More than 700 games and applications feature RTX technologies, and each week new games integrating NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, and advanced ray-traced effects are released or announced, delivering the definitive PC experience for GeForce RTX players. Following the release of DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation for Avowed (via NVIDIA app DLSS Overrides) and Star Wars Outlaws, this week sees the addition of the performance multiplying tech to Delta Force: Black Hawk Down, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Marvel Rivals. Additionally, DLSS Super Resolution and DLSS Frame Generation are available at launch in Legend of Ymir, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. For all the details, read on.

Marvel Rivals DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation Update Launches Tomorrow
NetEase Games' Marvel Rivals is one of the top 5 most played games on Steam. If you're unfamiliar with Marvel Rivals, it's a Super Hero, team-based PvP shooter set in the Marvel universe. Assemble an all-star Marvel squad, devise countless strategies by combining powers to form unique Team-Up skills, and fight in destructible, ever-changing battlefields.

Overclockers UK, one of the largest PC retailers in the UK, has shared insights on their X account about the estimated time of arrival (ETA) for GPU restocking. Starting with the newest GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPUs, the OCUK post notes that RTX 5070 Ti is sold out, and pre-orders are open now, with more GPU stock arriving in two to four weeks. Next up is the GeForce RTX 5080, which is sold out with limited stock arriving weekly, with an ETA of one to three weeks. However, the worst ETA stock re-supply is for the RTX 5090. OCUK notes that the RTX 5090 is sold out, and pre-orders have ceased. The ETA schedule ranges between 2-14 weeks, which is almost 100 days of waiting for RTX 5090 in the UK.

We previously reported that NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5070 and RTX 5060 have faced some production issues with NVIDIA working on it to push out new stock in the coming weeks. However, the situation is not exclusive to these upcoming GPUs, as the stock of the current GPUs is getting grabbed by each minute. OCUK also noted that: "If you have purchased any RTX 50 series GPU but not yet received a dispatch confirmation email, your order is now in a pre-order queue and we are working with our supply chain to fulfil within the ETAs above, or sooner if possible. As always, anyone who does not wish to wait is welcome to cancel for a full refund."

Three weeks after the launch of its GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 "Blackwell" GPUs, NVIDIA has introduced a "Verified Priority Access" scheme for North American customers. Approximately eighteen hours ago, the Tim@NVIDIA account posted an announcement on the company's official GeForce discussion forum: "we know it's challenging to purchase a GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics card...It will give a limited number of verified GeForce gamers & creators in the United States the opportunity to purchase one GeForce RTX 5090 or RTX 5080 Founders Edition graphics card from the NVIDIA Marketplace." Team Green graphics card enthusiasts have experienced less than ideal buying conditions since the end of January (2025)—Jensen & Co. have likely absorbed a massive dose of feedback and reacting accordingly, but many pundits will question the relatively late rollout of an anti-scalping system.

A previous iteration of NVIDIA's "Verified Priority Access" program was tested soon after the launch of GeForce RTX 40-series "Ada Lovelace" GPUs. Founders Edition cards are (normally) offered at baseline MSRP, but scalpers have swiftly depleted initial stock allocations. Team Green's revived program presents some strict conditions: "users who have an NVIDIA Account created on or before January 30th, 2025 at 6AM Pacific Time can submit their interest for Verified Priority Access through this form. If selected, users will be notified at the email address of the NVIDIA account they enrolled with. Invites will begin rolling out next week." The Team Green staffer stated that the scheme is—"at this time"—limited to GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 Founders Edition cards. It should be noted that the just launched GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU will not arrive in Founders Edition form; potential buyers will have to navigate a jagged landscape of AIB custom designs.

GIGABYTE, the world's leading computer brand, announced the GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards powered by NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, including the GeForce RTX 5090, RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, which are now available, while the RTX 5070 will be available on March 5th. With cutting-edge cooling innovations and AI-powered performance enhancements, GIGABYTE delivers superior thermal efficiency and optimized airflow for an elevated gaming experience. By integrating an innovative fan design and advanced thermal interface materials, these new graphics cards ensure long-lasting durability and top-tier performance for enthusiasts, gamers, and AI computing professionals alike.

