The world of graphics cards can sometimes seem like "I agree": adding a splash of RGB, factory overclocking, or a funky shroud are a few ways to differentiate a card, but adding an M.2 SSD slot is something Asus has done just that. Its new Dual GeForce RTX 4060 Ti has a PCIe M.2 slot built into the graphics card itself.

The card has been demoed before, but is now available at a handful of European-based retailers (via @momomo_jp). As expected, the model with an SSD slot is more expensive than the regular Dual RTX 4060 Ti 8GB; Multitronic lists it at €559, compared to €470 for the Dual RTX 4060 Ti without SSD. This is a big price increase, although the complexity this solution brings no doubt justifies the price premium.

Multitronic's listing even includes marketing information that includes the line that the slot will "support PCIe 5.0 speeds." However, this line should be taken with a grain of salt, as the RTX 4060 Ti only supports PCIe 4.0. The slot also features Asus' Q-Latch mechanism for easy installation.

On the GPU front, the RTX 4060 Ti is well known at this point. While it won't blow us away with performance and specs, it is a mid-range option that saves power, performs well, and can take advantage of Nvidia technologies such as DLSS 3 and frame generation.

Adding an M.2 slot to a graphics card may seem like the answer to the question no one asked, but it is actually a very interesting solution for several reasons.

Adding an M.2 slot is therefore a smart way to add an SSD and take advantage of the PCIe lanes that are lost when using an x8 card in an x16 slot.

The second reason is cooling: placing the SSD above the graphics card should result in better cooling, as the drive will fit perfectly in the airflow path from the front to the back of the case. Motherboards with the primary M.2 slot above the graphics card will not see much difference, but motherboards with the slot below the graphics card tend to have poorer airflow and may actually act as a heat absorber as heat is released from the GPU during gaming There are times when.

The SSD slots seem to be easily accessible; SSD installation can be a real pain, especially one that requires the graphics card to be removed. Installation is a real pain, especially for SSDs that require removal of the graphics card. Small screws are the bane of PC building, and any way to make SSD installation easier would be welcome in my book.

Of course, without testing the performance and cooling capabilities of SSDs mounted this way, we cannot know for sure how this solution will work, but I think it is a very interesting implementation. If it actually works, it could be the first of many graphics cards to implement this attractive solution.