Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 hype is ramping up ahead of the green team's scheduled CES 2025 keynote, and rumors are coming in thick and fast. While I won't stop you getting excited for the ridiculous new heights the graphics card could help gaming PCs achieve, I am here to break down any early information out there into digestible chunks. You'll want to season some of those same leaks with the usual grain of salt, but I've experienced more than enough GPU launches to keep you in the know.
Yes, it has been a quick two years, and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 still feels pretty fresh. However, the RTX 5090 will more than likely be sitting on the best graphics card throne in a matter of months, ushering in a new era of PC performance. Naturally, I'll have to put the new flagship card to the test myself to see if it truly is a gamechanger, but with tools like DLSS 3.5 helping boost fps further than ever, and Blackwell GPU rumors suggesting ground-breaking new abilities, I reckon we're in for something special.
Just to reiterate, Nvidia hasn't officially announced any RTX 5090 price, release date, or specs information as of yet. The green team has been hinting that'll finally reveal all during its CES 2025 keynote, but most of the information out there is based on leaks, rumors, and logical speculation. Below, you'll find a handy breakdown that'll fill you in on everything you need to know alongside insights by yours truly.
RTX 5090 latest updates
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 release date rumors
As of yet, Nvidia hasn't announced any plans to release either an RTX 5090 or a successor to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090. Typically, the GPU maker doesn't tend to reveal its hand in advance, with announcements lining up with product launches shortly after a reveal.
Nvidia has already broken its recent release date pattern of sorts, as 2024 is about to close out without an RTX 5090 announcement. It's entirely likely that we'll be treated to an unveiling during the company's CES 2025 keynote on January 6 at 6:30pm PT, but the only way to officially know is to tune in on the day.
Nvidia has previously released a new graphics card every two years since 2012. For reference, here's the launch pattern so far:
- RTX 5000 (Blackwell) - TBA
- RTX 4000 (Lovelace) - October, 2022
- RTX 3000 (Ampere) - May, 2020
- RTX 2000 (Turing) - September, 2018
- RTX 1000 (Pascal) - May, 2016
- RTX 900 (Maxwell) - February, 2014
- RTX 800 (Kepler) - April, 2012
As for previous rumors, a release date roadmap spotted by HardwareLuxx suggested that an "Ada Lovelace successor" could launch in 2025. Potential placement on the graph implies the line-up would land at the start of next year, so while we could see a change to Nvidia's usual launch habits, we could still end up with an RTX 5090 at roughly the time we'd expect.
In addition, new reports by Money UDN suggested that both the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 will arrive in 2024. Specifically, the publication says that board partners have allegedly been told that Blackwell GPUs will show up in Q4, meaning they could release between October and November.
Reports by YouTuber Moore's Law is Dead also table the idea of the RTX 5090 being the only Blackwell card to arrive this year. However, fellow leaker Kopite7Kimi seems to think that the RTX 5080 will actually arrive before Nvidia's flagship offering. This could be a sign that the company is still trying to settle on a release date battleplan, and could even mean that the 80-class card could be first on the scene.
The insider has also shared a Tweet that suggests RTX 50-series graphics cards won't actually show up in 2024 at all, instead being part of the green team's CES 2025 line-up. If that holds true, it means we might have a full year of RTX 4000 graphics cards ahead of us, and the RTX 4090 may continue to reign supreme.
RTX 5090 specs rumors
We'll ultimately need to wait for Nvidia to release official RTX 5090 specs before knowing how it stacks against the RTX 4090. That's not to say insiders and leakers aren't keen to share teasers ahead of time, as rumors relating to the next gen graphics card's VRAM configuration are already surfacing.
One of the latest RTX 5090 spec rumours relates to the card's VRAM, as Videocardz spotted a Zotac page that points towards the card having 32GB GDDR7 memory. The page also invertedly confirmed that the vendor is working on RTX 5090D, RTX 5070, and RTX 5070 Ti models too, but the company has since taken down the listing.
Again, Nvidia hasn't announced a a new generation of GeForce graphics cards, but the company has officially revealed its new Blackwell architecture. During a GTC Keynote, CEO Jensen Huang focussed on how the architecture will benefit the future of AI, but the tech will likely serve as the foundation for next gen graphics solutions.
If insider insights provided by Kopite7kimi, are to be believed, the RTX 5090 will pair a Blackwell GB202 GPU with GDDR7 VRAM. The memory chips will seemingly run at 28 Gbps, beating current GDDR6X setups that offer up to 24 Gbps, but the standard can actually reach as a high as 48 Gbps. In a new wave of specs shared by the insider, the RTX 4090 is allegedly paired with 32GB GDDR7 VRAM, 21,760 CUDA cores, a 512-bit bus, and a 600W TDP, meaning it should be a massive improvement over the current RTX 4090.
Recent RTX 5090 leaks back up the claim that the flagship will rock those specs, but the leaker now also claims the SKU will wield 192 SMs in a new roundup Tweet.
The leaker also seems confident that the RTX 5090 will feature a 512-bit memory bus, but it's worth noting that they also previously hinted that a narrower 384-bit bus is on the cards. At this point, it's safe to assume Nvidia has yet to settle on final specs, so what we're likely hearing is two potential GDDR7 configurations that will ultimately line-up with other qualities like capacity.
Speaking of which, 3DCentre decently delved into GDDR7 capacity options, with capacity maxing out at 8GB per chip, with 64Gbit serving as a minimum density. It's safe to say that the RTX 5090 won't come armed with that much VRAM, and Kopite7kimi seems to think that we'll actually just end up with the same 16Gbit minimum configuration using 2GB modules.
As for ports, when asked whether cards like the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 will feature DisplayPort 2.1, Kopite7kimi responded with confirming tick. If Nvidia's next gen GPUs do arrive with support for the video standard, it could mean we'll get a GeForce card with 8K 165Hz output, something that's already included with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX released last year.
RTX 5090 price predictions
You're going to need to wait a while before hearing any RTX 5090 price information, especially since Nvidia is probably still deciding on specs. If you're simply looking to get a rough idea of how much your future gaming PC upgrade will set you back, however, RTX 4090 pricing may help you set a budget.
The RTX 4090 launched with an $1,599 / £1,579 MSRP, and we'd expect that to be what you'll roughly pay for a potential RTX 5090 successor. That's if Nvidia doesn't raise prices again, as there was a significant jump in cost between the current gen cards last last gen options like the GeForce RTX 3090, which launched with a $1,499 / £1,439 tag attached. Here's a rundown of flagship GPU prices over the years to paint an idea of what to expect:
- RTX 5090 - TBA
- RTX 4090 - $1,599 / £1,579
- RTX 3090 - $1,499 / £1,439
- RTX 2080 Ti - $1,199 / £1,099
- GTX 1080 - $599 / £575
It's worth keeping in mind that various factors dictate GPU pricing, and you could argue that today's flagships are a completely different class to their successors. Also, if you end up opting for a custom card, chances are you'll pay far more than MSRP, in part due to the fact non Founder's Edition models feature custom coolers and factor overclocking.
Looking for a system that's ready to go? Check out the best gaming PC builds for high spec desktop solutions. Alternatively, swing by the best gaming laptop and best gaming handheld options for Steam machines you can take on the go.
