Ready or not, the Nvidia RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 might show up later this year

The RTX 5090 rumor pyre is burning bright, and the latest whispers suggest the graphics card could show up alongside the RTX 5080 in late 2024. What’s that? You only just picked up a shiny new RTX 4090? Well, by the time winter circles back around, your GPU might not be the best of the best anymore. 

The RTX 5090 will undoubtedly steal the best graphics card crown from the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 when it eventually storms the gates. The idea of it doing so later this year isn’t entirely a surprise either. These latest rumors do sit inline with the green team’s previous release patterns. However, it does feel like it’s been a quick two years since Lovelace entered the fold, and it’s hard to imagine needing a card that can surpass the mighty RTX 4090. 

According to a report by Money UDN (via Videocardz), board partners like Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte have been told to expect the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 “in the fourth quarter.” For context, that could be any time from October to December, which lines up with Nvidia’s RTX 40-series launch back in 2022. Corroborating the report, Kopite7kimi, the same leaker responsible for most insider titbits that end up on the internet, appears to agree. In response to a fan asking when Blackwell GPUs are likely to show up, the insider responds with by saying “at the end of the year.”

As with all rumors, you’ll want to throw a grain of salt into the pot with this RTX 5090 release date nod, and there’s every chance the situation could change as 2024 plays out. Still, the end of the year is shaping up to be potentially busy, as Intel is also apparently planning to unleash a new wave of graphics cards before Black Friday. 

Should you wait for the RTX 5090? 

Look, I get it, the idea of picking up an RTX 4090 only for a more powerful RTX 5090 to come kick it from the throne is harrowing. I mean, if you’re the kind of player who’s into the idea of paying over $1,600 for a GPU, then even the slightest frame rate fluctuation in demanding games will cause distress. That said, we’ve still got a chunk of 2024 left, and holding off on buying effectively means trading away time that could be spent enjoying tremendous 4K performance.

So, why should you wait for the RTX 5090? Well, Nvidia hasn’t officially confirmed anything relating to next gen graphics card capabilities, but I reckon 8K gameplay is going to be a big selling point this time around. At this stage, the green team’s flagship can tackle anything at 4K without sacrificing fancy settings, and we’re potentially at a stage where reaching for higher resolutions is viable. 

Of course, AI upscaling features will also factor into the equation too, and Nvidia will almost certainly pair its next GPU with a new version of DLSS. As for what the new toolkit will actually tackle, only time will tell, but it’ll likely play a huge part in providing the RTX 5090 with an edge over its Lovelace predecessor. 

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