GIGABYTE offers GeForce RTX 50 air-cooled and water-cooled variants, ensuring a solution for every gaming setup. Both variants are applied with server-grade thermal conductive gel for better heat dissipation efficiency without shifting for long-term usage. The AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE series provides enthusiasts with high-performance liquid cooling, available in all-in-one (AIO) liquid cooling and water block configuration, while AIO solution is applied with liquid metal thermal grease to enhance heat dissipation. Meanwhile, air-cooled models incorporate advanced thermal technologies, featuring composite metal grease, the new Hawk Fan design which results in up to a 53.6% increase in air pressure and a 12.5% increase in air volume without compromising acoustics. Additionally, the AORUS RTX 5090 MASTER integrates superconducting heat pipes, while the AORUS RTX 5080 above MASTER models come with Screen Cooling Plus for superior airflow and cooling balance.

Alphacool International GmbH, based in Braunschweig, has been a pioneer in PC water cooling technology for over 20 years. With one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in the industry and over 20 years of experience, Alphacool is now expanding its portfolio with the new Core graphics card water coolers for the Palit GeForce RTX 5080/5070Ti GamingPro (OC).

The GPU water coolers have been completely redesigned. Precise adjustments to the spacing between the cooler and the PCB, along with optimized water flow simulations and extensive practical testing, have resulted in significant improvements to the cooler base and jetplate. These enhancements ensure maximum cooling performance for the newest NVIDIA GeForce RTX generation.

As reported almost a year ago, EMTEK graphics cards do not make regular appearances via Western reportage. The South Korean manufacturer has prepared its debut NVIDIA "Blackwell" GeForce RTX 50-series desktop product; as spotted by VideoCardz. The brand new EMTEK GeForce RTX 5080 MIRACLE WHITE D7 16 GB model has appeared online via Danawa's online price comparison engine. The lowest price comes in at 2,656,000 KRW (~$1841 USD), so there is clear evidence of major price hiking activities going on in South Korea. One store is offering EMTEK's cutting-edge white custom model for a cool 4,000,000 KRW (~$2773 USD).

EMTEK's GeForce RTX 5080 MIRACLE WHITE D7 16 GB graphics card conforms to Team Green's reference specifications; making the higher than expected entry fee even more painful to bear. We hope that prices level-off to reasonable lines in the near future. This snow-white custom design seemingly carries a couple of premium features; namely translucent ARGB-lit fans in a triple-formation. This integrated "dynamic lighting" system can be controlled through Windows 11 (via a USB-C connection), rather than proprietary software. VideoCardz reports that the South Korean graphics producer is not known to release its own RGB control suite. A cutaway render shows a very robust cooling solution that houses eight 6 mm heat pipes. Unfortunately, the PCB's shape is not as radical as the one found in an Ada Lovelace-based sibling. Judging from the internal promo shots, EMTEK has missed another opportunity to bung in a white board design, and attach similarly pale parts. Many NVIDIA AIBs should spend more time copying GALAX, Yeston, and PowerColor's (AMD-powered) homework—the latter's Spectral White Editions usually nail the almost all-white aesthetic.

Thanks to some early 3D Mark benchmarks obtained by VideoCardz, NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU paints an interesting picture of performance gains over the predecessor. Testing conducted with AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor and 48 GB of DDR5-6000 memory has provided the first glimpse into the card's capabilities. The new GPU demonstrates a 16.6% performance improvement over its predecessor, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER. However, benchmark data shows it is falling short of the more expensive RTX 5080 by 13.2%, raising questions about the price-to-performance ratio given the $250 price difference between the two cards. Priced at $749 MSRP, the RTX 5070 Ti could be even pricier in retail channels at launch, especially with limited availability. The card's positioning becomes particularly interesting compared to the RTX 5080's $999 price point, which commands a 33% premium for its additional performance capabilities.

As a reminder, the RTX 5070 Ti boasts 8,960 CUDA cores, 280 texture units, 70 RT cores for ray tracing, and 280 tensor cores for AI computations, all supported by 16 GB of GDDR7 memory running at 28 Gbps effective speed across a 256-bit bus interface, resulting in an 896 GB/s bandwidth. We have to wait for proper reviews for the final performance conclusion, as synthetic benchmarks tell only part of the story. Modern gaming demands consideration of advanced features such as ray tracing and upscaling technologies, which can significantly impact real-world performance. The true test will come from comprehensive gaming benchmarks tested over various cases. The gaming community won't have to wait long for detailed analysis, as official reviews will be reportedly released in just a few days. Additional evaluations of non-MSRP versions should follow on February 20, the card's launch date.

