Nvidia RTX 5090 Founders Edition Review
It’s that time again: Nvidia is here with its latest GPU architecture, aimed at powering the games and experiences we have to even greater levels. Revealed back at CES 2025, the RTX 5090 Founder’s Edition is Nvidia’s new flagship GPU, boasting some impressive specs while also doubling down on the AI workloads that have come to define gaming for the past six years ever since Nvidia introduced machine-learning based upscaling with DLSS during the 20-series launch. How does the RTX 5090 Founder’s Edition stack up, though? Here is our review.
Specifications
- MSRP: $1999
- Architecture: Blackwell
- Nvidia CUDA Cores: 21760
- Tensor Cores: 5th Generation; 3352 AI TOPS
- Ray Tracing Cores: 4th Generation; 318 TFLOPS
- Boost Clock: 2.41 GHz
- Base Clock: 2.01 GHz
- VRAM: 32GB GDDR7
- Memory Interface: 512-bit
- Memory Bandwidth: 1792 GB/s
- Total Board Power: 575W
- Required PSU: 1000 Watts
- I/O: 3 x DisplayPort 2.1b; 1 x HDMI 2.1b
- Display support: 4K @ 480Hz or 8K @ 120Hz with DSC
- Connector: 600 W PCIe Gen 5 cable (4x PCIe 8-pin cable adapter provided)
- Size: 2-slot form factor; 304mm x 137mm (LxW)
Unboxing and First Thoughts
When I first started to hear rumors and leaks that the RTX 5090 would need close to 600W of power to bring the GPU to life, I started to get worried I would need to go out and buy yet another case to fit the GPU into. The RTX 4090 and its subsequent GPU family are known for being chonky behemoths, with the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 both boasting large, over-sized coolers to keep the GPU cool under load.
Yet, when Nvidia finally revealed the RTX 5090, I was incredibly surprised to see just how small it was by comparison to the RTX 4090. The card itself is relatively thin, so thin that when I first held our review sample in my hands, the line by Genie in Aladdin came to mind: “Supreme cosmic power, itty bitty living space.”
The card itself features a new Double Flow Through design, aimed at giving the most optimal airflow through the GPU. This was accomplished in large part
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