Hands-on with the RTX 5090, Nvidia’s big new GPU

I don’t find many graphics cards attractive. Without some wild case designs or pre-built desktops built to deliver looks and power in equal measure, it feels like a redundancy compared to other sleek, low-profile components. Nvidia RTX 5090 Founders Editionon the other hand, seems downright threatening. It’s a dark gray slab of metal, a demanding, brick-like beetle ready to attach itself to your PSU and consume your entire PC.

Nvidia sent me an RTX 5090 to review, but stated that I couldn’t yet show you to play it. I can’t even show it while it’s warm in the desktop case. So, with those limitations, these are my first impressions.

The Founders Edition RTX 5090 measures approximately 12 inches x 5.3 inches and 2 inches deep. This is approximately the same length and width RTX 4090 Founders Edition With the same dual propeller difference. However, the new card is shorter than the previous one. This is a dual-slot card, although that doesn’t mean any future OEMs will adhere to these dimensions.

But therefore, it is a heavy card. It had been in a cold FedEx truck for so long it was almost painful to touch the metal. Even when it reached room temperature, the GPU felt chunky, with practically no space wasted on this metal-and-silicon board. It’s the kind of card that makes me nervous to put it in my case supported by just a PCIe slot and two screws.

When compared to our other cards, the PNY RTX 4080 Super, Asus RTX 4080 Super, and MSI RTX 4070 Ti Super – all with three fans – the 5090 feels more contained. It takes up fewer slots inside your case, but it strictly requires some sort of extra support for any pin stuck outside the motherboard.

Nvidia swears that its new cooler will be able to keep the card cool under pressure. The card inlet is at the bottom, and the exhaust comes out of the holes at the top. This should be fine for most setups as airflow typically goes from the bottom to the top.

It adds weight to the overall aesthetics of the Founders Edition. It’s scary for gray metal, especially compared to the silver sides of the RTX 4090. You can see inside the GPU when you shine a light on it, enough to see the heat pipes running through it. Other than that, it still includes the GeForce RTX logo that glows when the card is turned on.

The Founders Edition card now comes in a corrugated cardboard box that is supposed to mimic the imprint of the 5090. Inside is the GPU without any anti-static bag or sleeve. This didn’t seem necessary, as the package was tight enough to keep it from moving. Other than the card, the box comes with one short 4x PCIe 5.0 adapter. Nvidia said You’ll need to either connect the adapter to four 8-pin PCIe connectors or a 600W PCIe Gen 5 cable.

It also requires at least 1,000 watts of system power, so if you’re comfortable running an RTX 4080 Super with an 850-watt PSU, it’s another piece you’ll need to upgrade to support Nvidia’s massive new GPU.

The 16-pin power connection is now located at an angle on the card itself. This could be a boon for small cases, but I know that in my current setup with the Origin PC, it would actually mean I needed to adjust the power connection up to fit the correct slots. Behind it, the only ports you’ll find are three DisplayPort 2.1 and one HDMI 2.1b port.