It would be safe to state that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 launch was anything but ideal. Gamers had to deal with whacky NVIDIA marketing material with absurd performance claims, followed by disappointing generational improvement for the RTX 5080, only to be left dealing with abysmal supply leading to obscene shortages and scalper-induced price inflation. However, it does seem like things are about to take a positive turn - NVIDIA is rumored to have ramped up production for its GB202 GPU, which the RTX 5090 is based on, according to a reliable source.

Spotted by VideoCardz, MEGAsizeGPU has claimed that the supply for the GeForce RTX 5090 GPU will soon be "stupidly high", which is absolute music to our ears. In a reply thread, the source further claimed that at least one AIB partner already has "tons of cards", which sure does paint a promising picture for the future. As such, the source expects that the supply will reach customers in about a month, which is to be expected since production has been cranked only recently. Apparently, demand for the GB200 GPU has been lower than usual, forcing NVIDIA to switch to producing GeForce GPUs instead. Of course, the margins for the gaming GPUs are lower, but the production capacity has to go somewhere.

EK, the premium liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is proud to introduce EK-Quantum Vector³, our latest line of high-performance water blocks designed to provide the ultimate liquid cooling solution for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 & RTX 5080 Series GPUs. Unmatched performance and cooling efficiency—the EK-Quantum Vector³ RTX 5090 & RTX 5080 water blocks deliver high-performance liquid cooling, premium aesthetics, and precision engineering, ensuring ultra-low temperatures and maximum performance.

Next-Gen Cooling for NVIDIA RTX 50 Series GPUs
The EK-Quantum Vector³ RTX 5090 & RTX 5080 water blocks maximize cooling efficiency with an improved structure, expanded fin array, and optimized coolant flow paths. These blocks actively cool the GPU core, VRAM, and power stages while passively cooling PCB hotspots through a custom backplate—ensuring optimal performance.

More than 700 games and applications feature RTX technologies, and each week new games integrating NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, and advanced ray-traced effects are released or announced, delivering the definitive PC experience for GeForce RTX players. Star Wars Outlaws' latest update is out now, adding DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation, an upgraded DLSS Frame Generation model for improved performance and reduced VRAM usage, and the new DLSS transformer AI model for DLSS Super Resolution, DLSS Ray Reconstruction, and DLAA, further enhancing your PC experience.

Later today, Avowed launches with DLSS, Reflex, and ray tracing, and by using NVIDIA app's new DLSS 4 overrides, you can further enhance your experience in Avowed by adding DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation, and new and improved AI models that upgrade DLSS Super Resolution, DLAA, and DLSS Frame Generation. A new DLSS Frame Generation, Reflex, and ray tracing update for the popular Wuthering Waves launches today, too. And next week, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle introduces DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation and DLSS Ray Reconstruction, updates DLSS Super Resolution and DLAA to use our new transformer-based AI model, and adds fully ray-traced shadows from all light sources.

A recently surfaced Geekbench OpenCL listing has revealed the performance improvements that the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is likely to bring to the table, and the numbers sure look promising - that is, coming from the disappointment of the GeForce RTX 5080, which manages roughly 260,000 points in the benchmark, portraying a paltry 8% improvement over its predecessor. The GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, however, managed an impressive 248,000 points, putting it a substantial 20% ahead of the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti. Hilariously enough, the RTX 5080 is merely 4% ahead, making the situation even worse for the somewhat contentious GPU. NVIDIA has claimed similar performance improvements in its marketing material, which does seem quiet plausible.

Of course, an OpenCL benchmark is hardly representative of real-world gaming performance. That being said, there is no denying that raw benchmarks will certainly help buyers temper expectations and make decisions. Previous leaks and speculations have hinted at a roughly 10% improvement over its predecessor in raster performance and up to 15% improvements in ray tracing performance, although the OpenCL listing does indicate the RTX 5070 ti might be capable of a larger generational jump, neck-and-neck with NVIDIA's claims. For those in need of a refresher, the RTX 5070 Ti boasts 8960 CUDA cores paired with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus. Like its siblings, the RTX 5070 is also rumored to face "extremely limited" supply at launch. With its official launch less than a week away, we won't have much waiting to do to find out for ourselves.

