digital maximum resolution: 7680 x 4320
Those figures should not be treated as the Aero S’s guaranteed temperatures or fan speed. They show the trade-off a builder may face: a blower can sustain RTX 4090-class performance in a constrained form factor, but doing so can require fast fans and careful attention to memory and GPU temperatures. Case airflow, ambient temperature, workload, fan curve and power settings all affect the result.
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Is the Aero S a good choice for a workstation or server?
It is worth investigating when chassis density and exhaust direction are the limiting factors. A dual-slot card can be more practical than an oversized triple- or quad-slot cooler when the system needs multiple GPUs, but “two-slot” alone does not prove compatibility. Check the specific card’s dimensions, slot spacing, motherboard layout, riser arrangement, rear-bracket clearance and chassis airflow before buying.
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- Cutting-Edge GPUs NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture
- brand: MSI
- manufacturer: MSI COMPUTER
- Potential fit: Compact workstations, multi-GPU towers and rack systems where rear exhaust and reduced cooler width are valuable.
- Potential drawback: Noise may be unacceptable in a shared office or quiet studio, and blower cooling can leave less thermal headroom than a large open-air cooler.
- Power planning: Treat 450 W as the likely class rather than a confirmed Aero S rating; size the power supply and cabling for the actual specifications of the card and complete system.
- Support risk: Confirm seller identity, return terms, warranty coverage and regional support in writing, particularly for a specialist-market or resale purchase.
What does the RTX 4090 platform offer?
The Aero S uses the GeForce RTX 4090 platform, whose capabilities extend beyond gaming. NVIDIA’s October 2022 launch article states that the RTX 4090 has dual eighth-generation encoders with AV1 support. NVIDIA also claimed up to 40% better live-streaming efficiency and creative applications running up to twice as fast; those are NVIDIA’s launch claims, not independent results for the Aero S. NVIDIA’s launch coverage also made performance claims for games versus the RTX 3090 Ti.
For creators, the encoder and AV1 support may be relevant, but they do not eliminate the card’s physical constraints. A workstation intended for recording or streaming should account for fan noise captured by nearby microphones, in addition to GPU performance and cooling.
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- 16,384 NVIDIA CUDA Cores
- Supports 4K 120Hz HDR, 8K 60Hz HDR and variable refresh rate as indicated in HDMI 2.1A
- New streaming multiprocessors: up to 2x power and power efficiency
- Fourth generation tensor cores: up to 2x AI power
- Third-generation RT cores: up to 2x ray tracing performance
What to check before buying
- Verify the exact model and specification. Request the seller’s current product documentation, including dimensions, slot width, power limit, connector requirements and warranty. The cited reporting does not establish an official MSI spec sheet.
- Confirm chassis and motherboard fit. Check clearance and spacing for every planned GPU, plus room for the power connector and cable bend. A two-slot cooler does not guarantee that adjacent cards, risers or cables will fit.
- Plan power and airflow. The retailer listing reported a 12VHPWR connector, while 450 W was only described as probable. Confirm the correct cable or adapter and the power-supply maker’s installation guidance for the specific configuration.
- Decide whether noise is acceptable. The separate blower-card evaluation recorded fan speeds up to 5,200 RPM under a 450 W limit; use that as a caution about blower designs, not as an Aero S measurement.
- Establish support before payment. Since the available reports placed the card in China through specialist channels, verify delivery region, return policy, warranty provider and service availability for your location.
Is the MSI Aero S available outside China?
The cited 2023 reports described the Aero S as a China-focused or China-exclusive offering through a specialist retailer, and not as a card with a regular MSI website listing. They do not establish current stock or whether it can now be purchased in other regions. Treat any listing outside China as a seller-specific offer and verify authenticity, warranty and return coverage rather than assuming standard local MSI support.
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