During the highly anticipated CES 2025 event, NVIDIA showcased its groundbreaking series of GeForce RTX 50 GPUs. Stealing the spotlight were the much-talked-about RTX 5090 and its siblings, the RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070. Among these, the RTX 5090 captivated the audience with its state-of-the-art engineering and staggering performance capabilities.
A significant departure from its beefier predecessors in the RTX 30 and RTX 40 series, NVIDIA’s latest Founders Edition cards have been designed with a sleeker, more streamlined approach. These innovative models sport a dual-slot configuration paired with twin flow-through fans, a welcome adaptation that enhances compatibility with a wider array of PC setups without hogging space.
The flagship variants, the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080, share the same length and width dimensions of 304mm by 137mm, while the RTX 5070 Founders Edition offers a more compact design at 242mm by 112mm. Notably, all but the RTX 5070 Ti will be available in the Founders Edition, with custom models featuring up to five fans set to make their debut shortly.
A remarkable feature of this new series is the newer, angled 16-pin power connector (12V-2×6), reducing the potential for overheating—an issue that plagued earlier models like the RTX 4090. This new placement ensures optimal clearance, minimizing the risk of damaging bends.
The updated design aesthetic draws inspiration from earlier series but with a modern twist. Retaining the sleek black and silver tones, the cards possess exposed heatsink grills complemented by dual flow-through fans. The card sides are adorned with RGB-lit “GeForce RTX” logos and luminous LED accents, with the model name tastefully etched on their reverse.
One of the standout accomplishments of the RTX 50 series is its impressively compact PCB, underscoring NVIDIA’s engineering prowess. This space-efficient design calls to mind the innovative RX Nano from AMD, offering a flagship GPU in a minimized footprint.
Each PCB is meticulously crafted to house the GPU, Memory, and VRAM components, with the RTX 5090 featuring the substantial GB202 GPU and 16 GDDR7 memory chips. The power delivery is equally robust, utilizing a 30-phase system. The unique design of the PCB includes a modular configuration with critical connectors separated but linked, facilitating a cleaner, more organized layout.
The RTX 5090 Founders Edition boasts a dual-slot, dual-fan cooling system with a double flow-through design, distinguishing it with its compact and efficient form. Measuring 304mm in length and 137mm in height, it utilizes liquid thermal interface material along with a pioneering 3-layered PCB—the first of its kind for a GeForce GPU. Custom models from board partners are also on the horizon, promising further refinements.
Stay tuned for upcoming updates as we delve deeper into the cutting-edge internal cooling solutions and other exciting features that these innovative GPUs bring to the gaming and tech landscapes.