MODDIY has swiftly updated its Help Center site with new guidelines, following recent reports of one of its older 12VHPWR cable designs having a high temperature disagreement with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition card and ASUS ROG Loki SFX-L power supply unit. The company's newest batch of (2025) 12V-2X6 and 12VHPWR are manufactured with the latest specifications and standards in mind, thus given the all-clear for utilization with NVIDIA's recently introduced GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards. Any products from the 2024 production cycle (and before) are deemed safe to use with the GeForce RTX 40-series, but not "officially" valid for anything newer.

The company's renewed guidelines state: "as of 2025, the industry standard has transitioned to 12V-2X6, replacing the previous 12VHPWR standard. Our new cables incorporate significant advancements, including enhanced terminal and connector housing materials, along with thicker wires, to provide an additional safety buffer for the latest GPUs. At MODDIY, all 12VHPWR / 12V-2X6 cables purchased from 2025 onward are manufactured in accordance with the new 12V-2X6 specifications and standards, ensuring compatibility and optimal performance with the RTX50 series GPUs. Prior to 2024, the RTX50 series GPUs had not yet been introduced, and the prevailing standard was 12VHPWR. All cables produced before this period were designed and tested for use with the RTX40 series GPUs. We recommend that all users upgrade to the new 12V-2X6 cables to take full advantage of the enhanced safety and performance features offered by this new standard." They believe that their messily-named "ATX 3.1 PCIe 5.1 H++ 12V-2X6 675 W 12VHPWR 16 Pin Power Cable" premium custom tailor-made model is the best candidate for Team Green's modern generation of gaming cards.

ASUS has released version one of a BIOS update tool for its ultra-premium air-cooled ROG Astral graphics cards, OC and standard flavors. Yesterday's update advertises an improved "Quiet Mode," that implements a "more silent fan curve." TechPowerUp reviewed the quad-fan configured ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 OC Edition cards late last month. Resident GPU evaluator, W1zzard, awarded the astronomically-priced flagship model with an "Editor's Choice" badge, but simultaneously pinned on a "But Expensive" honor. The lesser (GB203-based) Astral did not receive any accolades. Both models have courted criticism for louder than expected operation; W1zzard did not enjoy listening to the Astral GeForce RTX 5090 OC Edition's collective fan concerto. "Out of the box" settings were not great, and the quiet BIOS mode did not "help much" in reducing the highest-end Astral's cacophony.

TPU's GPU guru elaborated further: "the second BIOS runs a more relaxed fan curve, but it's not much quieter and achieves 36.5 dBA with 70°C. Sure, good temperature, but isn't the point of a 'quiet' BIOS that isn't quiet, even if temperatures are higher? MSI's Suprim lineup does much better noise-wise, with temperatures that aren't that much higher." The ASUS ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC Edition seems to be a less noisy prospect, given that its cooling solution is not dealing with the largest "Blackwell" GPU die. Its sound signature was less offensive, but W1zzard reckoned that there was room for improvement. On this subject he stated: "with the default (performance) BIOS, temperatures are extremely low, but noise levels are a little bit on the high side with 36 dBA. I would have preferred a more balanced setting. Good thing that ASUS includes a secondary quiet BIOS with their card. Now the card runs whisper quiet, emitting only 26 dBA, which is highly impressive for a card in this performance segment. It is not the quietest card though, the MSI Suprim SOC is a tiny bit quieter, and it is so out of the box, without requiring a manual BIOS switch change." ASUS has seemingly absorbed initial feedback from review outlets (plus early adopters)—yesterday's update arrived just under two weeks from launch time. Watch out for possible upcoming reassessments.

The new ASUS ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 designs have attracted a lot of attention, due to an unusual cooling configuration that includes a backplate-mounted fourth fan. At CES 2025, MSI teased onlookers with a placard adorned with a GeForce RTX 32G "Lightning" Special Edition model—featuring a "FiveFrozr" cooling solution. A traditional triple-fan setup is placed in the expected shroud location, but two additional units are integrated into the card's backplate. According to recent reports and early reviews, GIGABYTE has deployed a somewhat related system, albeit entirely optional (depending on user discretion). The Taiwanese manufacturer sent its AORUS RTX 5090 and 5080 MASTER models to market last week. These premium card designs feature the company's new "Screen Cooling Plus" system. CES press material claims that the "extra air-boosting fan" grants more airflow.

