Overclocking so intense that it literally broke the GPU. Here's how an enthusiast got his MSI RTX 5090 Lightning Z dead in his quest for breaking world records.
MSI RTX 5090 Lightning Z GPU Core Cracks Due to Intense Overclocking; Delivers the Highest Geekbench 5 Compute Score Just Before Its Death
The enthusiast overclocker Alva Jonathan uploaded a video on YouTube, showing how he "broke" his 100 Million Rupiah GPU. This is the all-new MSI RTX 5090 32G Lightning Z, which is the most powerful RTX 5090 ever made and is designed for enthusiasts who care about breaking records more than just gaming. The RTX 5090 Lightning Z is already too good out of the box and can easily maintain high clocks without breaking a sweat.
The GPU offers 800W and 1000W operating TDP profiles out of the box, but can also be pushed beyond through the 2500W XOC BIOS, which is specially reserved for the enthusiast overclockers who are willing to risk their GPUs' lives. That said, Alva tried to break several records with his MSI RTX 5090 Lightning Z GPU, but something unexpected happened. With liquid nitrogen cooling deployed, he aimed for as high a clock speed as possible, which requires high voltage to be fed to the GPU core.
At nearly 1KW and 1.12V, the GPU was able to reach a good 3.42 GHz of clock speed, which is already 1 GHz higher than the default boost clock for the reference edition. Even at such a high power consumption and voltage, the GPU was able to maintain its temperature under 10°C. When he tried achieving over 3.5 GHz, the GPU couldn't sustain it if the temperature reached over 20°C. Moreover, it was difficult to maintain high clocks if the temperature was below 0°C.
However, through the GPUPI Benchmark, he was able to achieve 3.6 GHz. That said, the world record for the highest Geekbench 5 Compute score (683,433 points) was made at 3.5 GHz, which is currently live on HWBot. When he tried to go for more world records, something unexpected happened. Now, as he tried the 2500W XOC BIOS, it pushed nearly 1.2V to the GPU, as it was an initial revision. The result was a broken GPU core, as you can see in the image, and a GPU worth $5000 died.
Now this damage won't be covered under warranty, as unlocking the 2500W limit voids the warranty already. Now, imagine what would happen if users flash the 2500W XOC BIOS on their non-MSI RTX 5090 Lightning Z GPU, which was leaked earlier today. We totally do not recommend trying such high-power BIOSes on regular RTX 5090s that weren't designed to consume over 600W in the first place.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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