Another instance where the user was able to achieve incredibly high scores with shunt modding on the RTX 5090 but this time, the setup didn't have any liquid cooling.
Overclocker Uses 1MOhm Shunt Resistors to Unlock RTX 5090's TDP to 1200W; Achieves 9th Spot in 3DMark Speedway and Top 20 Positions in Steel Nomad and Port Royal With 9950X3D+RTX 5090 Configuration Using Default Cooler
Shunt modding is one of the ways through which users can unlock higher power delivery for their GPUs, and we have seen previously how a shunt-modded RTX 5090 laptop could bring up to 20% higher performance. This isn't surprising since higher power helps GPUs to achieve and maintain higher clocks, provided they are deployed with a powerful cooling solution. While typically, shunt-modding would require liquid cooling on a GPU like the GeForce RTX 5090, a user was able to do it with the stock cooler.
Redditor u/thatavidreaderture didn't change the heatsink on his GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 Aorus Master ICE since he thinks that it's ample for the GPUs' thermal requirements and most AIB coolers have sufficient thermal headroom. He reportedly replaced the 2MOhm resistors with 1MOhm, which unlocked twice the power limit for the GeForce RTX 5090. By default, the GPU can consume nearly 600W at full load, but with shunt-mod, the GPU was able to receive up to 1200W.
Not to mention, the user also did the GPU repaste and used the popular PTM 7950 and Upsiren UX Ultra thermal putty, since it's a far better solution than the default thermal paste. With about 820W of power draw at max load, 3.2 GHz of clock speed, and at about 79 degrees Celsius temperature, the RTX 5090 was able to crack the top 10 best results for 3DMark Speedway (for Ryzen 9950X3D + RTX 5090 configuration), scoring 16,559 points. This helped the user secure the number 9 spot in the list and also the 11th spot in Steel Nomad with 17,125 points, and the 15th spot with 43,378 points in Port Royal.
Surprisingly, he is the only one with an air-cooled RTX 5090 to be in such high positions, but this shows that a lot of AIB coolers are sufficient for GPUs' thermal requirements. With shunt modding, the GPU was also able to cross 3.2 GHz clock speed at nearly 1.060 Volts. This is highly impressive since the reference design features a boost clock of only 2.4 GHz. All in all, this is a good way of boost performance. However, we don't recommend this unless you are fine with voiding your GPU warranty.
News Source: Reddit
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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