GIGABYTE's fourth fan has flown under the radar, but major hardware news outlets have just picked up on initial impressions. Singapore's HardwareZone appreciated the inclusion of an optional extra—with their AORUS RTX 5080 MASTER sample—but criticized GIGABYTE's slightly undercooked implementation. Their reviewer did not evaluate whether the modular part made any difference in terms of reducing temperatures—instead, they opined: "to further improve cooling, the card also comes bundled with a separate 120 mm RGB fan that you can place on the back of the card to pull air out—a design reminiscent of the ROG Astral RTX 5080's built-in cooling solution. It's a practical touch but not an elegant one, as it means having to deal with additional cables to tidy up since—oddly enough—the card itself does not come with a power connector for the extra fan." GLITCHED.online, a South African tech site, took GIGABYTE's AORUS RTX 5080 MASTER ICE card for a test drive—they found that the extra bit of cooling potential made a difference, but it was "almost unnoticeable." We hope that GIGABYTE will send review samples to TPU's W1zzard in the near future. Will the fourth fan make any difference on the AORUS RTX 5090 MASTER model?

The NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti gaming GPU is expected to be available starting February 20, although whether gamers are going to be able to purchase one anytime soon is a different story entirely. That said, a recent listing on an Austrian retailer's website has revealed the pricing details for the MSI RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio card - a cool €1169 (inclusive of 19% VAT), roughly equivalent to $1212. Compared to NVIDIA's official pricing for the RTX 5070 Ti in most parts of the EU, a 33% increase in price can be observed. Of course, the MSI GAMING TRIO is quite a high-end card, but the price delta is quite surprising regardless. Depending on supply, the prices may further inflate, if the events of the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 launch are repeated.

The RTX 5070 Ti is expected to boast 8690 CUDA cores paired with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus. Recent leaks have hinted at very mediocre performance improvements, similar to what we witnessed with the RTX 5080. As of this writing, there seems to be a decent possibility that the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT will beat the RTX 5070 family, not just in raster performance, but also in value. Of course, since NVIDIA is clearly going to fire first, gamers will not have much of a choice before RDNA 4 hits the scene. That said if the RTX 5070 series witnesses similarly atrocious availability at launch as its siblings, a lot of folks will have no option but to wait.

Earlier today, NVIDIA happily declared that: "GeForce RTX 50-series laptop pre-orders start February 25 from OEMs." A March launch window was mentioned during the company's official unveiling of its "Blackwell" GPU architecture at CES 2025. Mobile variants of the GeForce RTX 5090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5070 Ti are expected to ship with laptops next month. GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile-equipped devices are due in April. As reported by VideoCardz, a Finnish retailer's webstore has confirmed the February 25 pre-order start date. The Gigantti.fi site lists several new ASUS ROG Zephyrus and Strix laptops; configured with the latest Intel Core Ultra 200HX or AMD "Strix Point/Fire Range" mobile APUs, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50-series discrete graphics solutions. The most expensive option is listed with a €5499 price point—interested buyers are looking at a spec that includes a 16-inch OLED screen, Core Ultra 9-285H processor, 32 GB LPDDR5X RAM, 1 TB M.2 PCIe SSD, and a GeForce RTX 5090 32 GB mobile GPU. At the time of writing, Gigantti's "cheapest" option is a €2999 ROG Strix 16 model; sporting a Ryzen 9 9955HX APU and GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 12 GB Mobile GPU.

NVIDIA disclosed official MSRPs during last month's CES presentation: $2199 for RTX 5090, $2199 for RTX 5080, $1599 for RTX 5070 Ti, and $1299 for the RTX 5070. Western press outlets have scouted North American online retail outlets. Tom's Hardware observed (ASUS and HP) price ranges starting at $1800. The most expensive offering came in at $4200; an ultra high-end ROG Strix Scar 18 laptop featuring a GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile GPU and an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU. Team Green's upcoming launch partners include Acer, ASUS, Dell, Gigabyte, HP, Lenovo, Mechrevo, MSI and Razer. NVIDIA seems to have extra GeForce RTX 50-series announcements in the pipeline—they recommend that potential buyers: "stay tuned for more details!"

