The entire gaming hardware industry was shocked to learn of EVGA’s plans to pull out of the GPU market earlier this year. However, given how close the announcement was to the RTX 40-series launch, it was rumored the company had to have made some boards. Now we’ve found out that was the case, as it’s putting one up for auction. The proceeds will laudably go to charity. It would make a pretty amazing stocking stuffer for any gamer in your life. Be prepared to add a few zeroes, though, as it will probably sell for as much as $10,000—possibly even higher.
The card that’s being offered bears no RTX or 40-series branding, which isn’t a surprise. Instead, it’s simply labeled “Next Gen Graphics.” It’s certainly an RTX 4090, but it’s unclear how its performance might differ from an actual card you can buy. The company is currently hosting the auction via a simple message board thread. If you want to join in, you just have to make a post stating what you’re willing to pay.
As of this writing, the top bid was $8,300. The company had previously attempted to auction it off on eBay. However, according to PCMag, the auction was shut down for two reasons. First, EVGA was a new seller, and given the large dollar amount of the bids — it was up to $13,000 — eBay pulled the plug.
This EVGA RTX 4090 Prototype could be yours if you got a huge holiday bonus this year. (Image: EVGA)
The card’s industrial design and massive size are sure to bring a tear to many gamers’ eyes, knowing they’ll never be able to lovingly slide it into their PCIe slot. Though it’s extremely thick, it’s actually not as long as a card like the Asus ROG Strix RTX 4090, according to Jayz Two Cents’ prior video on it. It also has a feature that we’ve yet to see on any 4090 board, which is the power connector is on the rear, facing the front intake fans. All other cards have it on the side, facing the case panel. This could have led to some very clean wiring. The GPU also has a dual BIOS, and what appears to be double the fin density compared with the EVGA RTX 3090 Ti.
The company reportedly ended up making 20 RTX 4090 prototypes before it pulled out of the market altogether. At the time it said it was due to alleged mistreatment by Nvidia. For now, the company will continue to sell its open-air case, power supplies, motherboards, and other gaming hardware. It was speculated at the time of EVGA’s shocking announcement it would begin selling AMD or Intel GPUs, but almost three months later there has been no movement on those fronts. This could be the last “new” EVGA video card we’ll ever see. It’s a sad development in the gaming world, as it was a unique vendor with exceptional warranty and support.
Hopefully, one day the company will rise like a phoenix with a new partner for graphics. We’re sure the industry would welcome it back with open arms.
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