The Definitive RTX 50-Series Upgrade Guide for Gamers, Creators, and Professionals
Graphics Cards
- RTX 50-Series Graphics Cards
Discover the latest GPUs powered by NVIDIA Blackwell. - Key Technologies Baked into RTX 50-Series GPUs
Explore DLSS 4, Reflex 2, GDDR7 and more cutting-edge features. - RTX 50-Series PSU Requirements
Ensure your power supply can handle your next-gen GPU. - Factors to Consider Before Upgrading to an RTX 50-Series Graphics Card
Key aspects like size, cooling, and compatibility explained. - MSI RTX 50-Series Models
SUPRIM, VANGUARD, GAMING TRIO, VENTUS & INSPIRE lineup details.
It’s that time of the year when we all wait to grab the latest and greatest graphics cards. At CES 2025, NVIDIA detailed its incredible Blackwell GPUs and MSI announced its lineup of RTX 50-Series Graphics Cards powered by NVIDIA Blackwell.
You can pick from options ranging from the monstrous GeForce RTX 5090 to the GeForce RTX 5070 – allowing gamers and professionals to grab a next-gen GPU regardless of their budget. On the flip side, with so many options on shelves, you might find it hard to settle on the ‘perfect’ pick, especially if you don’t follow hardware releases that closely.
Our upgrade guide for the RTX 50 series is designed to arm you with all the information you’ll need to make the right choice.
Understanding NVIDIA’s Blackwell Architecture: The Heart of MSI’s RTX 50-Series Graphics Cards
So, what exactly is ‘Blackwell’?
Blackwell is NVIDIA’s latest GPU architecture, fabricated using TSMC’s advanced 4nm-class process (N4P) and engineered to power a new era of games and AI applications. It boasts cutting-edge AI technologies like DLSS 4 to give you a massive performance boost over previous generations, while enabling a new class of real-time ray tracing applications in games and professional workloads.
GPU
RT Cores
AI TOPS
CUDA Cores
MSRP
RTX 5090
318 TFLOPS
3352
21760
$1999
RTX 5080
171 TFLOPS
1801
10752
$999
RTX 5070 Ti
133 TFLOPS
1406
8960
$749
RTX 5070
94 TFLOPS
988
6144
$549
Here are a few key technologies baked into RTX 50-Series GPUs:
- DLSS 4: Introducing Multi Frame Generation, which uses Neural Rendering to multiply performance by up to 8x versus traditional brute force rendering methods (source).
- Reflex 2: The latest iteration of NVIDIA Reflex introduces Frame Warp Technology, which reduces latency in games by up to a massive 75% (source).
- GDDR7 memory: Boasting speeds of up to 30Gbps, ultra-fast next-gen GDDR7 memory allows much better performance in games, image and video generation with AI, render engines, and more.
- 5th Gen Tensor Cores: NVIDIA’s next-generation Tensor Cores improve AI TOPS performance by leaps and bounds – enabling a new class of AI applications on your PC.
- 4th Gen Ray Tracing Cores: Engineered to handle Mega Geometry, these new Ray Tracing cores are more powerful than ever and unlock surreal real-time ray tracing experiences like never before.
- 9th Gen NVIDIA Encoder: The next-generation NVENC is built to accelerate high-resolution video exports and AI-driven effects in creative applications like DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, and more.
Factors to Consider Before Upgrading to an RTX 50-Series Graphics Card
Graphics cards can serve your PCs for several years, so making the right choice is just that much more important. You should weigh a few factors before zeroing in on the perfect graphics card for the next generation of games, creative workloads, and AI apps.
Size and Clearance: The Perfect Fit
Disregard what everyone else says – size matters.
Picking the right class (and variant) of graphics card is paramount when working within a size-restricted envelope, such as a small form factor (SFF) PC. While you can fit almost any graphics card into a well-designed Mini-ITX case, it's generally not advisable due to the significant heat that modern graphics cards generate and need to dissipate.
What’s more, you could also end up with graphics cards that are just too large to fit into your tiny case.
While we can’t say for sure about other options, a few of MSI’s RTX 50-series VENTUS graphics cards feature more compact designs, and are specifically engineered to be SFF-ready. If you’re unsure whether your case will support your new graphics card, you should be able to find more on their technical specifications pages. Here’s an example from our own stable:
Compare the graphics card length to your case’s max graphics card clearance spec to ensure that your brand-new GPU can slot into your setup without hassle.
Air or Water Cooling: What’s the Best Choice?
When talking about the highest tier of performance, like the RTX 5090, you’ll see graphics cards boasting robust air coolers and liquid-cooled options. What’s the right way to go?
Well, there is no ‘right’ pick for everyone. It boils down to taste, preference, and some size/compatibility constraints of your case.
Graphics cards with a liquid cooler and radiator typically feature a ‘slimmer’ form factor compared to their air-cooled counterparts. This makes liquid-cooled graphics cards the right pick when using multiple PCIe slots on your motherboard without running into thermal or clearance issues.
Now, on the other hand, to accommodate a liquid-cooled graphics card, your case needs to be large enough to house a 360mm radiator. In fact, you’ll need a case that supports TWO large radiators if your processor is also liquid-cooled.
Noise is another aspect to consider.
Liquid coolers are better equipped to run demanding workloads at lower temperatures – allowing top-shelf GPUs like the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 to maintain higher boost clocks for longer, with minimal noise.
So, if you want an incredible blend of the very best materials, construction, silence, and performance, a liquid-cooled RTX 5090 is a no-brainer – like our very own RTX 5090 SUPRIM LIQUID.
Performance and Workloads: What do you Need?
Of course, grabbing a graphics card without considering your computing needs can end badly for either your primary workloads or your wallet.
An underpowered GPU can leave you waiting for much longer than you need to or with sub-par performance that just doesn’t keep up with your shiny, new 4K 240Hz monitor (yes, we have one). Similarly, grabbing the most expensive option on shelves to drive relatively older games at lower resolutions like 1080p or 720p isn’t the most effective use of your budget.
Here are a few popular scenarios and what RTX 50-Series products would go with them:
- 4K (2160p) or 1440p Ultrawide high refresh rate gaming: Depending on your budget, go with either the RTX 5090 or the RTX 5080.
- 1440p or 1080p high refresh rate gaming: Again, depending on your budget and the types of games you play, you can pick anywhere in the stack from the RTX 5070 to the RTX 5080 for incredible gaming experiences with ray tracing. Of course, you could spring for the RTX 5090 now if you’re planning a monitor upgrade soon.
- AI workloads: Whether you’re generating high-res images/video using AI models or working on the larger AI models locally, you’ll need tons of fast VRAM. The RTX 5090 is the hands-down the best option for these tasks, especially if you regularly generate content using AI.
- Rendering and other professional workloads: The right pick in this case is more complicated than what we can cover here. If you’re sure that gaming GPUs can run your workloads, decide based on your application’s VRAM usage to pick between an RTX 5090 or RTX 5080. If you need multiple GPUs, you’ll also need to consider clearance issues.
Power Supply Requirements: How Much Power Does an RTX 5090 or a 5080 Need?
Swapping out a power supply is something we all put off as long as possible. It’s a ton of work, and many gamers and professionals would prefer to just stick within their current PSU’s limits when shopping for a new graphics card.
To find out if you can, here are the official PSU requirements and our PSU recommendations for the RTX 50-Series Graphics Cards:
GPU
TGP/TDP (GPU Power Draw)
Recommended Wattage
Recommended PSU
If your PSU doesn’t have enough juice to handle these new RTX 50-series graphics cards, it’s time for an upgrade. You’ll want to grab something that’s supports the modern ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 standards.
For an RTX 5090, a 1000W PSU is the absolute minimum you should get, while an RTX 5080 should be fine with around 850W of power. However, if you’re shopping in the mid-range (RTX 5070 or 5070 Ti), an 850W or even 750W power supply will suffice.
MSI’s range of power supplies (more info) boast native connectors for these new graphics cards – eliminating the use of finnicky adapters.
MSI’s RTX 50-Series Lineup: SUPRIM, VANGUARD, GAMING TRIO, and VENTUS
If you’re picking from MSI’s RTX 50-Series Graphics Cards, here’s a short overview of our graphics card family this generation.
RTX 50-Series SUPRIM LIQUID: Change the Game
Featuring its signature blend of sleek, clean aesthetics with advanced engineering and top-tier performance, the SUPRIM LIQUID gives you the most premium experience when it comes to NVIDIA’s Blackwell technology. It houses an innovative hybrid cooling system with a patented water block and a 360mm radiator, ensuring incredible performance regardless of your workload.
Take a closer look of MSI GeForce RTX™ 50 Series SUPRIM LIQUID:
RTX 50-Series SUPRIM: Change the Game
If liquid cooling is not your cup of coolant, the SUPRIM offers all the robust engineering, premium materials, and sleek aesthetics of its LIQUID counterpart, but uses our latest HYPERFROZR thermal design (air cooled) to handle even aggressive clock speeds on an RTX 50-series GPU.
Take a closer look of MSI GeForce RTX™ 50 Series SUPRIM:
RTX 50-Series VANGUARD: Your Journey, Your Rules
The VANGUARD is the newest entry into MSI’s GeForce RTX Graphics Card lineup – designed for those who want a blend of bold designs without sacrificing the premium experience and performance of a SUPRIM. It features all the engineering that’s in a SUPRIM, including the brand-new HYPERFROZR thermal design.
There’s a bonus with this new line of graphics cards! At launch, you can grab an RTX 50-Series VANGUARD that comes bundled with a blind-box featuring a limited-edition Lucky (more info) inside.
Take a closer look of MSI GeForce RTX™ 50 Series VANGUARD:
RTX 50-Series GAMING TRIO: Play Hard, Stay Silent
When it comes to offering great performance at incredible value, there’s nothing quite like the GAMING TRIO. It features a classic design that emphasizes its signature dragon aesthetic along with the latest TRI FROZR 4 thermal design for top-notch performance.
Take a closer look of MSI GeForce RTX™ 50 Series GAMING TRIO:
RTX 50-Series VENTUS: Take the Essentials
A blend of unmatched value and robust engineering is the hallmark of our VENTUS graphics cards. And it continues with MSI’s RTX 50-series lineup. They focus on getting the fundamentals right with a triple TORX FAN 5.0 thermal design, copper baseplate, and Core Pipes for optimal thermals.
Take a closer look of MSI GeForce RTX™ 50 Series VENTUS:
RTX 50-Series INSPIRE: Big Vision, Small Form
The INSPIRE fuses a sleek, compact design with incredible performance and a clever thermal design to make sure that you can get to work right away. It’s engineered from the ground-up to encase top-tier performance in a compact 2-slot design – allowing for compatibility with the broadest range of motherboard and case form factors (including SFF PCs).
Take a closer look of MSI GeForce RTX™ 50 Series INSPIRE:
RTX 5090
RTX 5080
RTX 5070 Ti
RTX 5070
SUPRIM LIQUID
v
v
x
x
SUPRIM
v
v
x
x
VANGUARD
v
v
v
v
GAMING TRIO
v
v
v
v
VENTUS
v
v
v
v
INSPIRE
X
v
v
v
It’s Time to Decide: The RTX 50-Series Graphics Cards are Here!
With the rapid growth of AI thanks to its variety of applications, it’s become more critical than ever to own the hardware needed to power these new types of AI applications and gaming experiences.
You should be able to grab MSI’s RTX 50-series Graphics Cards from your local retailers soon!
Head to our RTX 50-series page to find out about MSI’s lineup this generation, details of our newest thermal designs, and much more.