Unlucky owners of problematic GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards have posted feedback across various online community sites. Press outlets started to take notice of these documented issues soon after the launch of NVIDIA's debut wave of "Blackwell" GPUs. PC Gamer has "kept track" of reports relating to black screens and miscellaneous failures—the site published an investigative article late last week, following user feedback "hitting critical mass" across Reddit and Team Green's own forum. A request for comment was sent over to NVIDIA HQ; PC Gamer received a brief response. A company spokesperson confirmed that their team is: "investigating the reported issues with the RTX 50-series."

Several PC hardware community members have documented their troubleshooting experiences—the most common suggestion involves downshifting from a PCIe 5.0 connection to 4.0, on the PEG-16 graphics port. Unfortunately, this step did not resolve black screen issues for certain owners—a member of the buildapc subreddit explored a wide array of troubleshooting channels. They re-installed Windows 11 (23H2), adjusted BIOS settings, experimented with monitor connections, and played around with drivers. Best results were produced by connecting a single monitor to their MSI GeForce RTX 5090 GAMING TRIO OC's DisplayPort, with nothing else hooked up to the other ports (DP and HDMI). They suspect that Team Green's GPU drivers could be the source of frustrations; corroborated by a recent VideoCardz news piece. In addition, the 572.16 driver is reportedly affecting "certain GeForce RTX 40-series." A smaller number of owners have discussed a "bricking" of cards; VideoCardz believes that China-exclusive GeForce RTX 5090D models are suffering the most. Manli will be analyzing a "bricked" unit at its service center, in the near future. Colorful did not reply with a comment on the situation.

MSI has, quite appropriately, introduced new SHADOW 3X graphics card models in a low-key manner. These stealth-black GeForce RTX 5080 and RTX 5070 Ti custom designs have just appeared online via official product pages. We expect to see press material published in the near future, perhaps closer to the launch of NVIDIA's next wave of Blackwell GPUs. MSI's newly discovered product pages place emphasis on the SHADOW 3X's essential features: "a performance-focused design that delivers the gaming experience players want, making it the ideal choice when upgrading or building a gaming rig." VideoCardz believes that the incoming SHADOW 3X cards will be the first to reach Western markets—previous-gen models have released as Chinese regional exclusives. The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16G SHADOW 3X overclocked (OC) and non-OC SKUs appear to re-use MSI's familiar VENTUS 3X design, just tinted many shades darker.

The new SHADOW 3X cards seem to utilize a fresh design, with no recycling from a similarly appointed sibling product family. MSI's latest barebones/essential tier brings a minimal set of perks: a sizable heatsink, a triple-fan cooling solution, a single 16-pin power connector and a straightforward shroud and backplate aesthetic. SHADOW 3X eschews anything RGB lighting-related. Potential buyers will not be dealing with fancy vapor chambers or liquid cooling systems. MSI will be offering overclocked editions, as well as standard models that conform to NVIDIA reference specifications. TechPowerUp's well-maintained GPU database will be updated with these new additions.

Zotac has come up with a new way to fight graphics card scalping by starting a "Priority Access Campaign" on their Discord server, with a Zotac employee named Bryant making the announcement. The plan is simple and has only one main goal: to help regular buyers get a real chance of buying NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 5080 and 5090 models at the right price. These cards have been almost impossible to get because they sell out fast and end up on resale sites at high prices. Zotac says it wants to use its online community to help real gamers, not scalpers.

The process is pretty straightforward, with users being selected based on engagement in discussions and various challenges. Then, using a random number generator, eligible buyers will be selected. The campaign is already active (is limited to users in the U.S.) with special Discord channels to give out RTX 5080 models (currently Zotac has only ten RTX 5080 cards) while the RTX 5090 isn't yet available. The company has insisted on warning scalpers; each card sold via this method will have its serial number recorded, and any user caught trying to resell it at a higher price will be permanently banned from any future Zotac direct sales events or raffles. Zotac isn't the first to try this approach, in the past, companies like Newegg and NVIDIA have used lottery systems or sold directly to customers to avoid scalpers. While there is no guarantee of completely avoiding scalpers, the action is commendable and it is possible that we will see similar actions from other brands or retailers in the future.

The NVIDIA RTX 50-series witnessed quite a contentious launch, to say the least. Hindered by abysmal availability, controversial generational improvement, and whacky marketing tactics by Team Green, it would be safe to say a lot of passionate gamers were left utterly disappointed. That said, while the desktop cards have been the talk of the town as of late, the RTX 50 Laptop counterparts are yet to make headlines. Occasional leaks do appear on the interwebs, the latest one of which seems to indicate the 3D Mark Time Spy performance for the RTX 5080 Laptop GPU. And the results are - well, debatable.

