NVIDIA RTX 5090 D Performance Analysis
An in-depth analysis of NVIDIA’s RTX 5090 D reveals a 30-40% performance improvement over RTX 4090, with DLSS 4 being its standout feature. However, the price increase and power consumption raise questions about its value proposition.

The recent release of NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5090 D has sparked significant discussion in the gaming and tech communities. A comprehensive analysis of its performance reveals several key aspects worth examining.
The raw performance metrics show the RTX 5090 D delivering approximately 30-40% improvement over its predecessor, the RTX 4090. In synthetic benchmarks, Fire Strike Ultra scores increased by 33.1%, Time Spy Extreme by 31.8%, and Port Royal by 38.6%. This improvement aligns with the card’s architectural changes, featuring 170 SM units compared to the RTX 4090’s 128 units.
DLSS 4 emerges as the card’s most impressive feature. In Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K resolution with ray tracing enabled, the base frame rate of 33 FPS jumps to 120 FPS with DLSS 3, and remarkably reaches 280 FPS with DLSS 4. Star Wars Survivor shows similar improvements, with base 95 FPS climbing to 210 FPS using DLSS 4.
However, several concerns merit attention. The card’s power consumption has increased significantly, with a TDP of 600W and occasional spikes reaching 800W. This represents a 30% increase in power draw compared to the RTX 4090, raising questions about efficiency gains.
GIGABYTE’s AORUS Master variant demonstrates impressive thermal management, maintaining temperatures around 67°C under full load. The redesigned cooling solution and improved aesthetics, including an LCD screen, show manufacturer efforts to justify the premium pricing.
Market positioning and pricing strategy reveal interesting dynamics. The RTX 5090 D, while offering substantial performance gains, comes with a 25% price increase over the RTX 4090. This pricing strategy appears influenced by NVIDIA’s strong position in the AI computing market, where its market capitalization has grown tenfold since the RTX 4090’s launch.
For gaming enthusiasts, the value proposition becomes questionable. The performance-per-dollar ratio has remained relatively stagnant, and the benefits of DLSS 4 are most apparent only when base frame rates exceed 45 FPS. This suggests that for pure gaming purposes, previous generation cards or upcoming mid-range options might offer better value.
Looking forward, the GPU landscape appears complex. AMD’s upcoming RDNA architecture and Intel’s Arc series may provide alternatives, particularly in the mid-range segment where performance-per-dollar traditionally offers better value. The RTX 5090 D, while technically impressive, exemplifies a continuing trend of flagship GPUs becoming increasingly specialized for professional and AI workloads, with gaming performance improvements becoming secondary to overall capability increases.