Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 only 30% faster than RTX 4090 without DLSS 4

Nvidia has revealed that its new flagship gaming GPU, the RTX 5090, is only 30% faster than the RTX 4090 in ray-traced game performance if you don't engage its multi-frame generation DLSS 4 tech. That corresponds roughly with the 33% increase in CUDA cores on the new card, but points to its architecture not offering any extra hidden performance gains.

With the Nvidia RTX 5090 all but a nailed-on certainty to be the fastest and ultimately best graphics card you'll be able to buy this year, it will still be a hugely tempting option for anyone seeking the latest and greatest. However, those hoping a 33% CUDA core count increase and corresponding price increase would result in an even larger performance improvement might be a bit disappointed.