After weeks of rumors, leaks, and feverish anticipation, it's finally here. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 , the flagship of the new generation, is hitting the market with the promise of simply outrageous power. But behind the impressive numbers everywhere, does this card really deserve its title of "queen" and justify its astronomical price, or is it just a technological showcase? To find out, we tested the Gainward Phantom , and the results are surprising, to say the least.
Rather than limiting ourselves to traditional benchmarks, which often fail to capture the complexity of modern games, we wanted to measure the real gaming experience , the one that really matters to the player. The RTX 5090 was put to the test on a high-end setup : AMD Ryzen 9 9800X , 64 GB of RAM at 6,400 MHz, to eliminate any risk of bottlenecks. The whole thing was displayed on a high-powered monitor, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 , for testing in extreme conditions and total immersion.
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A monster of power… and size
At first glance, the Gainward Phantom commands respect. Larger than Nvidia's Founders Edition, it occupies two and a half slots , and its generous length requires an integrated support to prevent it from sagging in the case. On the power side, the card requires a specific adapter, with a consumption announced at 575 W , which immediately raises the question of thermal management , especially given the setbacks encountered by the RTX 4090. Let's hope that Nvidia and its partners have learned from the past.
The unboxing leaves you speechless, but the real question isn't whether this card is powerful. We already know that: it's the most powerful on the market. What matters is understanding how that power translates into gaming and whether it justifies its price. The real game-changer isn't the 15-20% raw performance gain over the RTX 4090, but the integration of new AI technologies: DLSS 4 and Multiframe Generation , capable of transforming the gaming experience beyond mere numbers.
A graphics card focused on experience and AI
Rather than limiting ourselves to classic benchmarks, we chose to test the card in real-life gaming , where technologies like DLSS 4 , FSR , or Ray Tracing are enabled. The goal: to answer a key question: are the images generated by AI perceptible? Is the additional latency really felt?
We put the RTX 5090 through three very different titles to get a complete overview:
Cyberpunk 2077 : With all the graphics options pushed to the extreme on the Neo G9 , the card alone caps around 30 FPS. But by activating DLSS Super Resolution , the Transform Model and X4 Image Generation , the magic happens: we go from 23 to more than 250 FPS , without noticeable loss of visual quality. The rare artifacts are limited to elements like water or fast-moving foliage. The latency, noticeable when Reflex mode is disabled, remains almost imperceptible in game.
Marvel Rivals : On this title, the card runs at over 240 FPS DLSS Override feature , which forces image generation even on games not natively supported, is particularly impressive. We observe a gain of 120 to over 220 FPS without visual compromise. This demonstration confirms that the future of performance will no longer lie solely in raw power , but in software intelligence.
Path of Exile 2 & Black Myth: Wukong : These tests, however, temper enthusiasm. DLSS Override is not universal and remains limited to games already compatible with DLSS. On Path of Exile 2, not all features can be activated, illustrating that optimization still depends largely on the developers . The same goes for Black Myth: Wukong, where the gain in fluidity is real, but the latency is more noticeable on a title that does not naturally reach high FPS.
Who is the RTX 5090 really for?
The RTX 5090 isn't designed for the average gamer. Its positioning is clear: extreme performance , advanced technologies, and massive computing capabilities, at the expense of value for money. Its main targets are:
Creative professionals : architects, graphic designers, motion designers or video editors will find in this card a real work tool , capable of managing complex 3D scenes, photorealistic renderings or 8K post-production projects without compromise.
AI developers and researchers : Thanks to its latest generation Tensor and RT cores and support for DLSS 4 and Multiframe Generation models, the card significantly accelerates artificial intelligence and deep learning calculations.
Extreme gamers : For those who want to play in 4K or even 8K with all graphics options enabled , including Ray Tracing and AI, on ultra-wide screens like the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9, the RTX 5090 remains unmatched.
