MSI GeForce RTX 5090 SUPRIM SOC
January, 2025Type
Graphics CardPrice
$2000+Conclusion - Designed For The Next-Generation of Gaming Visuals
NVIDIA's next generation is finally here and oh boy, it has a lot of things we need to talk about. So let's start with the performance.
NVIDIA Is The Only Next-Gen GPU Choice For Enthusiasts
NVIDIA isn't giving up on the enthusiast gaming segment like its competitors and while the gains aren't as big as we saw in the previous generation, they still claim a solid position in the gaming market with the RTX 5090 flagship.
Talking about rasterization and ray tracing-specific performance, you're looking at a 30-40% bump in performance which is very decent. Sure, most of us were expecting similar gains as we saw from the RTX 4090 (versus the RTX 3090) but NVIDIA is achieving these gains on the same node so those bigger jumps might have to wait till the next node shrink and architectural update. This 30-40% up-lift in performance does lead to higher gaming potential, especially at 4K, and just like the RTX 4090, the RTX 5090 will require the most powerful CPUs available on the market today to extract their full potential (go for AMD's Ryzen X3D CPUs based on Zen 4 or Zen 5).
DLSS4 Is The Game Changer, Better Image Quality Than DLSS3 With Transformers Gunning For 4K 240Hz Gaming
DLSS4 is huge! With the updated upscaling technology, NVIDIA is taking image quality to the next level. The model they have been training is in the most advanced state yet with the image quality improving day by day. DLSS4 is a visual upgrade over DLSS3 and all RTX gamers can enjoy its benefits. With the faster transformer model on the Blackwell GPUs, you will see limited losses in terms of performance when switching from the older CNN model to the newer transformer model.
Now DLSS has been plagued with the "Fake Frames" controversy in regards to the frame-gen tech but it does offer better performance and smoothness. NVIDIA is quadrupling the frame-gen with a 4x mode which boosts FPS dramatically. This is enough for those who want to utilize the potential of their 4K 240Hz monitors.
Yes, there will be certain artifacts when using DLSS4 with frame generation enabled but like I said, the DLSS model is improving and this is DLSS at its finest. We can expect DLSS4 to receive countless amounts of updates in the coming months and the time I spent trying it out, there were just minor artifacts that you can only notice when focusing on a certain section of the frame. It is almost visually indistinguishable from the native render.
NVIDIA's Blackwell Is Built For The Future of Gaming, But We Might Have to Wait
The NVIDIA Blackwell architecture is designed with AI in mind and while DLSS 4 and its 4x Multi-Frame Generation technology is one aspect, there's also support for FP4 which would help in certain AI workloads.
Things we liked about the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 SUPRIM SOC:
- The Ultimate & Fastest Gaming GPU
- Still Very Efficient For a 575W GPU
- Built For 4K 240Hz gaming monitors
- Designed With Next-Gen Neural Rendering
- Good Raster & RT Improvement
- Next-Gen Blackwell Architecture With Several AI Additions
- Massive 32 GB GDDR7 Memory
- DLSS4 Offers Better Image Quality
- DLSS4 MFG Offers 4x FPS Boost
- MSI SUPRIM SOC Design Looks Spectacular
- Cooling Performance is Superb
- Very low noise output with 0db operation
- Next-Gen Video Encode/Decode Engines
- DP2.1b (UHBR20) support
- PCIe Express 5.0 technology
The big gun is the neural shaders support along with several new Neural rendering approaches that the company has highlighted and discussed. While the company hasn't yet announced any major game partnerships that will make use of these technologies, we are anxiously waiting for NVIDIA's update in this regard as that would further unlock the architectural potential of NVIDIA's Blackwell architecture.
Custom Coolers Are Supreme, & MSI's SUPRIM SOC Knocks It Out of the Park
Cooling an almost 600W behemoth is not an easy job but MSI has been constantly at work improving its high-end cooling solutions such as the SUPRIM SOC. The card is bigger than ever but the extra mass and heatsink real estate do a great job of keeping this juggernaut at 65C at peak loads and closer to 60C during gaming. The card also runs a bit more silently than the previous RTX 4090 SUPRIM design at both Silent and Max RPM modes. The only thing you should keep in mind is to have 4 slots worth of room available inside your PC.
Things we would have liked about the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 SUPRIM SOC:
- Lower Price Point
- More overclocking potential without limitations (voltage locked)
- Huge Graphics Card (4-slot design)
- GDDR7 Memory runs hot
- A few games with Neural Shaders at launch
The 12V-2x6 connector and the supplied adapter cable are also great with MSI outlining the section with a yellow tint to make sure users have the connector plugged in all the way. This solution was already featured in MSI's PSU lineup and it's great to see it being expanded to the GPU lineup too. Overall, MSI knocked things out of the park with its impressive SUPRIM SOC design and it's right there at the top of our list as a strong custom variant of the RTX 5090 GPU.
Big Performance Comes At Big Cost
With 32 GB of memory, a supercharged GPU architecture built with AI in mind, and no competition in sight, NVIDIA has gone with another price hike for its enthusiast-tier 90 card. The RTX 5090 costs $1999 US with premium models easily going for around $2200 US+ and availability is also a major question. You'll be paying at least 25% more than the 4090, with 28% higher power consumption for 30-40% better performance. Enthusiasts will take every bit of extra performance that they can get but unlike the RTX 4090, the RTX 5090's value doesn't look that enticing. If we were getting a 50 percent performance bump, it would've attracted the same kind of appeal as the RTX 4090 but that isn't there so fully recommending the RTX 5090 to all gamers is not a wise choice.
Things
It will be up to the enthusiasts to decide whether the pricing justifies an upgrade over existing GPUs but from a technological perspective, the RTX 5090 is a big deal with lots of future potential. NVIDIA made Blackwell and the RTX 50 series with the future in mind, they knew their competition wasn't getting anywhere close to them so they went a very different route rather than focusing on traditional improvements such as better raster and ray tracing capabilities. If NVIDIA can pull it off and deliver on the Neural AI and Neural Shading promises that Blackwell is designed for, then we are in for a truly spectacular era of next-gen PC gaming.
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