Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition Review

Every couple of years, Nvidia unleashes a powerhouse graphics card, pushing PC gaming into a new era. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 is the latest in this lineage, though its approach to next-gen performance is surprisingly unconventional. In many games, the performance boost over the RTX 4090 isn't as dramatic as expected—at least without DLSS Frame Generation. However, the next generation of Nvidia's DLSS, for both upscaling and frame generation, delivers stunning improvements in image quality and performance, exceeding typical generational leaps.

The RTX 5090's upgrade value depends heavily on your gaming habits: the games you play, your monitor's resolution and refresh rate, and your tolerance for AI-generated frames. For those with anything less than a 4K, 240Hz display, this upgrade might not be worthwhile. But for high-end display owners, the AI-generated frames offer a glimpse into the future of gaming.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Photos

RTX 5090 – Specs and Features

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 utilizes Blackwell, Nvidia's high-end architecture powering data centers and supercomputers behind many popular AI models. This hints at the RTX 5090's strengths, but Nvidia hasn't neglected non-AI aspects.

The 5090 packs more Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs) into the same number of Graphics Processing Clusters (GPCs), resulting in 21,760 CUDA cores—a 32% increase over the RTX 4090's 16,384. This core count boost significantly contributes to raw gaming performance.

Each SM retains four Tensor Cores and one RT Core, mirroring its predecessor. This translates to 680 Tensor Cores and 170 RT cores, compared to the RTX 4090's 512 and 128, respectively. The 5th-generation Tensor Cores are optimized for AI performance, now supporting FP4 operations, reducing VRAM dependency in AI workloads.

This powerful silicon is paired with 32GB of GDDR7 VRAM, a generational leap from the RTX 4090's GDDR6X. While offering speed and efficiency improvements, the RTX 5090's staggering 575W power draw (a significant increase over the 4090) shows power efficiency isn't the primary focus.

The enhanced Tensor Cores enabled a shift in the DLSS algorithm to a Transformer Neural Network (TNN) from a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). While frame rates with DLSS enabled may not improve dramatically, Nvidia claims image quality enhances, mitigating artifacts like ghosting.

Beyond the internal DLSS changes, Nvidia introduces Multi-Frame Generation. This refined version of the RTX 4090's Frame Gen technology is more efficient and smoother, generating multiple frames from each rendered image. This drastically boosts frame rates but, like its predecessor, should only be enabled with already decent frame rates.

Purchasing Guide

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 launched on January 30th, starting at $1,999 (Founders Edition). Third-party cards will likely command higher prices.

The Founders Edition

The RTX 5090's 575W power draw significantly exceeds the RTX 4090's 450W. This increased power necessitates robust cooling. While expecting a larger card than the RTX 4090, Nvidia surprisingly created a smaller, dual-slot design with dual fans.

During testing (including standard benchmarks and DLSS 4 with multi-frame generation), temperatures peaked around 86°C at 578W power consumption. While higher than the RTX 4090's 80°C, it remained below throttling thresholds.

Nvidia achieved this compact design by centrally positioning the PCB, flanked by dual fans and a heatsink spanning the card's width. Air intake is from the bottom, exhausting through the top, eliminating the need for rear exhaust vents, unlike previous generations.

The Founders Edition maintains a similar design language to previous generations, featuring a silver 'X' design and a 'GeForce RTX' logo with white LEDs.

The power connector, while resembling the 12VHPWR connector, is a new 12V-2x6 connector, claimed to be more efficient. An included adapter converts four 8-pin PCIe power connectors to the 12V-2x6. The angled connector, facing the rear, improves cable management.

This design allows for compatibility with smaller PC builds, unlike previous generations. However, third-party designs will likely be larger.

DLSS 4: Fake Frames?

Nvidia claimed an 8x performance boost for the RTX 5090. While not reaching that figure, the RTX 5090 achieves exceptionally high frame rates in demanding games, primarily through frame generation. While raw rasterization performance improves, the real next-gen benefit lies in its frame generation capabilities.

