Thursday, January 9th 2025

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition Hands On, Taken Apart

CES by
btarunr
 Discuss (93 Comments)
At the 2025 International CES, we went hands on with the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition "Blackwell" graphics card. This thing is huge—longer and taller than the RTX 4090 FE, and yet just 2 slots thick. This is because NVIDIA's designers have figured out that the heat dissipation area of the heatsink lost to thinning the card can be recovered by stretching it in other directions. The card retains the essential aesthetic of Founders Edition cards from the past two generations going back to the RTX 30-series, but changes the concept of the dual-axial flow-through.

While past generations used an intake fan on one side, blowing onto the PCB, and another fan at the tail end of the backplate pull air through the heatsink and out the back, the RTX 5090 FE has two large fans, both of which blow cold air through the heatsink, and out the back of the card. The PCB is located in the center of the card, and relies on a set of breakout PCBs for host interface and display outputs.
The biggest component on the PCB, which takes up nearly 1/3 of its board area, is the "GB202" GPU on which the RTX 5090 is based. The GPU has a gigantic pin-count not just for its power needs, but its 512-bit GDDR7 memory interface. At one corner of the PCB, which sticks out from the top of the cooler, is the card's 12V2x6 power input, which is rated for 600 W (we don't know the TGP of the RTX 5090 yet).

The card uses a VRM solution with 19 phases for the VGPU, and 8 phases for the memory. Much like an AI GPU board, NVIDIA resorted to high-density PCB engineering, not wasting any space on either sides of the PCB. The chokes and DRMOS (made by MPS) are on the obverse side, surrounding the GPU on three sides; and the capacitors are on the reverse side.

The reverse side of the PCB has connectors that lead to its two breakout components. The first one connects to a PCB with the PCI-Express 5.0 x16 gold fingers. The other connector leads to the display I/O breakout. Both connections are made using thin ribbon cables like the ones you find in laptops, and routed along the edges of the cooler, so as not to impede airflow.

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93 Comments on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition Hands On, Taken Apart

#51
kondamin
looks nice and small, ~3 should fit in a portable workstation.
Posted on Reply
#52
Fleurious
I’de have preferred it being thicker as opposed to stretched taller and longer than the 4090 FE cooler. Still looking forward to seeing thermal results on all the different coolers.
Posted on Reply
#53
Hereticbar
freeagentNot understanding the hate, this PCB is amazing. This layout is how you can tell they have their shit together.
Probably nothing wrong with this PCB design or different from usual approach to cooling.

There are always people that are "looking for a bone in an egg".
Posted on Reply
#54
freeagent
the54thvoidI wonder if AI tools were used to construct the main board?
I am almost positive they were. I think that started with Ampere, but I could be mistaken..
Posted on Reply
#55
MxPhenom 216
ASIC Engineer
SteamrollerSeems to me that Alphacool already have a sample for it.


I see some connections for some fat ribbon cables. Should be a easy thing to transfer to a water block.
Alphacool doesnt have a block for the FE. They only have blocks for AIB custom cards as of right now
Posted on Reply
#56
patriotpa
Dr. DroQuite the contrary, a small PCB is desirable and an engineering feat that took many many years to achieve. One this small then is a marvel of technology. Smaller PCBs mean better signal integrity with as little loss as possible. So ridiculous isn't exactly the word I would use, it's closer to "remarkable"
Well said. Exactly correct. Shortest signal path is a must for a clean signal. Clean is fast.
Posted on Reply
#57
MxPhenom 216
ASIC Engineer
Mr_LoLI really don't like the FE this year. It just looks cheap.
I definitely dont like the idea of 3 seperate pcbs connected with ribbon cables, but i understand why they designed it this way.
patriotpaWell said. Exactly correct. Shortest signal path is a must for a clean signal. Clean is fast.
Sure, though for the breakaway boards im not so sure ribbon cables are exactly "clean"
Posted on Reply
#58
GhostRyder
I mean, I don't hate the design as long as it works well. For the amount of heat this change up may result in better overall temps in the stock form. I do have an issue with it from the perspective of how hard it is going to be with mounting a waterblock (Or if waterblocks will be super expensive) but then again I am sure there will be someone who figures it out (Probably already have) and at 2K price point its not going to matter if the block is expensive because the card is already as much as a high end PC on its own.

I am looking forward to seeing it put through the paces!
Posted on Reply
#59
freeagent
GhostRyderI do have an issue with it from the perspective of how hard it is going to be with mounting a waterblock
With precision measuring tools, CAD software, and CNC, it really wont be that difficult..
Posted on Reply
#60
MxPhenom 216
ASIC Engineer
freeagentWith precision measuring tools, CAD software, and CNC, it really wont be that difficult..
It would just need to be able to mount to 3 different pcb and have a nice way of running the ribbon cables through it. Have channel or something to tuck them into

But i think a lot of end users will be discouraged from taking this thing apart anyhow
Posted on Reply
#61
freeagent
MxPhenom 216It would just need to be able to mount to 3 different pcb and have a nice way of running the ribbon cables through it. Have channel or something to tuck them into
That is what all of those tools are for :D

Edit:

Math was never my strong suit, just "OK" at guesstimating lol.. I can use the numbers that I am used to using haha..
Posted on Reply
#62
MxPhenom 216
ASIC Engineer
It would actually be crazy if those ribbon cables had a finite disconnect-reconmect lifetime.