In the spirit of the old Titan , this card is a professional model disguised as a gaming card . Its typical user is not driven by price, but by the thirst for performance and the search for technological innovations . Buying an RTX 5090 is investing in the pinnacle of the GPU experience , with the certainty of having the most advanced equipment on the market .
In short, if you're looking for a card for casual gaming or to save a few hundred dollars , this is clearly not for you. But for those who want to explore the limits of graphics power and artificial intelligence in gaming or creation , the RTX 5090 is an uncompromising choice.
AMD vs. the RTX 5090: Indirect Competition
Currently, the RTX 5090 has no real competition in the ultra-high-end segment. The company has chosen to focus on the high-end and mid-range with its Radeon RX 9000 , based on the RDNA 4 .
The top-performing model in this range is the Radeon RX 9900 XTX , while its predecessor, the RX 7900 XTX , remains the model closest to the RTX 5090. The Radeon RX 9070 XT also positions itself against Nvidia's 50 series, but is mainly aimed at the upper segment of the general public.
Direct competition: the Radeon RX 9900 XTX
AMD's strategy is clear: not to enter the ultra-high-end field where Nvidia dominates. The RX 9900 XTX , while very capable, cannot directly compete with the RTX 5090 on raw power or AI technologies . However, it shines with its price-performance ratio and offers a solid 4K experience , meeting the expectations of demanding but budget-conscious gamers.
A different positioning
The main distinction between the RTX 5090 and its AMD competitors lies in the technological approach . Nvidia dominates on pure performance thanks to its next-generation Tensor and RT cores , which allow to fully exploit DLSS 4 , Ray Tracing and Multi Frame Generation , exclusive to the 50 series.
For its part, AMD is focusing on efficiency and price . Its FSR 3.1 , equivalent to DLSS, continues to improve, offering a viable alternative for those who want to play in 4K without spending a fortune. In short: the RTX 5090 is the no-compromise , focused on performance and AI, while the RX 9900 XTX is a credible and economical alternative , ideal for gamers looking for quality 4K without the most advanced software features.
Overall rating: ⭐ 4.4 / 5
- Excellent price-performance ratio
- Exceptional in-game performance
- High overclocking potential
- Good cooling capacity
- High power consumption
- Significant size and weight
- Ray-tracing performance lags behind the competition
Best card on the market for me, much cheaper than the 5090. Its performance is amazing, with good airflow in the PC, overclocking allows you to exceed 20% without any instability issues.
Customer reviews
Customer reviews are mixed. On specialist forums and platforms like Trustpilot , users praise the card's unparalleled performance its exorbitant price and limited availability . Many note that the raw power gain over the RTX 4090 remains relatively modest, emphasizing that the real value lies in new software technologies (DLSS 4, Multiframe Generation) which, in time, could be compatible with previous generations.
The community is therefore divided into two camps:
Those willing to invest wholeheartedly to have the best on the market , appreciating the combination of power and advanced features.
Those who denounce an aggressive marketing strategy , encouraging the renewal of equipment without real necessity, and who question the performance/price ratio for this generation.
In short, the RTX 5090 dominates the market by force, but its price positioning and perceived value continue to spark heated debates among users and hardware enthusiasts.
Our verdict on this ultimate graphics card
The RTX 5090 is undoubtedly the most powerful graphics card on the market . Its raw power is impressive, but its real strength lies in its AI technologies . DLSS 4 and Multiframe Generation revolutionize the gaming experience, delivering unprecedented fluidity and image quality , especially at extreme resolutions.
But is this innovation worth the investment? Many of the advancements, including DLSS 4 and the new Transformer Book , will soon be available to previous generations of RTX 20, 30, and 40 . For owners of these cards, a software update could be enough to benefit from significant improvements without having to spend a fortune.
The RTX 5090 therefore remains reserved for a niche of enthusiasts and professionals for whom price is not a barrier. However, we should not be seduced solely by marketing: the revolution of this generation does not lie in raw power , but in the software intelligence that optimizes and transforms the gaming experience.
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