Recent leaks have unveiled exciting developments in Nvidia's upcoming flagship GPU lineup, with engineering prototypes and benchmark results suggesting significantly more powerful variants of the RTX 5090 than previously announced. These revelations come at a crucial time as the gaming community eagerly awaits the official release of Nvidia's next-generation graphics cards.
Engineering Prototype Specifications
A leaked engineering board featuring the fully unlocked GB202 chip has emerged with impressive specifications. The prototype boasts 24,576 CUDA cores, marking a 13% increase over the announced RTX 5090's 21,760 cores. This engineering sample also implements faster 32 Gbps GDDR7 memory, pushing the memory bandwidth to 2,048 GB/s, compared to the retail version's 28 Gbps memory with 1,792 GB/s bandwidth. The board carries a substantial 800W power rating, suggesting aggressive clock speeds comparable to the retail RTX 5090.
| Specification | RTX 5090 (Retail) | RTX 5090 (Prototype) | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| CUDA Cores | 21,760 | 24,576 | +13% |
| Memory Speed | 28 Gbps | 32 Gbps | +14.3% |
| Memory Bandwidth | 1,792 GB/s | 2,048 GB/s | +14.3% |
Benchmark Performance Revelations
Recent 3DMark benchmark leaks have shown remarkable performance gains over the previous generation. The prototype demonstrates up to 53% improvement over the RTX 4090 in certain tests, particularly in DirectX 12 benchmarks. Ray tracing performance shows a 41.7% increase in Port Royal and Speed Way tests, significantly exceeding Nvidia's official claims of 30% improvement. Non-ray traced DirectX 12 benchmarks display an average 39% performance boost, while DirectX 11 tests show a solid 36% improvement.
| Benchmark Type | Performance Gain vs RTX 4090 |
|---|---|
| DirectX 12 (Steel Nomad) | Up to 53% |
| Ray Tracing (Port Royal/Speed Way) | ~41.7% |
| DirectX 11 (Fire Strike) | ~36% |
Market Positioning and Implications
These leaks suggest Nvidia might be holding back the full potential of their GB202 chip, possibly reserving it for a future RTX 5090 Ti or Titan model. With AMD not competing in the ultra-high-end segment with RDNA 4, Nvidia has the luxury of strategic product positioning. The USD $2,000 price tag of the current RTX 5090 already positions it as a premium product, and a fully unlocked variant would likely command an even higher premium.
Supply and Availability Concerns
Industry sources hint at potential supply constraints for the RTX 5090 series. The existence of more powerful engineering samples raises questions about Nvidia's production strategy and whether these enhanced specifications might materialize in future retail products. The company's track record with the RTX 4090 Ti, which never made it to market despite confirmed prototypes, adds uncertainty to the situation.