It just doesnt seem like this card was designed for DIY watercoolers in mind. Not that Nvidia is obligated too or that it cant be done, but even just taking card apart would be enough to prevent people for putting a block on id imagine
Posted on Reply
#63
Onasi
MxPhenom 216It just doesnt seem like this card was designed for DIY watercoolers in mind. Not that Nvidia is obligatee too or that it cant be done, but even just taking card apart would be enough to prevent people for putting a block on id imagine
Yeah, I think the play for WC enthusiasts will be pretty straightforward - see which AIB models your block vendor of choice supports and then grab the lowest priced one (as far as such a thing can be even applicable here), rip off the cooler and you’re laughing. I don’t think futzing around with custom tooling to make a block for FE will be worth it to vendors, but I am sure some psychotic users will fabricate some one offs.
Posted on Reply
#64
N/A
A strange contraption indeed with the PCB sitting in the middle slot and a daughterboard to do the heavy lifting. Just send it.
Posted on Reply
#65
Dr. Dro
Outback BronzeShit, I must be an enthusiast then. I was quite gob smacked by how small that design actually is for the punch it's going to output with all 32GB attached!
The circuitry on that thing is just insane brother. Anyone with the most basic notion of electronics can tell, It's so perfectly, neatly packed, the overall utilization of the PCB is damn near 100%
Posted on Reply
#66
Daven
At this point, we just need a socket on the motherboard for the GPU. Three separate PCBs connected by ribbon cables is pushing the limits of keeping the current paradigm and could lead to all sorts of problems if the cables become disconnected.
Posted on Reply
#67
bug
the54thvoidI think there's been an element of 'we need to approach the cooling from a different angle,' because the thing's been designed to work with that cooling layout with maximum efficiency. It's reminiscent of when AMD crammed the R9 into the Nano format. I like this level of engineering and design. I wonder if AI tools were used to construct the main board?
I'd be surprised if they didn't. Iirc, tracing wires is one of those problems classic algorithms will take forever to find the best solution for (i.e. NP-complete).
Posted on Reply
#68
freeagent
Dr. DroThe circuitry on that thing is just insane brother. Anyone with the most basic notion of electronics can tell, It's so perfectly, neatly packed, the overall utilization of the PCB is damn near 100%
Just think, that is just what "we" get.

Imagine what they have or will have in the wild shortly..

Edit:

We get the left overs, stuff they piece together from scraps that can play games fairly well :D
Posted on Reply
#69
bug
DavenAt this point, we just need a socket on the motherboard for the GPU. Three separate PCBs connected by ribbon cables is pushing the limits of keeping the current paradigm and could lead to all sorts of problems if the cables become disconnected.
You haven't looked inside a laptop in a while, have you?
Posted on Reply
#70
igormp
the54thvoidI think there's been an element of 'we need to approach the cooling from a different angle,' because the thing's been designed to work with that cooling layout with maximum efficiency. It's reminiscent of when AMD crammed the R9 into the Nano format. I like this level of engineering and design. I wonder if AI tools were used to construct the main board?
There are tons of AI tools to aid CAD (including PCB) designing, so I'm almost certain it was used in one way or another.
Posted on Reply
#71
wNotyarD
Dr. DroThe circuitry on that thing is just insane brother. Anyone with the most basic notion of electronics can tell, It's so perfectly, neatly packed, the overall utilization of the PCB is damn near 100%
As an electronics technician, I'd be damn afraid of ever trying to repair something like this in fear of shorting/destroying anything else due to proximity.
Posted on Reply
#72
Gasaraki
k_9viruswow looks like its impossible to make a waterblock for it
Alphacool already has a waterblock for it.

Edit: Guess not. BUT if nVidia has an air cooler, obviously someone can make a waterblock.
Posted on Reply
#74
Gasaraki
GigaherzWell I wouldnt complain at least. And be honest, it wouldnt be a bad card. To me the founders edition was always the "reference" design with the cheapest pcb that everyone uses for waterblocks because it has the highest compatibility.

But go on, celebrate this developement further. F the enthousiasts!
The 7090 is just going to be a Geforce now Streaming device then. But I guess people will love it because it looks sleek. You will own nothing and be happy.
I don't get the crying. Go get a third party card that's big and bulky if you want. They have the big boards.
Posted on Reply
#75
mkppo
We get a built in riser cable lol

I was hoping for the waterblocks with side terminals like the EK 3090 FE waterblock. Heatkiller made some for 4090 as well, here's hoping they make one for the FE or some AIB this round as well
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Jan 10th, 2025 01:26 EST change timezone

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