Nvidia has officially launched its latest flagship graphics card, the GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition, which promises significant advancements over its predecessor, the RTX 4090. Unveiled at CES 2025, the RTX 5090 caters primarily to hardcore gamers and professionals who demand high-performance GPUs for gaming and AI applications.
This new GPU is built on Nvidia's Blackwell architecture, featuring 21,760 CUDA cores—a substantial increase of 32% from the RTX 4090. It also packs 32GB of GDDR7 VRAM, placing it at the top of the gaming hierarchy. This robustness enables the card to deliver impressive benchmarks, reportedly providing performance improvements ranging from 20% to 50% over the RTX 4090, particularly excelling at 4K resolutions.
According to Tom's Guide, "If you're building a gaming PC, this is the cream of the crop when itcomes to graphics cards." Indeed, the RTX 5090 has shown outstanding results across various gaming titles, especially when leveraging Nvidia's latest DLSS 4 technologies. The multi-frame generation feature allows the card to insert three AI-generated frames for every one rendered frame, substantially enhancing performance and graphical fidelity. This was exemplified during tests with Cyberpunk 2077, where the RTX 5090 achieved up to 286 fps at 4K resolution.
Despite its prowess, reviewers have noted some drawbacks. The RTX 5090's price tag sits at $1,999, significantly higher than the previous generation's pricing. Its high-end specifications mean it’s only suitable for users with advanced gaming setups, particularly those who own 4K monitors capable of high refresh rates. “The games just aren’t there yet,” noted IGN, emphasizing the fact most current titles do not fully capitalize on the RTX 5090’s capabilities.
Nvidia's new card consumes power at around 575W, requiring users to pair it with at least a 1000W PSU. This hefty power demand adds another layer of cost for consumers, particularly those who may also need to upgrade their entire systems to accommodate this new hardware. Engadget highlighted this point, exclaiming, "A $2,000 graphics card, in this economy?!"
Further concerns arise when considering the RTX 5090's accessibility. Although it's positioned as the premier GPU for gaming and professional uses, there are worries about its availability. The high demand among gamers and professionals alike means this new GPU is likely to be hard to get after release, with scalping becoming an immediate potential issue.
Reviewers across multiple outlets have praised the RTX 5090’s impressive thermal management and efficiency, achieving peak temperatures below 86°C under load. The GPU’s compact design, utilizing innovative cooling techniques, makes it suitable for smaller builds, differentiators when paralleled with the bulky forms of past generations, as stated by many critics.
Yet, it's not only about gaming. The RTX 5090 also stands as an AI workhorse due to its cutting-edge Tensor Cores, enhancing capabilities for processes like video rendering and other AI-intensive workloads. This will likely appeal to content creators and digital artists as well.
The launch of the RTX 5090 is undeniably significant; it marks Nvidia's commitment to staying at the forefront of both gaming and artificial intelligence technology. Despite its high price and limited audience, the advancements it introduces may influence future generations of GPUs as the industry continues to evolve.
For those ready to invest, the RTX 5090 is set for official availability on January 30, 2025, and is already generating buzz as the new go-to GPU for enthusiasts and professionals alike. Reviewers and fans alike will undoubtedly be watching closely to see how this card performs once it hits the market and how it will affect the future of PC gaming.