We do know that the RTX 5080 Laptop GPU will feature 7680 CUDA cores, a shockingly modest increase over its predecessor. Considering that we did not get a node shrink this time around, the architectural improvements appear to be rather minimal, going by the tests conducted so far. Of course, the biggest boost in performance will likely be afforded by GDDR7 memory, utilizing a 256-bit bus, compared its predecessor's GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. In 3D Mark's Time Spy DX12 test, which is somewhat of an outdated benchmark, the RTX 5080 Laptop managed roughly around 21,900 points. The RTX 4080 Laptop, on an average, rakes in around 18,200 points, putting the RTX 5080 Laptop ahead by almost 19%. The RTX 4090 Laptop is also left behind, by around 5%.

As documented on the Linus Tech Tips (LTT) subreddit, a lucky customer presented their freshly-delivered Founders Edition (FE) GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card model. Newly registered member, EssDee3D, had much to celebrate—having acquired launch stock, presumably at a non-scalped price—but they were confused by their package's contents. A question was pushed out to the LTT community: "can someone explain what happened here? Direct from NVIDIA...I ordered an RTX 5080, and I got a graphics card with 5090 engraved on it. The outer box has the 5080 SKU on it. Wondering if anyone else has seen something like this before?" Unique circumstances—possibly caused by a mix-up during the manufacturing process—have produced an oddball hybrid. EssDee3D proceeded to add this curiosity to their PC build—following an absorption of (very mixed) feedback from other LTT members. Basic diagnostics—performed in a Windows OS environment—revealed that the card in question housed a bog-standard GeForce RTX 5080 GB203-based GPU.

NVIDIA's two Founders Edition shroud designs—for its GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 SKUs—look nigh identical. TechPowerUp's resident graphics card reviewer extraordinaire—W1zzard—captured a handful of comparison shots for usage in his evaluation of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition model. The GeForce RTX 5090 FE's cooling solution—utilizing liquid metal, instead of thermal paste—is more robust when compared to the one present on its step-down sibling—rated for a TDP of 575 W (versus 360 W). Evidently, designed to temper any radiance emitted by Team Green's GB202 GPU. EssDee3D's "chimera" card was placed in the correct packaging; a 5080-labelled paper-fiber box—but the shroud's backside advertises itself as a GeForce RTX 5090 FE. PC hardware news outlets and Redditors are wondering whether additional examples—of jumbled up "Blackwell" GPU Founders Edition parts—will appear online over the next month or two, or three...or more.

The next generation of graphics performance has arrived. We've prepared an all-new series of cards: ROG Astral. Featuring a new, sophisticated design and an outstanding cooling solution, the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5080 are your premium picks for supercharging the performance of your gaming PC. All this new hardware in the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 requires no small amount of power so that it can stretch its legs and run. Your PSU should be capable of at least 1000 W to run this card—more on that later. The circuitry that delivers this power is just as important, and it's one reason why many enthusiasts prefer ROG graphics cards. We've equipped the ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 for premium power delivery with 80-amp MOSFETs that can supply over 35% more headroom than standard designs. A massive 24-phase VRM array for the GPU and a seven-phase VRM for the GDDR7 memory chips distribute the work of supplying power, ensuring rock-solid stability and long-lasting performance. To give you peace of mind that your 16-pin PCIe power connector is seated properly, we provide monitoring through Power Detector+ in the GPU Tweak III app so that you can verify that the connector is fully seated. The app can even tell you exactly which pin is not seated properly, if that ever becomes a concern.

Ada, meet Blackwell
With the GeForce RTX 50 Series, NVIDIA debuts its latest Blackwell architecture. Armed with fifth-gen Tensor cores, new streaming multiprocessors optimized for neural shaders, and fourth-gen Ray Tracing cores built for Mega Geometry, the new graphics cards unlock access to the next generation of graphics technologies. For many gamers, the highlight of the new architecture is DLSS 4. DLSS is a revolutionary suite of neural rendering technologies that uses AI to boost FPS, reduce latency, and improve image quality. The latest breakthrough, DLSS 4, brings new Multi Frame Generation and enhanced Ray Reconstruction and Super Resolution. But there's more. NVIDIA Reflex 2 with Frame Warp provides game-winning responsiveness, and these cards are equipped to give you the best experience with ray-traced graphics yet.

