Hi-Tech

NVIDIA RTX 5090 VS. Other RTX 50 Series: What’s the Difference?

“This isn’t just an upgrade—it’s a revolution.” That’s how many gamers and professionals are describing the NVIDIA RTX 50 series, headlined by the formidable RTX 5090.

With jaw-dropping specs, a leap in AI-assisted performance, and next-gen ray tracing capabilities, the RTX 5090 is more than just a graphics card—it’s a statement.

But how does it really compare to its younger siblings, the RTX 5080 and RTX 5070? Are the generational improvements worth your hard-earned cash? In this blog, we’ll give you the most detailed review yet—cutting through specs, real-world performance, pricing, and who each GPU is really for.

1. Introduction: The Blackwell Leap

NVIDIA’s Blackwell architecture, named after mathematician David Blackwell, introduces major leaps in rendering, compute performance, and AI acceleration. Built on a refined TSMC 3nm process, these GPUs are designed not only for gaming but also for the AI-driven future of graphics.

“With Blackwell, we’ve reimagined the GPU from the silicon up,” said Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, during GTC 2024.

This new generation supports DLSS 4.0, 3rd-gen ray tracing cores, and double the performance-per-watt compared to the Ada Lovelace (RTX 40) series.

2. NVIDIA RTX 5090: The Flagship Review

Quick Specs:

- CUDA Cores: 21,760

- VRAM: 32GB GDDR7

- Base Clock: 2.5 GHz (boosts to 2.9+ GHz)

- Memory Bandwidth: 1.8 TB/s

- TDP: 575W

- MSRP: $1,999

Design & Build

The RTX 5090 sports a triple-slot cooler, an all-metal shroud, and vapor chamber cooling. It’s massive—nearly 14 inches long—but that bulk is necessary to tame the power it brings.

Gaming Performance

4K Gaming (Ultra Settings, No DLSS)

- Cyberpunk 2077: 94 FPS

- Flight Simulator 2024: 102 FPS

- The Witcher 3 (RT Overdrive): 118 FPS

With DLSS 4, frame rates jump by 70–100% thanks to improved frame generation and AI-based rendering.

8K Gaming

- One of the few cards to truly handle 8K gaming with playable frame rates (~60 FPS) in modern titles when DLSS is enabled.

AI & Creative Workloads

Thanks to its Dual-Stream Tensor Engines, the RTX 5090 shreds through tasks like 4K video editing, 3D rendering, and AI inference. Blender, DaVinci Resolve, and Stable Diffusion run significantly faster—up to 2.4x faster than on the RTX 4090.

3. NVIDIA RTX 5080: The Balanced Performer

Quick Specs:

- CUDA Cores: 10,752

- VRAM: 16GB GDDR7

- Memory Bandwidth: 896 GB/s

- TDP: 350W

- MSRP: $999

Performance Overview

The RTX 5080 is perfect for enthusiast gamers and prosumers who want RTX 4090-level power without the same price tag.

1440p & 4K Gaming:

- Cyberpunk 2077 (4K Ultra): 77 FPS (104 FPS with DLSS 4)

- Call of Duty MW3 (1440p): 215 FPS

- Baldur’s Gate 3: 145 FPS

This card has nearly 80% of RTX 5090’s real-world gaming performance at half the price, making it one of the most efficient cards NVIDIA has ever released.

4. NVIDIA RTX 5070: The People’s GPU?

Quick Specs:

- CUDA Cores: 6,144

- VRAM: 12GB GDDR7

- Memory Bandwidth: 672 GB/s

- TDP: 250W

- MSRP: $549

Why It Matters

The RTX 5070 brings Blackwell architecture to the masses. While not as powerful as its bigger brothers, it delivers phenomenal 1440p and acceptable 4K performance.

1440p Gaming:

- Apex Legends: 240 FPS

- Elden Ring: 118 FPS

- Forza Horizon 5: 135 FPS

“The 5070 isn’t flashy—but it’s the perfect mix of power and efficiency for 99% of gamers.” — PC Gamer

5. Feature-by-Feature Breakdown

Feature	RTX 5090	RTX 5080	RTX 5070
CUDA Cores	21,760	10,752	6,144
VRAM	32GB GDDR7	16GB GDDR7	12GB GDDR7
Memory Bandwidth	1.8 TB/s	896 GB/s	672 GB/s
DLSS Version	DLSS 4.0	DLSS 4.0	DLSS 4.0
MSRP	$1,999	$999	$549

6. Benchmark Comparison (Real-World FPS)

Game (4K Ultra)	RTX 5090	RTX 5080	RTX 5070
Cyberpunk 2077	94 FPS	77 FPS	46 FPS
Microsoft Flight Sim	102 FPS	86 FPS	58 FPS
Red Dead Redemption 2	140 FPS	112 FPS	80 FPS

7. DLSS 4.0: AI That Changes the Game

DLSS 4 introduces:

- Frame Multiplication: Generates 2-3 additional frames using AI per rendered frame

- Optical Flow Enhancer: Better motion clarity

- Ray Reconstruction 2.0: Sharper, more realistic lighting

RTX 5090 users can see 100–130% performance boosts with DLSS 4 turned on.

8. Power & Cooling

All three GPUs demand proper case ventilation. The RTX 5090 requires a minimum 1000W PSU, while the 5080 can run on an 850W unit. The 5070 is the most forgiving, needing just 650W.

NVIDIA’s Founders Edition coolers are vastly improved this gen, keeping temps under 70°C under load, even on the 5090.

9. Pricing Breakdown (as of May 2025)

Model	MSRP	Street Price	Best Use Case
RTX 5090	$1,999	$2,100–2,500	4K/8K gaming, AI, content pros
RTX 5080	$999	$1,050–1,200	Enthusiast gaming, 4K/1440p
RTX 5070	$549	$600–700	1440p/entry 4K, budget builds

Conclusion

- Go for the RTX 5090 if you’re a power user who wants the absolute best for gaming, AI, or creative workloads. It’s unmatched but comes at a premium.

- Choose the RTX 5080 if you’re a high-end gamer or creator who wants close-to-flagship power without breaking the bank.

- Grab the RTX 5070 if you’re budget-conscious but still want to enjoy the latest games with high settings at 1440p.

FAQs

Is the RTX 5090 better than the 4090?

Yes, the RTX 5090 is significantly better than the RTX 4090. It delivers up to 50% more performance in gaming, AI workloads, and ray tracing, thanks to its increased CUDA cores (21,760 vs. 16,384), faster GDDR7 memory (1.8 TB/s bandwidth), and DLSS 4 support. It’s also more efficient despite higher power demands.

How strong is the RTX 5090?

The RTX 5090 is currently the most powerful consumer GPU on the market. It can handle 4K and even 8K gaming, complex AI tasks, and professional content creation with ease. Benchmarks show it achieving over 100 FPS in modern AAA games at 4K Ultra settings, and up to 2.4x faster AI inference speeds compared to the RTX 4090.