NVIDIA’s GPU lineup is heating up with the rumored RTX 5090 and its enigmatic sibling, the RTX 5090 D, poised to challenge the reigning RTX 4090. But how do these cards stack up? Let’s dive into performance, pricing, and practicality to see who wins the crown (and your cash).
Top 3 high end graphics cards : specs and benchmarks
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 |
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| GeForce RTX 5090 D | GeForce RTX 5090 | GeForce RTX 4090 |
|
100Benchmark / Results |
87.10Benchmark / Results |
85.93Benchmark / Results |
| N/A | Launch price (MSRP) : $1,999 | Launch price (MSRP) : $1,599 |
| Primary details | Primary details | Primary details |
| Place in the ranking : 1 | Place in the ranking : 2 | Place in the ranking : 3 |
| Place by popularity : not in top-100 | Place by popularity : 57 | Place by popularity : 8 |
| Architecture : Blackwell 2.0 | Cost-effectiveness evaluation : 10.93 | Cost-effectiveness evaluation : 18.87 |
| GPU code name : GB202 | Power efficiency : 12.06 | Power efficiency : 15.20 |
| Market segment : Desktop | Architecture : Blackwell 2.0 | Market segment : Desktop |
| Release date : 30 January 2025 | Release date : 30 January 2025 | Release date : 20 September 2022 |
|
5/5 |
5/5 |
5/5 |
| Detailed specifications | Detailed specifications | Detailed specifications |
| Pipelines / CUDA cores : 21760 | Pipelines / CUDA cores : 21760 | Pipelines / CUDA cores : 16384 |
| Core clock speed : 2017 MHz | Core clock speed : 2017 MHz | Core clock speed : 2235 MHz |
| Boost clock speed : 2407 MHz | Boost clock speed : 2407 MHz | Boost clock speed : 2520 MHz |
| Number of transistors : 92,200 million | Number of transistors : 92,200 million | Number of transistors : 76,300 million |
| Manufacturing process technology : 5 nm | Manufacturing process technology :5 nm | Manufacturing process technology : 5 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) : 575 Watt | Power consumption (TDP) : 575 Watt | Power consumption (TDP) : 450 Wat |
| Texture fill rate : 1,637 | Texture fill rate : 1,637 | Texture fill rate : 1,290 |
| Floating-point processing power : 104.8 TFLOPS | Floating-point processing power : 104.8 TFLOPS | Floating-point processing power :82.58 TFLOPS |
| ROPs : 176 | ROPs : 176 | ROPs : 176 |
| TMUs : 680 | TMUs : 680 | TMUs : 512 |
| Tensor Cores : 680 | Tensor Cores : 680 | Tensor Cores : 512 |
| Ray Tracing Cores : 170 | Ray Tracing Cores: 170 | Ray Tracing Cores : 128 |
| Form factor & compatibility | Form factor & compatibility | Form factor & compatibility |
| Interface PCIe : 5.0 x16 | Interface PCIe : 5.0 x16 | Interface : PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| Length : 304 mm | Length : 304 mm | Length : 304 mm |
| Width : 2-slot | Width : 2-slot | Width : 3-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors : 1x 16-pin | Supplementary power connectors : 1x 16-pin | Supplementary power connectors : 1x 16-pin |
| VRAM capacity and type | VRAM capacity and type | VRAM capacity and type |
| Memory type ; GDDR7 | Memory type : GDDR7 | Memory type : GDDR6X |
| Maximum RAM amount : 32 GB | Maximum RAM amount : 32 GB | Maximum RAM amount : 24 GB |
| Memory bus width: 512 Bit | Memory bus width : 512 Bit | Memory bus width : 384 Bit |
| Memory clock speed : 1750 MHz | Memory clock speed : 1750 MHz | Memory clock speed : 1313 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth : 1.79 TB/s | Memory bandwidth : 1.79 TB/s | Memory bandwidth : 1.01 TB/s |
| Resizable BAR : + | Resizable BAR : + | Shared memory : - |
| n/a | n/a | Resizable BAR : + |
| Connectivity and outputs | Connectivity and outputs | Connectivity and outputs |
| Display Connectors : 1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b | Display Connectors : 1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b | Display Connectors : 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |
| HDMI : + | HDMI : + | HDMI : + |
| API and SDK compatibility | API and SDK compatibility | API and SDK compatibility |
| DirectX : 12 Ultimate (12_2) | DirectX : 12 Ultimate (12_2) | DirectX : 12 Ultimate (12_2) |
| Shader Model : 6.8 | Shader Model : 6.8 | Shader Model : 6.8 |
| OpenGL : 4.6 | OpenGL : 4.6 | OpenGL : 4.6 |
| OpenCL : 3.0 | OpenCL : 3.0 | OpenCL : 3.0 |
| Vulkan : 1.4 | Vulkan : 1.4 | Vulkan : 1.3 |
| CUDA : 10.1 | CUDA : 10.1 | CUDA : 8.9 |
| DLSS : + | DLSS : + | DLSS : + |
NVIDIA RTX 5090: The Next Big Thing
Imagine the RTX 4090’s cooler, faster cousin. The RTX 5090 is NVIDIA’s rumored next-gen beast, priced at $1,999. It’s like swapping a sports car’s V8 engine for a turbocharged V12: its 3DMark score of 14,091 blows the RTX 4090 out of the water by over 50%. Yeah, it’s expensive, but NVIDIA gives it a 7/10 for “Value for Money”, which basically means, “Sure, it’ll hurt your wallet, but you’ll forget the pain when you’re gaming at 8K.” Expect all the bells and whistles—ray tracing so real you’ll squint, AI magic for buttery-smooth frames, and enough power to render a Pixar movie in your basement. If you’re a hardcore gamer or a creative pro, this might be your holy grail… if you can stomach the price.
RTX 5090 D: The Mysterious Stranger
The RTX 5090D is the enigma here. That “D” could stand for “Dude, where’s my price tag?” because its MSRP is listed as N/A. It somehow scores even higher than the regular 5090 in benchmarks (14,332), but its “Value for Money” score is a big fat 0. Translation: this card is either a secret prototype, a limited-edition unicorn, or something meant for a niche crowd (think: China-specific models or dual-GPU madness). Maybe it’s NVIDIA flexing its muscles, like, “Look what we could make… if you were a billionaire.” For now, it’s all speculation. Cool to fantasize about, but don’t hold your breath.
RTX 4090: The Reigning Champion
The RTX 4090 is the current king of the hill. Released in 2022, it’s still a monster with a 3DMark score of 9,218 and a $1,599 price tag. Think of it as the reliable superhero who’s been saving your 4K/8K gaming sessions and video-editing marathons for years. It’s got all the Ada Lovelace architecture perks—DLSS 3.5, ray tracing that’s basically witchcraft, and enough VRAM to juggle a small universe. But with the RTX 5090 looming, the 4090 might soon become the “smart buy” for folks who want top-tier performance without selling a kidney. Still, it’s far from obsolete—just ask anyone who owns one.
Who Should Buy What?
- RTX 5090:
- You’re a prosumer (8K gaming, 3D rendering, AI development).
- You future-proof your rig for 3-5 years.
- Budget: Unlimited.
- RTX 5090 D:
- You collect rare tech or need a prototype for specialized workloads.
- Warning: Wait for NVIDIA to clarify its purpose.
- RTX 4090:
- You want top-tier performance today without gambling on rumors.
- You’re budget-conscious (wait for post-RTX 5090 price drops).
The Bottom Line
- NVIDIA RTX 5090 is a monster upgrade for those who can afford it.
- RTX 4090 remains a beast—just slightly less future-proof.
- RTX 5090 D is a wildcard: exciting for speculators, irrelevant for most.
