GeForce RTX 5090 Founder’s Edition Review – Gamer’s Pricey Dream

GeForce RTX 5090 Founder's Edition - 3DMark Testing and Closing Thoughts

NVIDIA also shared an updated build of benchmarking software 3DMark with DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation, so I ran the DLSS Feature Test, too. This is based on the Port Royal ray tracing benchmark with the addition of DLSS support.

I tested the CNN model at x4 Multi Frame Generation and the new transformer models at x4, x3, and x2; in all cases, DLAA was selected. The CNN model was faster, but just barely.

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Overall Thoughts on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founder's Edition

The numbers speak plainly—the new GeForce flagship graphics card practically ate everything I threw at it for breakfast without even breaking a sweat.

It's so powerful that it allows users to push the image quality to the absolute highest level, even in the latest PC games, while retaining very high frame rates. Owners of high refresh rate displays will be delighted to finally find a GPU that can deliver an experience to match 200+Hz screens without having to turn every graphics setting way down.

Of course, much of this is enabled by the enhanced AI capabilities that power DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation. The role played by Tensor Cores within the new Blackwell architecture has never been more critical, and NVIDIA's choice in this regard is vindicated by the fact that AMD is finally pursuing the same road with AMD FSR 4, which is also going to be AI-based and exclusive to the new Radeon GPUs, just like DLSS is for GeForce RTX cards. AI calculations are going to be increasingly important going forward, and NVIDIA has earned for itself a competitive advantage that's going to be hard to match for competitors. The GeForce RTX 5090 is fully ready for the upcoming RTX Neural Shaders, which could have a big impact on the gaming industry in the future. Once again, NVIDIA is setting itself up for success thanks to a clear vision. Overall, DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation is yet another big win in all tested games, although I must say I don't see much point in the x3 mode when x4 delivers much higher frame rate boosts with barely any higher latency.

I'm slightly less convinced about the new transformer models. While the Ray Reconstruction one is definitely a win-win already, the Super Resolution model is still in beta and couldn't quite eliminate all ghosting/artifacts in some titles. Moreover, it does require quite a bit of performance in some cases, so I think allowing users the option to manually select CNN over transformer models definitely makes sense, at least for now.

Subjectively, if I had to single out anything of my early experience playing PC games with the GeForce RTX 5090 Founder's Edition, it would be the unprecedented smoothness. The previous RTX generation already enabled high frame rates in most games, of course, but stuttering was almost always there, tarnishing an otherwise great experience. While often a problem caused by game software, NVIDIA acknowledged that the previous Frame Generation method relied on CPU-based frame pacing, which also played a role in those pesky stutters. The new hardware-enhanced Flip Metering largely solves those issues (unless the game has big problems of its own, like Hogwarts Legacy), and it's really a major improvement in how the games actually feel. As a bonus, the graphics card is relatively quiet even under load and definitely quieter - by subjective impression at least - than the RTX 4090.

Granted, all of this assumes you can shell out enough cash to purchase to actually purchase the GPU. Make no mistake: this is as enthusiast as a product can get for PC gamers. I would recommend at least waiting until there's better availability so that retailers will be forced to get closer to the MSRP.

The testing was conducted on a review unit sent by NVIDIA.

You can find additional information about our standard review process and ethics policy here.

9.5

WCCFTECH RATING

With the release of the GeForce RTX 5090 Founder's Edition, NVIDIA has once again proved why it's the leader in the desktop GPU segment. The new graphics card features potentially groundbreaking new future-facing technologies like RTX Neural Shaders, but even in the here and now, it delivers extremely high performance even when testing the most taxing PC games with the maximum settings. DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation is another great advancement that is sure to keep the upscaler well ahead of the increasing competition, though perhaps the most impactful improvement is the hardware flip metering that greatly improves frame pacing and, therefore, smoothness. Once again, the only real downside is the pricing, which has received a sizable bump over the Ada generation, when the RTX 4090 cost $1,599. If money is no object, though, this is the GPU to get to realize all your 4K@200+Hz path traced gamer's dreams.

Pros

• The GeForce RTX 5090 delivers excellent performance in all tested PC games, even without DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation
• The hardware Flip Metering is a game-changer for how much it improves smoothness
• The RTX Neural Shaders ensure the graphics card will remain relevant for years to come

Cons

• The pricing is unfortunately quite a bit higher than last generation

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