The ASUS ROG Astral RTX 5090 Dhahab Edition has officially hit the market, and its price tag is making headlines. Listed on UAE retailer Microless for a staggering $9,250-even after a so-called 20% discount-the GPU has become a symbol of excess in PC hardware. That’s more than three to four regular RTX 5090s combined, and the kicker? Performance is practically the same.
ASUS first teased the Dhahab line in the Middle East, showcasing ornate designs that mix gold plating with Arabic calligraphy. 
This edition includes 6.5 grams of gold in the shroud, raising the cost by roughly $700 just for aesthetics. The card’s boost clock peaks at 2580 MHz (2610 MHz in OC mode), which is identical to the standard ROG Astral RTX 5090 OC edition. In other words, buyers are paying thousands extra for cosmetic flair.
For those who want a similar design at a lower price, Microless also lists the ROG Astral RTX 5080 Dhahab CORE OC at $2,589. With the same gold-plated treatment and slightly higher boost clocks of 2760 MHz (2790 MHz in OC), this card still overshoots NVIDIA’s official MSRPs, but at least doesn’t hit five figures.
Ultimately, the RTX 5090 Dhahab Edition feels more like a collector’s ornament than a serious piece of gaming hardware. While it may appeal to buyers with unlimited budgets or a taste for exclusivity, the majority of gamers see it as a shiny waste of silicon and gold. As one critic summed it up: if you’ve got $9,000 to burn, buying NVIDIA stock would probably be smarter.