PC gamer orders GeForce RTX 5080, finds it is labeled as RTX 5090... but it's just an RTX 5080

Redditor 'EssDee3D' was lucky enough to purchase one of NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 5080 Founders Edition graphics cards... except it wasn't the RTX 5080 FE, but the higher-end RTX 5090 FE... except it wasn't.

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Once the Redditor opened the box, he noticed it was the far more expensive RTX 5090 Founders Edition... except it wasn't. The RTX 5090 engraving seems to be an error in manufacturing, as it's recognized as an RTX 5080 in Windows and GPU-Z. The packaging says RTX 5080 but the card itself is engraved with "RTX 5090" but there are big differences between the RTX 5090 FE and RTX 5080 FE coolers, even though they look the same from the outside.

The Redditor explained: "I ordered a 5080 and I got a graphics card with 5090 engraved on it. The outer box has the 5080 SKU on it. Wondering if anyone else has seen something like this before?".

In a video posted shortly after his post on Reddit, the user showed the "RTX 5090 FE" running inside of his PC, showing GPU-Z and Task Manager recognizing it as the RTX 5080.

It seems that during manufacturing, something has gone wrong: it could've been a simple engraving issue, or that the cooler was meant for the RTX 5090 FE. We don't know what has happened, especially without seeing it in person or weighing it, as the RTX 5090 FE cooler is heavier.

NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition has a cooler rated for 575W, while the RTX 5080 Founders Edition is equipped with a 360W capable cooler. The difference between the two coolers is noticeable, and the RTX 5090 FE is another $1000 on top... but just an engraving sucks. Would've been nice to plonk what he thought was an RTX 5080 FE into his machine and have an RTX 5090 FE as a very, very nice surprise.