Whether or not you call this a win depends on your refresh rate. People with 4K monitors with 60-Hz refresh will probably be happy with most of this, but I imagine some people with 120-Hz displays will need to tweak the settings to consistently stay above 100 fps. . It certainly feels like true 4K gaming at the highest end is still unattainable with current hardware, even without the help of tech like frame generation that side-steps the issue.

My primary gaming monitor is a 1440p ultrawide with a 120-Hz refresh rate, and I know many of my friends are going in the same direction. It’s easier to achieve consistent high frame rates, but it’s also a cinematic experience, on a display, that can easily handle two windows for nongaming work.

Chart screenshot courtesy of Brad Bourque

It’s safe to expect 90- to 120-fps performance in most games at this resolution, which is good news for gamers looking to max out their current monitor. Single player, cinematic-heavy games like Cyberpunk 2022 and Star Wars Outlaws is still in the cutting edge of graphical fidelity, so I shouldn’t be disappointed that they have a little room to grow, especially if they already look good. Online games and shooters like Marvel Rivals run smoothly without much assistance, and more importantly with consistent frame rates in games.

Is It Worth It to You?

Anyone considering the RTX 5090, Founders Edition or otherwise, should consider their budget first. The FE version of the card will set you back $2,000 if you buy it directly from Nvidia, and partner cards with overclocking and liquid cooling are likely to cost even more. You’ll also need to spend around $1,000 for a monitor that really takes advantage of your newfound graphics power, and maybe a new 1,000-watt or 1,200-watt GPU. That means you could be looking at a $3,500 bill before you have any other features, and regardless of performance, I’m having a hard time imagining. start any construction like that.

Photo: Brad Bourque

The RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 will hit the market at the end of January, with more budget-friendly cards coming soon. Without time with the other RTX 50 Series cards, I can’t speak to their relative performance, but I do know that their price tags are very attractive. I expect these cards to support multiframe generation out of the box, and that’s awesome news if you want to sit back and see smooth gameplay.

The previous Founders Edition releases didn’t last long in stock, so you’ll have to wake up early on the 30th to get one if you want one. The whole situation makes the RTX 5090 feel less like the top end of the 50 Series, and more like a showpiece.

This is the GPU I would configure while dreaming up a new rig, not the first part I would choose in a realistic build of PCPartPicker. If the price tag doesn’t give you a moment of pause, then by all means, enjoy your new GPU. For everyone else, I’d wait and see what the rest of the new GPUs look like before you jump.