After a seven-year absence, it’s back with a vengeance. The MSI RTX 5090 Lightning Z was officially launched this Monday, January 5 at CES 2026, at a press conference to which we were lucky enough to be invited, this morning at 10 a.m. (Los Angeles time) in a privatized suite. And we couldn’t begin this brief without a treat for your eyes, so here it is!
The web has been abuzz for a few days now since a series of clockers published the first photos of a PCB for the MSI RTX 5090 Lightning Z, whose reference, to be exact, is “MSI RTX 5090 Lightning Z OCER”. There followed a series of new records, 17 at present, with what appears on paper to be the best RTX 5090 currently on the market. For our part, we have to confess that it’s been a long time since we’ve felt such “hype” for a GPU here at the editorial office!
MSI RTX 5090 Lightning Z:
Of course, what we’re interested in today is what the “commercial” MSI RTX 5090 Lightning Z will look like, the one you’ll be able to buy. Availability is scheduled for February 2026, with a limited number of cards – 1300 in all. But it’s important to know that we should have both Lightning X and Lightning Z (bin) models. On the other hand, it’s hard to know the ratio between the number of X and Z cards, but it will be specified on the box, so there’s bound to be a slight price difference.
As we rightly assumed, this MSI RTX 5090 Lightning Z benefits from an AIO-type cooling system with a 360 mm “hybrid fin” radiator patented by MSI.
For PCB cooling, a full-copper waterblock keeps the GPU, memory chips and power supply stages cool. A new-generation pump and three axial fans ensure unprecedented airflow, static pressure and noise levels. Aesthetically, the design features molded carbon-fiber elements and lightning-bolt cut-outs.
But it’s on the front of the card that the main feature is to be found, with the presence of an 8-inch display that will enable you to view and customize, in real time, your settings via Lightning HUB. The Lightning Hub allows you to adjust performance parameters, display and lighting effects instantly, directly over the Internet, without any significant software overhead.
MSI also announces the availability of a dedicated mobile application: Lightning Overdrive. The associated mobile application lets you monitor and control overclocking in real time on any device.
The board benefits from two 12V-2×6 connectors that deliver up to 1000 watts, with, of course, a PCB designed to handle no less than 40 phases. The board features dual BIOS: OC (800 w) and Extreme (1000 w). Note that MSI supplies a little tool in the bundle for selecting your BIOS.
In the screenshot above, you can see the complete bundle for this MSI RTX 5090 Lightning Z. Needless to say, the size of the box will be substantial, with the presence of a vertical stand.
BIOS at 2500 watts :
MSI has, of course, come back to the many records that have been broken, thanks in particular to the 2500-watt BIOS unlock. We’ve had confirmation that the PCBs received by overclockers are just hand-picked, but will be identical to the commercial version. So it’s not hard to imagine being able to use the 2500-watt BIOS!
In short, the “hype” we’ve been talking about has gone up another notch, and it will be difficult to wait until February to get our hands on it.
