GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition features a dual-slot design, impressive for a 600W GPU

For those looking forward to discovering more about the next generation of GeForce RTX 50 Series cards, it's been a wild week of leaks from trusted insiders and sources. NVIDIA leaker @kopeite7kimi on X provided detailed specs for the GeForce RTX 5090 and the GeForce RTX 5080, which are expected to get a full reveal and launch early next year.

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After rumors pointing to these new flagship GPU specs getting 'locked in' sometime in September 2024, the probability of this information being true is high. As reported earlier, the GeForce RTX 5090 will be an absolute beast - 21,760 CUDA Cores, 32GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, and a confirmed 600W power draw or rating.

The Blackwell flagship is also built using the GB202-300-A1 chip. On the other hand, the GB203-400-A1 GeForce RTX 5080 will be a little more down-to-earth, with 10,752 CUDA Cores, 16GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, and a 400W power rating.

With the flagship RTX 5090 drawing 600W, there has been much speculation about how it will be cooled and how a single 12V-2x6 power cable would work when it tops out at 600W. With rumors pointing to OC models requiring two 12V-2x6 power cables and new power supplies offering dual 12V-2x6 connectors, it's expected that the GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition will sport a single 12V-2x6 connector and a compact dual-slot cooler.

Okay, that last bit might sound far-fetched, especially when flagship GPUs have gotten larger over the years because more power equals more heat. But this is something @kopeite7kimi has been talking about for a while: a complete redesign of the GeForce RTX 50 Series coolers, at least from NVIDIA's perspective. With that, the GeForce RTX 5090 will be a dual-slot GPU. When asked about the cooler design after posting the specs and confirming the 600W power rating, @kopeite7kimi responded that these specs for the GeForce RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 still include the dual-slot cooler.

It's pretty impressive, and it'll be interesting to see the thermals of a 600W GPU without a giant triple - or quad-slot heatsink design. Plus, it'll be interesting to see how NVIDIA's partners like ASUS, MSI, and GIGABYTE approach the RTX 50 Series - will we also see smaller cards hit the market or the same giant beasts?