Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5090 Review: A Video Card with Artificial Intelligence

Whether you call that a win or not will depend on your refresh rate. People with 4K monitors with 60Hz refresh will probably be happy with most of this, but I can imagine some people with 120Hz displays will have to tweak the settings to stay above 100fps. It definitely feels like true 4K gaming at the highest level is still unachievable with existing hardware, at least without the help of technology like frame production that solves the problem.

My primary gaming monitor is 1440p ultrawide with a 120Hz refresh rate, and I know many of my friends have gone in the same direction. It’s easier to achieve consistently high frame rates, but it’s also a cinematic experience on a display that easily handles two windows for non-game work.

Graphic screenshot courtesy of Brad Bourque

At this resolution, it’s safe to expect 90-120fps performance in most games, which is great news for gamers looking to max out their existing monitor. Like single-player, cinematic-heavy games Cyberpunk 2022 and Star Wars Outlaws are still on the cutting edge of graphical fidelity, so I’m not disappointed that they have some room to grow, especially when they already look so good. Like online games and shooters Marvel Rivals run smoothly without much help, and consistent frame rates are more important in these games.

Is it worth it to you?

Anyone considering an RTX 5090, Founders Edition or otherwise, should consider their budget first. The FE version of the card will set you back $2,000 if you buy it directly from Nvidia, and partner cards with overclocking and liquid cooling are likely to be more expensive. You’ll also need to spend around $1,000 for a monitor that really takes advantage of your newfound graphics power, and potentially a new 1,000 or 1,200 watt PSU. That means you could be looking at a $3,500 bill before you own any other parts, and I have a hard time imagining it regardless of performance. start any construction so.

Photo: Brad Bourque

The RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 will hit the market at the end of January, with more budget-friendly cards coming soon. Without spending time with the other RTX 50 Series cards, I can’t speak to their relative performance, but I do know that their price tags seem more attractive. I expect these cards to support multiframe generation out of the box, and that’s great news if you just want to sit back and watch smooth gameplay.

The previous Founders Edition releases didn’t stay in stock for long, so you might have to wake up early on the 30th to get one if you want one. The whole situation makes the RTX 5090 feel less like the top of the 50 Series and more of a showcase.

This is the GPU I’d configure when dreaming up a new rig, not the first part I’d choose in a real build. PCPartPicker. If the price tag doesn’t give you a moment’s pause, then enjoy your new GPU. For everyone else, I’d wait to see what the rest of the new GPUs look like before you jump in.