Quick answerThe RTX 5090 is a generational leap with roughly 30-40% more raster performance and double the VRAM, but it costs nearly twice as much. The 4090 remains a savage value if you can still find one — unless you need the absolute bleeding edge.
MSRP (Founders Edition)
$1,999
$1,599 (launch; street price varies)
Architecture
Blackwell (GB202)
Ada Lovelace (AD102)
VRAM
32 GB GDDR7
24 GB GDDR6X
Memory Bandwidth
~1,792 GB/s
~1,008 GB/s
TDP (Power Draw)
575 W
450 W
DLSS Version
DLSS 4 (Multi Frame Gen)
DLSS 3 (Frame Gen)
PCIe Connector
16-pin (600W adapter included)
16-pin (adapter included)
4K Gaming Performance (relative)
~135-140% of 4090
Baseline (100%)
AI / LLM Local Inference
Excellent — 32 GB fits larger models
Good — 24 GB limits some large models
Card Length
~336 mm (3-slot)
~336 mm (3-slot)
Worth knowing
- The 5090 can generate up to 4 frames per 1 real rendered frame with DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation — your GPU is basically hallucinating most of your game.
- At 575 W TDP, the RTX 5090 draws more power than many gaming PCs did in their entirety just a decade ago.
- The 4090 still beats every other non-5090 GPU on the market in 2025 raster performance — it aged like fine wine.
- The 5090's 32 GB GDDR7 makes it viable for running 70B-parameter quantized AI models locally, something the 4090 struggles with.
- Both cards require a 16-pin power connector; if your PSU is older than 2022, budget for an upgrade alongside either card.
The RTX 5090 consumes so much power that Nvidia recommends an 1000 W PSU — meaning your GPU alone needs more juice than most refrigerators, gaming PCs, and your will to check the electricity bill combined.
If you wantYou want the absolute best gaming and creative performance, money is no object
The 5090's raster gains, DLSS 4 Multi Frame Gen, and 32 GB VRAM make it the undisputed fastest consumer GPU on the planet.
→ Pick Nvidia RTX 5090 If you wantYou want top-tier 4K gaming without paying the 'new toy' tax
The 4090 still maxes out virtually every game at 4K and can be found below MSRP, making it ferociously good value by comparison.
→ Pick Nvidia RTX 4090 If you wantYou run local AI/LLM workloads and need maximum VRAM
32 GB GDDR7 with massive bandwidth lets you load significantly larger models than the 4090's 24 GB ceiling allows.
→ Pick Nvidia RTX 5090 If you wantYour PSU is under 850 W and you don't want to rebuild your whole system
The 4090's 450 W TDP is demanding but manageable; the 5090 at 575 W will force a PSU upgrade on most existing builds.
→ Pick Nvidia RTX 4090 Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.