Asus ROG RTX 5090 Astral OC Vs. Founders Edition: The 4K Gaming Benchmark

The ROG RTX 5090 Astral OC offers enhanced cooling, higher power limits, and better 4K performance than the Founders Edition

Hardware by Katmin on Jun 13, 2025

The market for graphics cards is constantly evolving, and new arguments about performance, heat, and overall value are sparked with every major release. Nvidia's RTX 5090 models have generated significant interest, particularly the partner-developed ROG Astral OC and the reference Founders Edition.

Both cards offer premium features, yet they differ significantly in price. We will compare each model's performance in terms of design, clock speeds, thermals, real-world gaming capabilities, and value so that you can choose the card that best suits your needs.

ASUS, ROG RTX 5090 Astral, Founders Edition, 4K Gaming, Benchmark, NoobFeed

Card Acquisition and Price Disparity

Neither Nvidia nor Asus provided review samples for this comparison; both cards were independently acquired to ensure impartiality. The Founders Edition carries an approximate MSRP of $2,000, while the ROG Astral OC commands roughly $3,600. That $1,600 difference raises the question: What do you gain for the extra investment, and is it worth the premium?

Design and Build Quality

The ROG Astral OC immediately stands out with its imposing metal shroud and custom fin-stack design. Its quad-fan layout—featuring three fans on the front and a fourth on the rear—aims to maximize airflow and cooling capacity. I found the build quality to be excellent; the card never felt flimsy or cheap.

Asus has also equipped it with two HDMI 2.1 ports and three DisplayPort 2.1 outputs, a functional configuration if, like me, you rely on multiple HDMI connections for extra displays or monitoring devices. A small switch on the rear toggles between OC and silent modes, letting you choose between aggressive clock speeds or quieter acoustics.

In contrast, the Founders Edition features a sleeker, dual-fan design wrapped in a minimalist gunmetal frame. Although it offers only one HDMI 2.1 port alongside three DisplayPort outputs, the overall footprint is more compact, thanks to Nvidia's shrunken PCB design.

This reduced size and lighter weight make installation easier, especially in tighter cases, and help mitigate GPU sag without requiring a heavy-duty support bracket.

ASUS, ROG RTX 5090 Astral, Founders Edition, 4K Gaming, Benchmark, NoobFeed

Clock Speeds and Memory Configuration

Both cards share the same memory setup—32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus—but differ in factory clock speeds. The Astral OC arrives with a 2,500 MHz base clock and a 2,600 MHz boost clock in OC mode.

By comparison, the Founders Edition operates at a 2,010 MHz base clock and a 2,400 MHz boost clock. That 200 MHz uplift on the Astral translates to approximately a 7% clock advantage out of the box, which can have measurable effects on gaming performance.

Testing Environment and Methodology

For a fair comparison, each card was installed in the same PC configuration: an Intel Core i9-9950X3D processor, 32 GB of DDR5 memory, and an MSI X870 Tomahawk motherboard. We used a 4K OLED monitor with a 240Hz refresh rate to capture high-frame-rate performance under demanding conditions.

Both cards were running the latest drivers and Windows updates, with Hardware Info 64 monitoring temperatures and power draw and MSI Afterburner set to default power limits and fan curves. No manual overclocking or voltage tweaks were applied.

Benchmark Results

The first test in 3DMark Time Spy Extreme yielded a score of 22,715, with a graphics subscore of 25,759, achieved by the Astral OC. The Founders Edition scored 22,050 total and 24,779 graphics, reflecting the Astral's factory clock advantage.

During this benchmark, the Astral's peak temperature reached 66 °C, whereas the reference card climbed to 75.5 °C. Peak power draw on the Astral peaked at 602 watts, underscoring its higher performance envelope.

In Monster Hunter: World (Ultra settings, 4K, RT + DLSS + frame generation), the Astral maintained an average of 166 fps and earned an "Excellent" ranking with a 28,347 score. The Founders Edition averaged 160 fps and scored 27,285, giving the Astral a six fps edge in a highly demanding scenario.

Testing Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at Ultra settings in 4K, the Astral again outperformed with an average of 203 fps compared to the Founders Edition's 196 fps. In both gaming benchmarks, the Astral's higher clocks translated to modest but consistent fps gains.

ASUS, ROG RTX 5090 Astral, Founders Edition, 4K Gaming, Benchmark, NoobFeed

Thermal Performance and Acoustic Behaviour

Extended stress testing revealed that the Astral's quad-fan design kept temperatures below 68 °C while keeping fan speeds under 1,700 RPM. The Founders Edition, however, needed higher fan speeds to maintain thermals above 75 °C, resulting in slightly louder operation. The coil whine was notably more pronounced on the reference card when power demand spiked, while the Astral remained relatively quiet.

Power Consumption Considerations

The ROG Astral OC averaged 570 watts under real-world gaming loads and peaked at nearly 600 watts during intensive stress tests. The Founders Edition drew around 550 watts on average. Both cards necessitate a robust power supply—at least 850 W is recommended—yet the Astral's higher peak demands make quality cabling and airflow even more crucial.

Value Analysis

Purchasing the Astral OC for an additional $1,600 guarantees a consistent factory overclock (approximately 7%), resulting in up to 7 frames per second higher averages in contemporary games, improved cooling, a quieter fan, and two HDMI connections for enhanced communication. For those seeking the best performance without compromising features or breaking the mold, the Astral OC is a good choice.

However, with its strong 4K performance and reasonable price of less than $2,000, the Founders Edition is the more rational choice for the majority of gamers. You sacrifice only a few percent of performance and accept slightly higher operating temperatures—but you'll save a significant sum that could fund a water-cooling upgrade, additional storage, or a high-refresh-rate gaming monitor.

ASUS, ROG RTX 5090 Astral, Founders Edition, 4K Gaming, Benchmark, NoobFeed

Value Proposition

Both the ROG Astral OC and the Founders Edition deliver exceptional 4K gaming performance, yet they cater to different priorities. The Astral OC is worth the price if you have the funds and want sophisticated cooling, increased connectivity, and maximum factory overclocking.

However, you want top-tier performance without exceeding your budget. In that case, the Founders Edition remains the better option, as it offers dependable thermals and near-peak gaming frames per second at a significantly lower price.

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