- A new rumor suggests the RTX 5090 will use 600W of power
- Comments in a Chinese forum point toward the new GPU being much louder
- Other reports contradict this, however
Update: We've updated this story to give more context about the source of this latest rumor, while also highlighting other reports and evidence that suggest the RTX 5090 FE is in fact "very, very quiet".
Nvidia's RTX 5090 promises to provide a step up from the previous generation's RTX 4090, but that could come at a significant cost according to new rumors - and you might want to invest in a beefy power supply. However, this rumor is contradicted in some other early leaks and previews - so it looks like we won't get the full picture until reviews for the new flagship GPU land.
As reported by Tomasz Gawronski on X, discussions within Chiphell (a Chinese forum page about the latest PC hardware) suggest that Nvidia's RTX 5090 Founders Edition GPU will use 600W of power while being much louder compared to the 4090. This is based on what appears to be an upcoming review with the embargo set for January 24, with a post translated from Chinese that says "The editor cursed while testing... After all, the power consumption increased, the current increased, and the screaming also increased~".
Considering the pricing of the RTX 5090 ($1,999 / £1,939 / AU$4,039) and the reported 30% performance increase (according to Blender benchmarks highlighted by VideoCardz), this rumor likely won't bode well with anyone intent on upgrading to Team Green's latest flagship GPU. The RTX 4090's power consumption is 450W, and while this is still plenty, the rumored jump to 600W isn't very appealing either.
The Chiphell rumor makes a big deal of the RTX 5090 being a noisy GPU and while there are plenty of legitimate reasons why people are worried about the noise produced by the RTX 5090, due to the built-in fans working hard to keep the powerful components cool, this should also be taken with a huge pinch of salt.
For a start, this is a comment on a Chinese-language website, so translating it, and the context, is difficult. There's also no evidence provided (that we can see) about this claim.
Meanwhile, while we're still waiting for in-depth looks at the RTX 5090's performance - including how noisy it gets - there have been hints that the 'loud RTX 5090' rumors are wrong.
For example, there's a video from CES from the PC Centric channel (that you can view below), which includes an admittedly basic sound test (the presenter literally puts his ear next to the GPU), where the RTX 5090 is running "very, very quiet", which is especially impressive as this is after a decent amount of time running the demanding Cyberpunk 2077 at maximum settings. PC Centric's claim that "for the amount of power and the fact this is a two-slot card, that's ridiculous," flies in the face of the latest rumor, and from the video itself, it does indeed seem like the RTX 5090 FE will be impressively quiet - though of course we'll again have to wait for full reviews, including our own, to really find out just how loud (or not) this monster GPU is.
The mere fact that the RTX 5090 FE has been slimmed down to a dual-slot size, rather than the huge size of the 4090, which was a 3.5 slot behemoth, suggests that Nvidia is in fact pretty bullish about the power requirements and noise of the Founders Edition card.
As mentioned earlier, components, especially powerful GPUs, can run very hot when in use, and this often means the fans kick in to help cool it down - which can end up being distractingly noisy. To combat this, companies will often make their products larger so airflow is better. By making the RTX 5090 FE smaller than the 4090, it feels like Nvidia is confident in the efficiency and quality of the new 'cooling innovations' that it's showcased ahead of launch.
According to Nvidia, the RTX 5090 Founders Edition has been designed with cooling capacity in mind, including improved Liquid Metal thermal interface material (TIM), and a unique three-piece PCB that is designed to maximise cooling without resorting to turning the fans up to max.
So, while some parts of the internet are getting concerned about the rumor from Chiphell, it seems there's plenty of counter evidence out there that should allay some of those fears.
What does this mean in terms of PSU requirements?
When it comes to the power consumption of the new GPU, it's again important to note that this is just a rumor, but if it's legitimate, then RTX 5090 users will certainly have to shell out more than $1,999 / £1,939 / AU$4,039. If you don't already own a 1000W PSU, then you'll more than likely need to invest in one - the recommended PSU requirement for the RTX 5090 is 1000W according to Corsair.
This is especially the case if you've got a high-end CPU equipped, as you'll want to avoid any system malfunctions due to your PSU not wielding enough power. Once reviews arrive, we'll have to measure just how much of a jump the RTX 5000 series flagship GPU is from the previous generation.
If I'm honest, even the RTX 4090 is still overkill for gamers, which will also be true of the RTX 5090 - so if you invest in a new GPU and new PSU, you might have to wait a while to really get the most out of your rig.
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