There have been various speculations regarding the upcoming release of NVIDIA's next-generation RTX 50 series graphics cards within this year. Different leaks have suggested different timelines for their launch, with some claiming the RTX 5090 will be unveiled first, while others suggest the RTX 5080 will take the lead. The latest rumors from online sources now indicate that both may be introduced at the same time.
According to XpeaGPU's leak, Nvidia is set to release both its new flagship RTX 5090 and high-end RTX 5080 graphics cards simultaneously, with these cards likely hitting the shelves for sale in the coming weeks. This differs from previous leaks by Kopite7kimi, who suggested Nvidia planned to first launch and release the RTX 5080, despite earlier reports indicating the RTX 5090 might be the only GPU to debut this year. However, these messages currently contradict each other, and it remains unclear as to the authenticity of these reports.
NVIDIA's idea of staggered release for two SKUs is not uncommon. In 2020, NVIDIA launched the RTX 3090 two weeks before the RTX 3080, with both cards debuting simultaneously. In terms of specifications, the RTX 5080 is expected to feature the GB203 GPU, offering roughly half of what the GB202 provides, with 96 SM compared to GB202's 192 SM. Additionally, reports suggest the GB203 GPU will come with 256-bit memory bus support, while the larger Blackwell GPU may feature a 512-bit memory bus. Leaks about the cooling module indicate that the maximum power consumption of the RTX 5090 could approach 600W.
