ASUS has expanded its lineup of graphics cards with the introduction of the Dual GeForce RTX 4060 Ti with an integrated PCIe M.2 SSD slot. This design choice represents a departure from traditional graphics card layouts, providing users with the additional option of installing an SSD directly on the graphics card.

The new card has already been spotted in several European retail outlets. The version of the card with an integrated SSD slot is more expensive than the standard Dual RTX 4060 Ti 8GB. For example, on the Multitronic website, the version with an SSD slot costs 559 euros, compared to 470 euros for the version without an SSD.

The M.2 slot on the ASUS graphics card is advertised as supporting PCIe 5.0 speeds, although the RTX 4060 Ti itself runs on PCIe 4.0. Users should take this into account when evaluating the card’s capabilities. The slot is also equipped with the ASUS Q-Latch mechanism, which is designed to simplify the process of installing an SSD drive.

In terms of performance, the RTX 4060 Ti is positioned as a mid-range option, offering power efficiency and compatibility with the latest NVIDIA technologies, including DLSS 3 and frame generation.

Integrating an M.2 SSD slot directly into a graphics card is a unique approach that solves specific problems and has potential benefits. It utilizes PCIe lanes that would otherwise go unused if an x8 card were used in an x16 slot.

Additionally, placing the SSD on top of the video card can provide better cooling for the drive, as it is placed directly in the airflow path at the front and rear of the case. This is especially useful for motherboards with M.2 slots located below the video card, which can suffer from poor airflow and overheating.

Although the actual performance and cooling benefits of this design have yet to be fully tested, the ASUS Dual RTX 4060 Ti with integrated M.2 SSD slot is an interesting development in graphics card design. If successful, it could influence the design of future graphics cards, potentially simplifying SSD installation and improving system performance.