Rumors that RTX 5090 GPU review models are somehow faster than retail boards are shot down by Nvidia

Date:
Wed, 29 Jan 2025 12:27:19 +0000

Description:
Nvidia has assured PC gamers that the RTX 5090 GPU they buy at retail wont somehow be slower than review models, as some rumors have suggested.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Accusati ons have been made around RTX 5090 review samples Some folks think GPUs labeled as Press Build could be faster than retail products Nvidia has
assured us this isnt the case

Nvidia has denied that the RTX 5090 graphics cards sent out to press for review were in any way different to the flagship boards thatll be sold by retailers, following online accusations that the review samples were somehow binned.

As Toms Hardware reports, there are markings on some review models of the RTX 5090 which say Press Build (as seen at TechPowerUp, for example), something remarked upon by Andreas Schilling (editor at German tech site Hardwareluxx) on X.

Ian Cutress (of TechTechPotato) replied to Schillings comment about whether there was anything special about these graphics cards by jokily altering the words on the RTX 5090 chip to read Press Binned as you can see below (if you expand the post). FTFY pic.twitter.com/i9OtTpDYBC January 24, 2025

Binning refers not to throwing graphics chips in the trashcan, of course, but to the process of allocating silicon to different models of GPU (in bins or groups). Every chip in a particular group that pertains to a certain GPU
model conforms to the base level spec (silicon that doesnt is usually repurposed in a lower bin), but some chips are actually of a slightly higher quality, and can be pushed to faster than base clock speeds.

This is why you get different levels of overclock with a certain GPU , or indeed a CPU , with more headroom in a higher-quality chip (even though its
in the same bin) which is referred to as winning the silicon lottery (you
got a good overclocker, in short).

So, without getting too deep into the weeds on this, the insinuation made by some folks online is that Nvidia has ensured that those better-performing chips from the top-end of the bin, as it were, have been used in review samples to get the best results for the RTX 5090.

Toms directly asked Nvidia if these press build RTX 5090 Founders Edition cards were higher-performing iterations of retail counterparts and a rep from Team Green replied to say: Some early GeForce RTX GPUs include a top mark related to intended use [the Press Build stamp]. Their functionality and performance are identical to retail GPUs.

In short, the marking means nothing save for indicating that these graphics cards are models put aside for sending out to the press. (Image credit:
Future / John Loeffler) Analysis: An unusual clarification, but clearly
Nvidia felt it necessary

This is an odd one, and its unusual that Nvidia would respond to such
chatter, but its clear Team Green felt the need to set the record straight here.

We have to take Nvidias assertion at face value, but of course, the
difference that any such binning might make wouldnt be that huge anyway. But even if it was, thatd be a silly route for Nvidia to take, as reviews of third-party RTX 5090 boards compared to the Founders Edition would surely
look odd if there was an obvious discrepancy. Yes, Nvidias own boards may be well-designed and cooled, but you can be sure third-party models with more premium price tags will be, as well.

I believe that Nvidia is being up front here, and any markings are just for admin or legal purposes (guarding against reselling review boards for example). Indeed, if there was any binning going on with RTX 5090 reviews, it would surely make more sense for Nvidia not to identify those chips as press samples so explicitly.

There are more pressing concerns on the RTX 5090, for sure, including whether youll actually be able to buy one on launch day (tomorrow, January 30) as that isnt the case with MSIs online store, weve just discovered. While you will be able to pre-order an MSI RTX 5090 model tomorrow, it wont be shipped until February 6 , were told and Nvidia is warning on potential stock shortages of the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080. This is a topic thats been buzzing on the rumor mill for some time now, with a whole lot of pessimistic noises
being made , unfortunately. You might also like... Nvidia's RTX 5080 might be only slightly faster than the RTX 4080 Super without DLSS, if this leaked review is genuine The end of the Nvidia RTX 4000 series is nigh with the RTX 4070 expected to sell out in weeks Nvidia releases stats that prove DLSS and Frame Generation are here to stay - sorry, angry gamers



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/gpu/rumors-that-rtx-5090-gpu-review-models -are-somehow-faster-than-retail-boards-are-shot-down-by-nvidia


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