NVIDIA RTX 5090 PCB Leak: GB202 GPU and GDDR7 Memory

According to reports, NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card has been revealed through PCB images posted on the Chiphell forum. These images show the card's significant design upgrades, including a larger Blackwell GB202 GPU compared to the previous generation and the inclusion of abundant GDDR7 memory.

The lack of any NVIDIA branding on the PCB suggests that this may be a third-party AIB reference design. According to Videocardz, markings in the bottom-right corner of the PCB indicate it is based on NVIDIA's PG145 (GB202) board design, with a PNY model. Although the image only displays the unpopulated PCB, the component placement suggests that the GPU will be centrally mounted in a BGA package. Previous reports have indicated that the RTX 5090 will feature the GB202-300 GPU, with 21,760 CUDA cores spread across 170 SMs, and an expected clock frequency nearing 3 GHz.

For a compact PCB of this size, substantial power requirements are expected. The power will likely be supplied via a single 16-pin connector, based on the latest 12V-2x6 standard, capable of delivering up to 600W of power. Third-party manufacturers may introduce overclocked versions with dual connectors to cater to enthusiasts seeking maximum performance. The 12V-2x6 power connector was introduced as an alternative to the controversial 12VHPWR connector, which had caused issues with RTX 40 series GPUs. It is hoped that NVIDIA has taken appropriate measures to avoid similar problems with this generation.

Zooming in further, the PCB is labeled “PNT5090 v1.0” with a serial number "100-10145-DFAA-A02." The RTX 5090 will feature two baseboard designs, PG144 and PG145 SKU30, with the former being used for the Founders Edition card and the latter for the AIB models.

Leaked specifications also indicate that the RTX 5090 will support DisplayPort 2.1a, a major upgrade over the aging DP1.4a standard used by NVIDIA since 2016. This new standard supports full bandwidth UHBR20, nearly tripling the data transfer capacity of its predecessor. This advancement will enable impressive display capabilities, such as 240Hz 8K resolution and even 60Hz 16K resolution with DSC support.

Beyond DisplayPort advancements, the RTX 50 series will also mark NVIDIA's first consumer GPUs to support PCIe 5.0, doubling external bandwidth to 64GT/s. While this improvement may offer minimal benefits for gaming, it is expected to provide advantages for non-gaming tasks, such as AI workloads and multi-GPU setups.

The RTX 5090 is expected to be officially unveiled at CES 2025, likely alongside other members of the RTX 50 series, including the RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070. Industry insiders suggest that the RTX 5080 will debut in mid-January, with the RTX 5090 following closely behind, likely launching in late January or early February.