The latest RTX 5090 doesn't seem as impressive.
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Nvidia's top-tier GPUs offer incredible value for money. There, I’ve put it out there, and I know the backlash is coming—feel free to label me a shill and celebrate my metaphorical demise. However, before you load your weapons and prepare to fire, let me clarify my stance. This isn't just a catchy headline; it's a sincere perspective.
Nvidia, as we all surely know, has launched its new RTX 50 family of graphics cards. And duly the RTX 5090 is an absolute monster, all $2,000 of it. Meanwhile, the rest of the RTX range actually came in cheaper than expected. Surely that makes the '90 series card more irrelevant than ever?
To a certain extent, that's true. How many people can actually shell out $2,000 for a GPU? That's a hefty price tag for a pastime, no matter how much we cherish it. Honestly, when it comes to the 5090, it's safe to say that very few will actually make that purchase in the grand scheme of things.
But hang on. Let's say you'd bought an RTX 4090 at launch just over two years ago. Just to fluff up my argument a bit I'm going to assume you managed to bag one at the $1,600 MSRP. Some people actually did, albeit plenty more had to pay over the odds.
Here we are, more than two years later, and Nvidia has unveiled its latest RTX 50 graphics cards. Stripping away the marketing hype, the RTX 5090 appears to deliver approximately 30% better performance than the RTX 4090. Meanwhile, the RTX 5080 seems to offer performance that is at best on par with the RTX 4090.
I acknowledge that the updated Blackwell architecture might provide the new 5080 with a slight advantage in ray-traced gaming due to enhancements in the RT cores. However, I seriously question whether this will be significant enough for players to notice any real difference during gameplay.
What's more, the RTX 40-series is compatible with the really important bit of the new DLSS 4 suite of features, namely the new transformer-based upscaling. Yes, the 3x frame gen feature has grabbed a lot of headlines. But its benefits are much more ambiguous.
The issue with frame generation is that it tends to be ineffective during crucial moments. In particular, it fails to address latency issues and, in fact, may slightly increase latency, though the impact is quite minimal.
The key takeaway is that significantly increasing the frame rate, for instance, if your initial performance before frame generation is a dismal 15 fps, won't necessarily eliminate the laggy feeling of the game.
People tend to have varying opinions on what constitutes an acceptable minimum frame rate in terms of latency. When it comes to top-tier GPUs, I believe a minimum of 60 fps is essential. With the addition of frame generation technology, you can expect to achieve frame rates exceeding 100 fps.
Incorporating additional frame generation to that 100 fps-plus benchmark will enhance the smoothness of gameplay. However, the improvement is minimal and not a complete game changer. Ultimately, with an RTX 4090 in my setup, I would still require an RTX 5090 for a significant and meaningful upgrade.
And here's the twist. This is probably going to hold true for the entire lifespan of the upcoming RTX 50 series. If we assume it lasts another two years, that means if you purchased an RTX 4090 when it first came out, you can expect to enjoy four years of either the absolute top performer or a close second, both of which are still extremely powerful graphics cards.
Therefore, it's $1,600 for four years of top-tier gaming, averaging out to $400 annually. In comparison, the new RTX 5090 costs $2,000, which breaks down to $500 per year. In my opinion, that's a solid deal.
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As an alternative, let's say you bought an RTX 4070 at launch. That's $600. Two years later, you're much more likely to feel a bit left behind. The 4070 was only a little bit better than the 3070 and it's probably beginning to struggle a bit on some the your favourite new titles.
Consequently, the likelihood of wanting to upgrade your '70 series graphics card with each new generation is significantly increased. However, this means shelling out $600 for the 4070 and $550 for a future 5070 to take its place. Altogether, that adds up to $1,150, which is a more economical choice compared to the $1,600 you would have invested in a 4090. Yet, let's be realistic—you won't achieve anywhere close to the same performance level.
Don't be fooled into believing that the new 5070 you just purchased can compete with the performance of a 4090. Sure, it may showcase impressive figures thanks to its innovative 3x frame generation technology, but that won't resolve the latency issues in certain games where it's already facing challenges. This is particularly true in titles that exceed its 12 GB VRAM capacity, resulting in stuttering or texture dropouts. In such cases, a 24 GB 4090 will easily outperform a 4070.
Your upcoming enhancement
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Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and AMD.
Best gaming motherboard: The right boards.
Best graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher awaits.
Best SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the rest.
Naturally, the main issue with this reasoning lies in the significant initial investment. I wasn't particularly at ease with the $1,600 upfront expense, and the thought of $2,000 makes me even more uneasy. I also recognize that this argument might not be as effective when considering the RTX 5090 in comparison to the 4090.
The 5090 remains built on TSMC N4 technology, and it doesn't represent as significant an improvement over the 4090 as the 4090 did over the 3090. This suggests that the upcoming RTX 6090 might align more closely with expectations for a next-generation leap. It's anticipated that it will utilize at least TSMC N3 silicon, potentially marking a substantial upgrade. This perspective further reinforces the notion that the 4090 was an excellent investment at its release.
I recognize that my argument may not be flawless. The initial investment required is substantial, which can deter a lot of potential buyers right from the start. I acknowledge that concern. However, if you were in a position to purchase a 4090 at its launch price and managed to get it at MSRP, I firmly believe you secured the best value GPU of the previous generation, and it’s likely to continue performing exceptionally for at least a couple more years.