Conclusion
This has been our little re-rest, or re-fresh of the GeForce RTX 5090 performance in 2026, with some new games and new fresh data. With this factory-overclocked GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 GAMING OC 32G, we were able to compare it with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition and truly see what a factory overclock provides for gaming performance over a Founders Edition. The real question we had was: was there still gas left in the tank with the GeForce RTX 5090, or was the Founders Edition maxing it out?
We also wanted to see what some newer games looked like on the GeForce RTX 5090 and see what kind of gaming performance the GeForce RTX 5090 provides in them now. We focused on the 4K gaming experience with the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 GAMING OC 32G, and used both DLSS Upscaling, Ray Tracing, and Path Tracing where possible.
We even threw in a Radeon RX 9070 XT, not just for the LOLs, but also to see what the GeForce RTX 5090 does actually provide over the Radeon RX 9070 XT (AMD’s fastest) in 2026 now. Therefore, it’s a bit of a refresher for both video cards, because we can also evaluate the Radeon RX 9070 XT performance in these games with more mature drivers.
Performance
The first topic we will cover is how well the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 GAMING OC 32G performed at 4K in most games. There were many games, well, most, where 4K native resolution was playable at the highest game settings, sans Ray Tracing. One game was still very demanding, though: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but with DLSS Quality Upscaling it was very smooth. In Crimson Desert, a very fun, newer game, it performed great at 4K native. We also found that enabling Ray Tracing in games that support it was also playable, but we did need to have DLSS Quality Upscaling enabled to make that possible in most games. Path Tracing is the hard one; it is playable, technically, but can be very demanding, and you may want to increase the aggressiveness of DLSS.
Next, the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 GAMING OC 32G was faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition, to varying degrees. It did depend on the game and the game settings. We saw up to 6-7% performance advantages over the GeForce RTX 5090 FE in gaming performance. But there were a few games where it was a much smaller 2-4% advantage. Still, in the more demanding scenarios, that extra little 5-6% did help with gameplay and made the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 GAMING OC 32G feel a bit smoother. So yes, the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 GAMING OC 32G is faster, not by a lot, but could potentially make a difference in a tight spot. AT the very least, you get this faster performance out of the box, already overclocked, so you don’t have to tweak a thing. You can rest assured you’re getting maximum GeForce RTX 5090 GPU performance.
When we compare the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 GAMING OC 32G to the Radeon RX 9070 XT, well, they are most certainly not in the same class in performance or pricing, and that is well known. What we can see here is what kind of performance advantage you’ll get over the Radeon RX 9070 XT. The average was around an 80% advantage with the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 GAMING OC 32G over a Radeon RX 9070 XT. However, it can at times be many times greater, depending on the game and game settings. We saw some crazy high percentages, especially when Ray Tracing was used, or in games with built-in RT. The Radeon RX 9070 XT struggled a lot at 4K native resolution in most games at the highest settings. It looks like if you want a 4K experience on the Radeon RX 9070 XT, you will have to enable FSR 4 Quality Upscaling to get there, and in some cases even more aggressive FSR. When enabling Ray Tracing, it is mostly a miss, except in some older titles. The GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 GAMING OC 32G allows a completely different class of performance.
Final Points
The GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 GAMING OC 32G is a robust and very LARGE, video card from GIGABYTE. It is hefty and takes up a lot of space. However, that factory overclock gives you maximum GeForce RTX 5090 GPU performance out of the box, beating a Founders Edition in gaming performance, so you know you are getting the most you can for the money. We also found that the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 GAMING OC 32G cools very well. The GPU temps were better than the Founders Edition, and the memory temperatures were a LOT better! Therefore, the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 GAMING OC 32G improves upon the cooling. The cost is a much larger video card, however. The GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 GAMING OC 32G also outputs a lot of heat into your case; make sure to have a well-ventilated and cooled case for this beast. The GIGABYTE RGB Halo looks pretty darn cool, IMO.
At the end of the day, as we said in the Intro, the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 GAMING OC 32G is not a good value for the money in today’s market. However, it does provide the fastest and best gaming experience money can buy. You buy this video card knowing that you aren’t getting a good monetary value, but rather the value is shifted toward the act of having the best gaming experience. If that is of a more important value to you, then you are making that conscious decision to spend this much money on a graphics card. Just be aware of those facts, and we hope this review can help you better evaluate if a GeForce RTX 5090 (overclocked or otherwise) is the best fit for you, or if the Radeon RX 9070 XT is enough.
Discussion (10 replies)
Join Discussion →This price is just too high. The current price retail is now exceeding the scalper prices at release-time...... I thought I paid way too much for mine, which now feels like a bargain. The current situation has just put these video cards out of reach......and this card is at Gigabytes low end of 5090s......ouch.
I've got the lowly MSI Ventus 3X OC, but I only paid $2,600 for it around launch. I had to buy it as part of an MSI bundle to do it, but I still got the card for what was about MSRP at the time. The prices of 5090's (and most everything else) now is utterly insane. I make good money at my job, but I wouldn't be able to justify a top end gaming build right now.
Your at ******* Alienware and Falcon Northwest pricing a few years ago just to DIY a top end PC build now.
Finally!
It is indeed a good card, but I'm having power issues. I set a PL at 80% so I don't damage anything.
I bought a Wireview pro II to measure the amps on each pin and pin 3 always reads low while pin 6 will read high, even higher than 10a which causes the WVP2 to cut the power.
I'm using the stock cable that came with the card plus 4x 6+2 PICe cables (straight cables, none have two plugs). My PSU didn't come with a native 12VHPRW cable.
So I'm looking for advice on a quality cable I can buy or maybe I should just buy a new PSU. It's a Seasonic Platinum 1300W.
Nice to see tje new round of testing done. :)
You should check and see if a 12 pin cable is available for your unit. Cablemods makes some if I recall correctly, but a lot of PSU manufacturers started making them as well. That said, depending on how old your unit is, I'd go ahead and replace it. The fact is, transient response for the high end video cards tends to damage some older PSU's over time. Granted, the 3090 is the king of doing that, but the 4090 and 5090 aren't slouches for it either.
Getting a newer high quality PSU with the proper connector is NEVER a bad idea.
I agree. I do need to replace it. Speaking of the 3090, that's what I had in this system originally.
Since my favorite PSU reviewer hasn't done any PSU reviews in a while I don't know what to buy honestly.
I was using a CORSAIR HX1200i (2025) power supply I purchased last December, so it's rather new. I used the native 16-pin cable with it. I didn't have any issues, but I do not have a Wireview, so I couldn't see per-pin Voltages. That uneven Voltage across the pins is the common issue with RTX 5090s, so I am not surprised, and that is what can cause them to burn up. I would highly suggest a high-quality power supply from a good manufacturer. I would hate to spend that much money on a 5090 and risk it. My suggestion: go with the PSU upgrade.
Does this GB card suffer from the same TIM gel slippage some of their other 5090's suffer from, and the over application of of TIM?
My MSI card thus far feels solid, but I am using an Lan Li edge 1300 watt platinum power supple with special PSU ports and cables for the 5090 and like cards I am running and so far knock on wood it's been a beast. And I loved working with the edge power supply as well. bonus the new editions have a detachable USB 2 header splitter/bank you can use to get more USB2 header ports in your system. (Mine is integrated.)
I intend to water cool this thing, but it'll be a while before I get around to doing it. Probably a month+ as I will be working 30 days straight starting tomorrow out of town.
Ordered this PSU.