Nvidia RTX 5090 Anticipation: Leaks Suggest Major Price Hikes and Groundbreaking Specs

The anticipation surrounding Nvidia's next graphics cards is on the rise, fueled by recent leaks hinting at potential specifications and pricing for the upcoming lineup. Although there is no official announcement yet, the murmurs about the next generation are hard to ignore.

According to the latest information shared by prominent insiders, the Nvidia RTX 5090 might sit within a price range of $1,999 to $2,499. The RTX 5080 could start around $1,499. This represents a significant increase compared to the introductory prices of the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080, which were launched at $1,599 and $1,199, respectively. If accurate, this could denote a considerable jump in pricing for Nvidia’s forthcoming graphics cards.

The potential steep cost of the RTX 5090 may be attributed to its high-end specifications. It's rumored to feature a formidable 600W power requirement, boasting 21,760 CUDA cores alongside 32GB of GDDR7 memory operating on a 512-bit bus. If these specs hold true, the RTX 5090 would pioneer the use of GDDR7 memory in consumer graphics, outperforming the GDDR6X memory equipped in the current RTX 4090.

There is still uncertainty regarding the exact release date for the RTX 5090, though it's becoming more likely that Nvidia will unveil its new graphics cards at CES 2024. The event presents a distinctive chance for the organization, particularly considering the keynote by Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, marking a possible debut for a new generation of gaming hardware at this major conference.

Reactions to the rumored pricing also suggest that Nvidia’s premium models have consistently been elevating in cost each cycle. Should the upper end of the suggested price for the RTX 5090 be accurate, it would illustrate nearly a $1,000 increase compared to its predecessor. This hefty price tag, however, comes with expectations of enhanced memory capabilities and advanced performance improvements thanks to architectural upgrades introduced in their latest data center GPUs.

The lower-end graphics cards may face a more complicated situation. In a recent leaker presentation, information hinted that the RTX 5070 could rival the RTX 4070 Ti with a potential price tag of $699 and 12GB of VRAM. This price point is notably $100 above that of the RTX 4070 Super, which also features the same memory capacity.

Ultimately, as Nvidia appears to be positioning the RTX 5090 for a CES reveal instead of the traditional fall rollout, these leaks should be approached cautiously. The next three months could see considerable shifts in expectations, particularly in terms of pricing and specifications.