DLSS 4's Multi-Frame Generation surpasses the RTX 4090's Frame Generation. A new AI Management Processor (AMP) core efficiently distributes GPU workload, traditionally handled by the CPU. This on-GPU processing improves efficiency.

Nvidia claims the AMP and 5th-gen Tensor Cores enable a 40% faster frame generation model using 30% less memory. This model generates 3 AI frames per rendered frame. A Flip Metering algorithm mitigates latency. Nvidia suggests this is why multi-frame generation doesn't work on RTX 4000 cards, as their frame generation relied on the CPU, introducing more latency.

Multi-Frame Generation isn't a magic bullet; it's most effective with already decent frame rates (around 60fps without Frame Gen). Enabling it with lower frame rates can introduce significant latency. Pairing it with DLSS upscaling maximizes performance.

At launch, DLSS 4 supported many games with DLSS 3 Frame Generation. Testing on beta builds of Cyberpunk 2077 and Star Wars Outlaws showed impressive results.

In Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K with Ray Tracing Overdrive and DLSS Performance, the RTX 5090 achieved 94fps. With DLSS 2x frame generation, this increased to 162fps, and with 4x frame generation, it reached 286fps—exceeding the display's capabilities. Star Wars Outlaws yielded similar results, reaching around 300fps with DLSS 4.

While labeled "Fake Frames," Multi-Frame Generation proved effective, with minimal artifacts observed. A high-end 4K display is crucial to fully benefit from this technology. Further testing across a wider game library is needed for comprehensive evaluation.

RTX 5090 – Performance

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 is exceptionally powerful, but testing presented challenges. 3DMark showed a generational improvement over the RTX 4090. However, game testing revealed CPU bottlenecks, even at 4K with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU. For many with high-end cards, the upgrade might not justify the cost. This card is more of an investment in future games.

DLSS 4 was disabled for comparative benchmarks. Nvidia cards used driver version 566.36, AMD cards used AMD Adrenalin 24.12.1. Games were tested on their latest public builds.

Test System:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
• Motherboard: Asus ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
• RAM: 32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo @ 6,000MHz
• SSD: 4TB Samsung 990 Pro
• CPU Cooler: Asus ROG Ryujin III 360

In 3DMark, the RTX 5090 was up to 42% faster than the RTX 4090 (Speed Way: 14,399 vs 10,130; Port Royal: 36,946 vs 25,997). Compared to the RTX 3090, the performance jump was even more significant (2.5x).

Game testing revealed CPU bottlenecks. In Call of Duty Black Ops 6 at 4K Extreme with DLSS Performance, the RTX 5090 achieved 161fps (10% improvement over RTX 4090's 146fps). Cyberpunk 2077 showed similar results (125fps vs RTX 4090's 112fps at 4K Ultra with DLSS Performance). Lower resolutions showed less scaling.

Metro Exodus: Enhanced Edition (DLSS disabled) at 4K Extreme showed a 25% improvement over the RTX 4090 (95fps vs 76fps). Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K max settings with DLSS Performance showed only a 6% improvement (167fps vs RTX 4090's 151fps).

Total War: Warhammer 3 (no ray tracing or upscaling) showed a 35% performance increase (147fps vs RTX 4090's 107fps). Assassin's Creed Mirage showed lower performance than the RTX 4090, possibly due to a driver issue.

Black Myth: Wukong at 4K Cinematic with DLSS 40% showed a 20% improvement (104fps vs RTX 4090's 84fps). Forza Horizon 5 showed negligible differences.

While the RTX 5090 is the fastest consumer graphics card, many games don't fully utilize its power. This will likely change over time. The RTX 4090 remains sufficient for many users.

The RTX 5090's success hinges on the future of AI-powered gaming. DLSS 4 significantly boosts frame rates, but requires a high-end display to fully benefit. It's a cutting-edge card for those willing to invest in an AI-driven gaming future. For others, the RTX 4090 is a more practical choice.