The buying landscape for GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards is looking barren, just one week post-launch—global demand has far outstretched initial supply. Mid-week news points to two of NVIDIA's board partners increasing MSRPs for the top-end Blackwell GPU models, seemingly adding insult to already inflicted injuries. ASUS and MSI's North American online stores are completely devoid of stock—at the time of writing, almost all product entries are accompanied by "notify me" tags. The two hardware manufacturers have implemented comprehensive price hikes—as reported by VideoCardz. The publication pinpointed flagship models, as prime examples. The liquid-cooled ASUS ROG Astral LC RTX 5090 OC Edition 32 GB model was already a pricey prospect at launch ($3099), but the official store has tacked on another $311. A total charge of $3410 gets you one of the nicest and feature-rich card designs on the market, but you will be paying a premium of $1411—above Team Green's official GeForce RTX 5090 MSRP of $1999—for the privilege of ownership and/or bragging rights. Further down in the product stack—TechSpot noted that a Prime GeForce RTX 5080 (non-OC) 16 GB model has jumped from an original figure of $999, up to $1,264. At the time of writing, this price has been re-adjusted back down to just below $1000—thanks to a special "deal." The overclocked Prime variant is currently priced at $1320.

Looking at the MSI US store, VideoCardz reported on all GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 cards being priced north of original MSRPs—they highlighted a lowly not-overclocked RTX 5080 16G VENTUS 3X model having its price adjusted upwards—now $1140, instead of the original $1000 (at launch). MSI's "cheapest" RTX 5090 card is another VENTUS 3X design—this non-OC model is now $380 more expensive than last week's asking price ($2000). Overall, MSI's US webshop has raised prices in the ranges of $140 to $500 for GeForce RTX 5080 cards, and $380 to $790 for RTX 5090 offering—according to VideoCardz research. The company's RTX 5090 SUPRIM LIQUID SOC flagship design is not quite expensive as the equivalently appointed ASUS liquid-cooled model, but the newly adjusted MSRP of $2790 is difficult to digest. Press outlets have noted that listings on Newegg are up to $40 more expensive, when compared to the prices published on MSI's first-party store. As an added incentive, the MSI North American store is offering potential buyers a saving of: "$200 on MPG 322URX QD-OLED at checkout with RTX 5080/5090 series purchase."

Late last month, NVIDIA claimed that 16-pin power connector issues were a thing of the past. The controversial 12VHPWR connection standard has fueled many online debates—prompting investigations from several prominent press outlets. Following NVIDIA's latest "safety" declaration—likely by coincidence—PCM Hong Kong reported another melting incident, affecting two cables and a power supply unit. The publication's hardware reviewer was recently engaged in the "full-load" testing of GeForce RTX 5090D and RTX 5080 graphics cards. Last week's evaluation session was interrupted by notable test system instabilities—upon downing tools, the PCM staffer discovered that their 1200 W PSU had given up the ghost. Additionally, two 16-pin cables had melted at both ends—initial detective work pointed to a GeForce RTX 4090 sample card being the main culprit.

VideoCardz and UNIKO's Hardware kept close tabs on PCM's next steps—online interactions, over the past weekend, spurred a re-evaluation of circumstances. According to PCM's latest update, they noticed burn marks on the GeForce RTX 4090 test unit—the two GeForce RTX-50-series cards did not exhibit any physical damage. Post-analysis, the reviewer now suspects that an SSD failure could be the root cause. They were happy to report that all involved RTX cards have survived, and that their test platform has been re-equipped with 12V-2x6 cables. An amended VideoCardz article proposes that everything came down to a simple human error.

Manli Technology Group Limited is proud to announce the Manli GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card. Gear up for game-changing experiences with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 and AI-powered DLSS 4. Built with NVIDIA Blackwell and equipped with blistering-fast GDDR7 memory, it lets you run the most graphically demanding games and creative applications with stunning fidelity and performance. With NVIDIA Studio you can bring your creative projects to life faster than ever.

Manli Design
There are 10,752 CUDA cores onboard powering the RTX 5080. It also has 16 GB of memory, and GDDR7 memory speeds of up to 30 Gbps, with 5th Gen Tensor Cores, AI TOPS 1801.