Rumor suggests that the upcoming Nvidia RTX 5090 may come equipped with PCIe 5.0, DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20, and a solitary 12V-2x6 power connector.
Nvidia is set to unveil its next-generation Blackwell RTX 50-series GPUs, marking a significant leap in gaming performance. The lineup, which includes the RTX 5050 and RTX 5060, will be the first Nvidia client GPUs to offer PCIe 5.0 capabilities, paving the way for faster data transfer rates.
The entry-level RTX 5050 boasts 2,560 Blackwell CUDA cores, 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, and a boost clock speed of up to 2,570 MHz. It is expected to draw up to 130W TGP for the desktop version, with laptop variants ranging between 35W and 100W, utilising 8GB of faster GDDR7 VRAM. The RTX 5060, while sharing some architectural traits with the 5050, boasts 3,840 CUDA cores and GDDR7 memory, offering higher bandwidth.
Both GPUs will operate at PCIe 5.0, albeit at x8 lanes rather than the full x16, resulting in a bandwidth that is halved compared to x16. This is expected to be a practical bandwidth balance for mid-range GPUs without noticeable impact for most gamers.
The RTX 50-series will also be the first Nvidia GPU lineup to sport a revision of DisplayPort beyond the 1.4a version, using UHBR20 for both the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080. While direct confirmation for Blackwell RTX 50-series DisplayPort standards is not explicitly mentioned, it is highly likely that they will support DisplayPort 2.1, given current industry trends and Nvidia's platform positioning.
The RTX 5080 is anticipated to be released at CES 2025, alongside the RTX 5090. Various companies are expected to launch liquid cooling solutions for both the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080. The RTX 5090 will have an ultra-high 600W TDP, primarily cooled by air, while the RTX 5080's TDP is not specified yet, but it will primarily be cooled by air.
The RTX 5080 is also expected to have PCIe 5.0 connectivity and DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20 outputs, while the RTX 5090 will have DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20 outputs and a single power connector (12V-2x6). Both GPUs will support full ray tracing and DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation for enhanced gaming visuals.
Nvidia officially launched the RTX 5050 desktop GPU in late June 2025, with availability and drivers starting in late July 2025. The RTX 5050 is priced at approximately $249, aiming at the affordable budget segment. Third-party manufacturers are expected to lead sales, as there will be no Founders Edition model for the RTX 5050. The RTX 5060 is expected to be released around the same timeframe, in Q3 2025.
In summary, Nvidia’s Blackwell RTX 50-series GPUs, starting with the RTX 5050 and 5060, are confirmed to support PCIe 5.0 at x8, feature GDDR6 and GDDR7 memory respectively, offer robust ray tracing with DLSS 4 support, and are launching in the second half of 2025 with availability beginning by late July for the 5050. DisplayPort 2.1 support is strongly expected but not explicitly confirmed yet.
Artificial-intelligence will undoubtedly benefit from the advanced gaming performance of Nvidia's next-generation Blackwell RTX 50-series GPUs, as they will support full ray tracing and DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation for enhanced visuals. The introduction of these GPUs, particularly the RTX 5050 and RTX 5060, into the market is not just a leap in gaming performance, but also a significant stride in the integration of cutting-edge technology such as artificial-intelligence into everyday gadgets.
