I’m always keen to sample a new GPU. And while the RTX 5090 isn’t a new arrival, MSI’s new variant is.
The new GeForce 5090 32G Lightning Z is one of the most powerful versions of the super-powered RTX 5090 that we’ve seen, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
You’re probably thinking, “been there, done that,” with the 5090. But MSI has brought some excellent upgrades to the world’s most powerful GPU, and it helps set the GeForce 5090 32G Lightning Z apart from the rest.
Carbon fiber display panels?
Yes, you read that right.
This 5090 has been upgraded in a few key ways; it’s not your standard 5090. The biggest change is that MSI has designed this as an overclocking card rather than the regular retail cards we’re used to.
In that, the GeForce 5090 32G Lightning Z comes with some key upgrades that can help you push its performance past a regular 5090.
Specifically, MSI’s GeForce 5090 32G Lightning Z features an integrated liquid-cooling system, so you don’t have to muck around with additional cooling to get extra speed. The 5090 is one of the most powerful GPUs available, but that doesn’t mean you can’t boost it up some more.
I’m wowed by some of the numbers I’ve heard. The GPU uses 1,000W by default, and has a 2,500W overclock mode adjustable through its custom BIOS. MSI has somehow squeezed 32GB VRAM onto its frame, and it uses dual 16-pin power connectors. Everything about this GPU is over the top; as my colleague Rich Edmonds said during our viewing, MSI’s R&D team must be having the time of their lives.
MSI’s implementation of the 5090 comes with a full-cover cold plate spanning the GPU, VRAM, and so on, paired with a high-pressure pump and a hybrid-fin radiator designed to deliberately manipulate airflow and temperature zones. That should mean that on those occasions where you do want to crank it up, you have all the hardware to do so without having to pay out more.
It basically gives you more stable thermal loads at all levels, especially if you want to turn up the heat. Interestingly, the 5090 32G Lightning Z also has a custom-built PCB to assist with all this extra power, including an additional copper layer to help with heat dissipation.
A display just for your GPU
The GeForce 5090 32G Lightning Z does it all
Credit: Gavin Phillips / MakeUseOf
One of the GeForce 5090 32G Lightning Z’s most striking features is the 8-inch display panel—a world’s first on a GPU—that can display all of your system stats, artwork, animations, and more.
I didn’t think it would take long for GPUs to start featuring a full-display after similar tech rolled out for CPU coolers in the past few years, but seeing such an enormous display attached to a GPU is definitely something new. And after seeing it up close, I’m more sold than ever.
The display panel is controlled through the MSI Lightning Hub, a web-based tuning app that controls all the various settings and parameters, along with the custom-tuned Lightning Fan configuration. I’m not always completely sold on web-based apps for PC hardware tuning, but it should result in less system overhead, which could be beneficial.
MSI hits higher than ever
But it’s not all about the stats
It’s not always about the stats when it comes to GPUs, as in-game performance and overall stability are the bigger determiners. However, the GeForce 5090 32G Lightining Z hit some impressive benchmarks during testing, topping out at:
- 53,207 in 3DMark Time Spy
- 90,797 in 3DMark Fire Strike
- 68,039 in 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme
- 41,566 in 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra
- 37.851 in GPUPI 3.3 (32B)
I know, I know; it’s all numbers on a page, and a bigger measure of an overclocked GPU is stability. But these are impressive benchmark figures, regardless, and, if sustained, make the GeForce 5090 32G Lightning Z one of the most powerful GPUs launched.
Related
3 Ways to Check If Your CPU or GPU Is Overclocked
If your hardware is overclocked, you’ll need better cooling or you could wreck your system.
Move fast: this is a limited edition run
Now, here’s the thing: if you want one of MSI’s super-tuned GPUs, you’ll need to be swift, as the company is only making 1,300 units. That does increase the pressure on picking one up, but it’s a very unique piece of hardware if you can get your hands on one!
The other factor is obviously price. MSI didn’t actually have a finalized price for this absolute unit of a GPU, but our consensus was that you’ll be looking at multiple thousands above the price of a regular RTX 5090… so at least $4,000-5,000, if not more.
