Introduction
In an era where gaming and creative boundaries are consistently pushed, NVIDIA’s launch of the GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition marks a significant milestone. The GPU, based on the new Blackwell architecture, promises unmatched performance and future-proof capabilities for gamers and creators alike. This review explores the RTX 5090’s features, performance, design, and overall value. This comprehensive review dissects the GPU’s capabilities, design, performance metrics, and the critical reception it has garnered since its release.
Overview of Blackwell Architecture
The RTX 5090 is powered by NVIDIA’s advanced Blackwell architecture, which includes several key technologies:
- Neural Rendering: Innovations in neural rendering promise a quantum leap in visual fidelity. This technology uses AI to enhance traditional rendering processes, improving performance and image quality beyond what’s possible with conventional methods.
- Fifth-Generation Tensor Cores and Fourth-Generation RT Cores: These cores accelerate AI computations and ray tracing, respectively, offering substantial improvements in efficiency and speed.
- 92 Billion Transistors: A substantial increase in transistor count allows for more complex computations and higher performance without compromising energy efficiency.
Design and Aesthetics
The new design of the RTX 5090 is our favorite part of this entire launch. The new look is great and its finally back to being a two slot card for a 90 class! That was the most shocking change, taking out out big chunk of a GPU the RTX 4080 SUPER to replace it with the RTX 5090 and actually getting space back. SFF lovers will rejoice and we want to build a SFF PC thanks to this card.
The RTX 5090 sports a sleek, minimalistic design, indicative of its flagship status. It’s surprisingly compact for its power fitting well into every case, reflecting NVIDIA’s commitment to efficiency and high-performance in a manageable form factor.
- Compact Form Factor: Despite its powerful internals, the 5090 is surprisingly compact, making it suitable for smaller cases and streamlined setups.
- Improved Thermal Design: The innovative heatsink design uses a combination of straight and curved fins, optimizing airflow and reducing thermal throttling.
Key Features
- DLSS 4: The latest iteration of Deep Learning Super Sampling uses new Multi Frame Generation technology to boost frame rates by generating additional frames from each rendered frame, effectively multiplying performance while maintaining high image quality.
- RTX Neural Shaders: These bring AI capabilities directly to shader programs, enabling more realistic materials and lighting effects, such as ray-traced shadows and reflections, in real-time applications.
- Enhanced Ray Tracing: The fourth-generation RT Cores deliver more efficient ray tracing, enabling more complex and dynamic lighting environments.
Performance
Performance testing of the RTX 5090 shows significant advancements over previous models:
- Benchmarking Results: In synthetic benchmarks and real-world gaming tests, the RTX 5090 consistently outperforms the RTX 4090, particularly in environments that leverage ray tracing and DLSS technologies.
- Real-Time Ray Tracing: With the power to handle up to 100x more ray-traced triangles per scene, the RTX 5090 can deliver near-cinematic quality in real-time.
- Gaming at 4K: The card excels in 4K gaming, pushing past 240 FPS in titles optimized for DLSS 4, providing a smoother and more immersive gaming experience.
Software and Ecosystem
The RTX 5090 is supported by a robust software ecosystem:
- Ecosystem Integration: The RTX 5090 is supported by an expansive ecosystem of software, enhancing everything from gaming to creative applications through NVIDIA’s exclusive suite of tools.
- Reflex and Broadcast Apps: NVIDIA Reflex reduces latency significantly, which is crucial for competitive gaming, while NVIDIA Broadcast provides streamers and content creators with powerful AI-driven tools to enhance audio and video quality.
Thermal and Power Efficiency
This is a great video of the members of the NVIDIA design and engineering teams sharing their philosophy and how they approached the innovative new Double Flow Through layout for the flagship GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition:
Despite its high performance, the RTX 5090 maintains efficient thermal management and power usage:
- Cooling Technology: The card’s cooling system is designed to handle intense operations without significant heat buildup, ensuring stable performance even under load.
- Power Requirements: While the RTX 5090 has higher power requirements than its predecessors, its efficiency gains justify the increased energy consumption.
Review Navigation: