Nvidia’s highly anticipated top-of-the-line GPU appears to be delayed, with reports suggesting it won’t be available for some time. According to a recent article from Benchlife and other sources, the RTX 50 series is set to be revealed at CES 2025 in January. This implies that the RTX 5090 may not debut until at least three to four months from now. On a brighter note, new insights have emerged regarding the card’s specifications and features.
For several months, GPU enthusiasts have set their sights lower concerning the RTX 50 series, with many doubting its release within the current year. Recent leaks have corroborated this sentiment, with publications like The Verge joining Benchlife in asserting that Nvidia’s next-generation GPUs will not be unveiled until 2025. Well-known hardware leakers such as kopite7kimi have also indicated that early 2025 is the latest target release timeframe.
At the beginning of 2024, I anticipated that the RTX 5090 would hit the market around October. This expectation was not solely Nvidia-focused; there was a general assumption that AMD, Nvidia, and Intel would all debut their new graphics cards this year. However, ongoing signs suggest that 2024 may end up being a lackluster year for PC hardware. Besides the anticipated refresh of the RTX 40 series and AMD’s RX 7600 XT, there may be few new releases, as even the RX 7900 GRE was merely an older model receiving a global launch earlier this year.
The disappointing release date news isn’t entirely unexpected. On the upside, the recent spec leak has clarified some features we can expect from the RTX 5090. For instance, Nvidia is reportedly transitioning to a PCIe 5.0 interface, meaning you will need a modern processor and a compatible motherboard that supports PCIe Gen 5 for optimal performance.
This GPU will also incorporate a DisplayPort 2.1a connection that fully supports UHBR20, allowing for significantly greater bandwidth than previous versions. Additionally, it will feature a 14-layer printed circuit board (PCB). Recent leaks suggest that the RTX 5090 will offer 21,760 CUDA cores, a 512-bit memory bus, and 32GB of GDDR7 memory. However, it’s essential to approach this information with caution, as none of it has been officially confirmed.
The absence of the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 this year could mean Nvidia is passing up a critical chance. The last quarter of the year usually brings the highest PC sales, and Nvidia has a pattern of unveiling new GPUs during this period in prior generations. Yet, with speculations indicating that Nvidia is just now nearing the finalization of its flagship card’s specs, the prospect of a 2024 launch seems increasingly unlikely. However, definitive answers will only come when Nvidia makes an official announcement.
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The upcoming RTX 5090 is rumored to require a staggering 600 watts of power, and its performance could surpass anything we’ve seen before. Users will need to ensure their systems are ready to make the most of this powerful hardware when it finally arrives.