Speculation has surfaced that Nvidia allegedly sent pre-binned RTX 5090 samples to third-party reviewers, with higher performance than their retail counterparts. Nvidia has shot down this theory, claiming that all RTX 50-series GPUs, including ones marked "Press Build," are not tuned up or pre-binned and feature identical performance to retail RTX GPUs.
We asked Nvidia about the "Press Build" markings seen on some 5090 Founders Edition cards (e.g. at TechPowerUp) iterations of its RTX 50-series (Blackwell) GPUs were higher-performing iterations of its retail counterparts. An Nvidia representative responded to Tom's Hardware that, "Some early GeForce RTX GPUs include a top mark related to intended use. Their functionality and performance are identical to retail GPUs.”
Theories about Nvidia sending juiced-up RTX 5090s to reviewers began circulating when TechPowerUp published its RTX 5090 Founders Edition review. The tech outlet published a PCB shot of the graphics card in its review, showcasing the GB202 die with the words "Press Build" stamped under the GB202-300-A1 model name.
Ian Cutress quipped on X that the "Press Build" RTX 5090 dies were binned dies in response to Andreas Schilling's question about whether there was anything special about Press Build versions of Nvidia's RTX 50-series GPUs. You can see the specially marked chips if you expand the tweet below.
FTFY pic.twitter.com/i9OtTpDYBCJanuary 24, 2025
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