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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 rumors: Expected release date and what we know so far
Update: March 20, 2024 (1:41 PM ET): We have updated our NVIDIA RTX 5090 rumor hub with rumors about the release date, performance improvements, and the price.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 has been on the market for almost a full year now and yet NVIDIA hasn’t released an RTX 4090 Ti upgrade to date. In fact, it seems increasingly possible that the Ti model may have been canceled as the company puts most of its focus into developing the next-gen RTX 50 series. If true, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 will likely be the next major high-end graphics card from the company. While the RTX 4090 is still quite a while off, here’s everything we know so far.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090: At a glance
- When might it come out? The NVIDIA RTX 5090 likely won't arrive until 2025.
- What new features could it have? Expect a whole new chip structure, a faster bus, and more.
- How much might it cost? We don't know just yet, but expect it to reach at least $1,599 MSRP.
Will there be an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090?
Unless NVIDIA suddenly overhauls its entire naming structure, yes, there will be an RTX 5090. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is an absolute beast, and so we expect even bigger things from its successor. As for when we might see it? That’s a lot less clear. Typically NVIDIA releases a new graphics card generation every two years with a Titan card in between, but a leaked NVIDIA roadmap and report suggest that might not be the case this time.
What is the most likely NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 release date?
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090: September 24, 2020
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090: October 12, 2022
NVIDIA’s leaked roadmap claims we won’t see the GeForce RTX 5090 until the first half of 2025. Even though that’s a long time away, we can already take a stab at the release window as well.
Normally, the series releases sometime between mid-September and mid-October, but an H1 2025 timeframe means it’s more likely that the RTX 5090 will be announced sometime in the spring or early summer.
However, YouTube channel Moore’s Law is Dead suggests Nvidia could move the timetable up from 2025 to late 2024. Specifically, channel says the graphics card could launch as soon as Q3 2024, claiming that Blackwell is already undergoing validation. The YouTuber, however, adds the caveat that he’s not sure if the gaming version of the graphics card will be ready that soon.
What specs and features could the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 have?
The RTX 5090 will be based on the same new architecture as the rest of the GeForce RTX 5000 family, known as Blackwell. Despite the GPU still being in development, we already have substantial information about it from various rumors.
An early leak suggested that the GeForce RTX 5000 will introduce changes to its GPU die naming conventions. Instead of using AD102 through AD107, the new RTX 5000 GPU dies will be identified as GMB202, GMB203, GMB205, GMB206, and GMB207. It’s widely speculated that the GMB202 will be designated for the NVIDIA RTX 5090 series, while the GMB207 might be used for the 5050 series. Furthermore, the RTX 5000 series is rumored to employ a custom node from TSMC, utilizing the advanced 3nm process.
According to leaker kopite7kimi on X (formerly Twitter), “GB202 will use the same process node as GB100.” The leaker adds, “I must clarify once again that TSMC 4N(vidia) is based on TSMC 5, not 4nm” and says there will be a “30% increase in density.”
Even more exciting, it is expected to deliver a substantial performance boost. According to a recent leak from the reputable tipster Panzerlied, the RTX 5090 is projected to be 1.7 times faster than the RTX 4090. Additionally, it is anticipated to feature 50% more cores, 78% more L2 cache, a 52% increase in memory bandwidth, and operate at a frequency of 2.9 GHz. Meanwhile, Moore’s Law is Dead claims that the RTX 5090 will be 70% faster than the RTX 4090.
If these rumors prove accurate, the RTX 5090 could boast 192 SMs or a total of 24,576 cores in total. It might also offer 1,532 GB/s of bandwidth and 128MB of L2 cache. Another leak suggests that the RTX 5090 will feature a remarkably fast 512-bit memory interface, the highest ever seen on a consumer graphics card.
Additionally, there are reports that NVIDIA will transition to new GDDR7 RAM modules. This will not only provide increased speed but also open up the possibility of graphics cards with video memory capacities as high as 64GB. Moreover, it’s been hinted that NVIDIA’s Blackwell series will further leverage AI technology to enhance overall performance and deliver a smoother user experience. This aligns with the direction AMD is rumored to be taking, potentially abandoning its highest-end GPUs in favor of new technologies that require less hardware prowess to achieve optimal results. The only difference is NVIDIA is, at least for now, doubling down on performance and not backing off.
What might the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 price be?
- NVIDIA RTX 4090: $1,599
- NVIDIA RTX 3090: $1,499
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 90 line disappeared years ago before being brought back with the RTX 3090. It’s also slowly risen in pricing. We can’t say if the 5090 will see a similar price jump. Still, given our economy, we can at least surmise it won’t cost less than $1,599. If we do see an increase, we’d imagine NVIDIA would still want to keep things under the $2,000 mark.
In the earlier mentioned Moore’s Law is Dead rumor, the channel doesn’t give an exact price. However, they do mention that the RTX 5090 could see a price increase north of $2,000.
One thing to mention is that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 may be alone without competition when it launches in 2025. AMD has all but bowed out of the ultra-high-performance enthusiast segment, and will likely instead challenge the RTX 5080 and below.
Should you wait for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090?
If you are thinking about picking up a new graphics card and want the absolute best, should you wait? Unless you just bought the RTX 3090 or something a year or two ago and are in no hurry for an upgrade, we’d say it’s not worth waiting. The RTX 4090 is an excellent GPU supporting incredible frame rates and resolutions. It also has some of the most impressive real-time ray tracing capabilities we’ve ever seen and is overall more efficient than the RTX 3090 (though still extremely power-hungry).
There’s really no reason to wait two years for the NVIDIA RTX 5090 if you have the cash to burn, as the RTX 4090 is already plenty future-proof. Not to mention, these chipsets tend to offer great performance for years to come. I just recently upgraded my desktop rig’s RTX 1080 for an RTX 3080, for example. It was getting long in the tooth, but still played a lot of today’s games at reasonably decent settings. And yet, it came out way back in 2016. Granted, I waited a bit too long, but the point is there’s no hurry to jump the RTX 5090 when the RTX 4090 already offers tons of performance right now.
Of course, these are halo products from NVIDIA, so you may also want to look lower down the stack or at AMD’s offerings for a cheaper GPU for your gaming PC.
