It took a while, but ASUS has finally unveiled its ProArt line of GPUs featuring NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs. Unlike the preceding generation of cards that simply looks smaller and subtler than their gaming counterparts, these new cards will get exclusive features like USB-C output, along with (fake) wood trim that has been a trend in PC cases recently.
ASUS ProArt RTX 50 Series GPUs
While ASUS officially says it launched a series, in reality there’s only two models announced, both featuring the same GPU: RTX 5080 (in stock and overclocked forms). Aesthetically, the proportions didn’t change all that much, retaining similar looks as the ProArt RTX 4080, for example. Card thickness remained at 50mm, which equates to 2.5 slots, and the overall size remains within the confines of NVIDIA’s GeForce SFF standard.
That said, the new card does introduce a “wood-patterned laminate trim” for its top section of the card, while the ProArt wordmark is now RGB-illuminated customizable via Armoury Crate. Do note that this isn’t the first ProArt product to feature wood trim – that title goes to PA602 Wood Edition chassis, and that case features real wood as well.
Other than wood trim, the ProArt RTX 5080 has another unique feature in USB-C support. GPUs with USB-C ports did exist before, but presence in gaming cards were short lived; today, a good number of professional displays already accept USB-C over DisplayPort as a more elegant solution of connecting displays, so it only makes sense for creator-focused cards to re-introduce this connector. All told, the card features a pair of DisplayPort 2.1b outputs, one HDMI 2.1b output, and the USB-C output operating on the same DisplayPort protocol.
So far, the company hasn’t announced specific availability information, but we expect this card to arrive in Malaysia relatively soon. Besides that, expect more RTX 50 models to bear the ProArt branding in the coming months, if the existing lineup is any indication.
Pokdepinion: Certainly makes this lineup more enticing than just picking up gaming cards.
