As the launch of GeForce RTX 5090 draws closer, rumours about its specs grow in detail and number as is practically tradition for new graphics cards at this point. Following previous whispers that Nvidia plans to use GDDR7 VRAM for its Blackwell GPUs, it appears as though the company may significantly boost memory capacity too.
One of the reasons that Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4090 occupies the prime position on our best graphics card shortlist is its 24GB pool of GDDR6X memory. This, combined with its bandwidth in excess of 1TB/s, makes it an excellent choice for the most-demanding games and resolutions of today. After all, it’s one of the few cards out there than can handle path tracing in Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K, even without DLSS Frame Generation enabled. With all this in mind, it should come as no surprise that Nvidia plans to build on this already exemplary base with its GeForce RTX 5090.
According to leaker panzerlied, Nvidia is equipping GeForce RTX 5090 with a decidedly denser memory module layout. Going clockwise, the graphics card is alleged to feature a 4-5-2-5 configuration surrounding its GB202 GPU. For context, GeForce RTX 4090’s modules are arranged in a 3-4-1-4 configuration.
So, we’re looking at another four chips altogether which could significantly increase GeForce RTX 5090 VRAM capacity compared to GeForce RTX 4090. Were Nvidia to use 2GB modules once again, this leaves the door open for a staggering 32GB of memory. However, given the presumed higher costs of GDDR7, it’s unclear whether this will pan out but other details shared by panzerlied suggest the company is going all out with the design of its next flagship.
The leaker claims GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition will feature three PCBs. This would be unusual, and presumably expensive, but it’s worth remembering that Nvidia has previously experimented with unconventional PCB designs before through its unreleased GeForce RTX 40 series Titan. Here’s hoping that all of this doesn’t see the potential GeForce RTX 5090 price skyrocket to the $2,500 heights of the RTX Titan, if its rumoured performance doesn’t already.
We expect Nvidia to pull back the curtain on its GeForce RTX 50 series at Computex, GeForce RTX 5090 included. Should Jensen have a graphics card or two hiding under his leather jacket, we’ll be sure to let you know as we report live from the conference floor. Until then, though, give our GeForce RTX 4080 Super review a read to reacquaint yourself with how the company’s current graphics card stock stacks up.