A year ago, it was rumored that MSI was preparing a new ultra-high-end graphics card model. Many already saw in it the return of the much-heralded Lightning series, but these rumors gave way to a void as nothing was announced. So why revisit the subject? Because this time we’re not talking rumors, but an imminent announcement!
The first clue is this post on msigaming’s instagram yesterday. It shows a “weather report”… announcinglightning for Monday. Does this mean that the rtx 5090 lightning will be announced at CES on Monday?
Then, again yesterday, we were treated to a record on 3DMark Time Spy by Frenchman Cmaker / DrAntoine. The brand displayed on the 5090 used for this record? MSI.
And this score shows us something else: a card with very high frequencies!
MSI strikes hard?
Today, a new element seals the certainty that this card exists, and that it will be announced shortly: photos of the PCB !
Once again, this score appears on 3DMark, with the Port Royal benchmark. But it’s also posted on the hwbot site, along with photos. This time, the author of the score is oc_windforce.
PCB:
As we said, the photos show in detail the pcb of this card. No visuals on the original cooling for now, we’ll probably have to wait for the official announcement for that.
One thing is obvious, even without necessarily being a connoisseur: MSI isn’t kidding around with this model. The pcb is very well supplied, and for sure one of the best we’ve seen on an RTX 5090. Maybe even the best, above the Hall of Fame series at Galax?
We’re talking 40 VRM phases, at least visually. It’s worth noting, however, that on paper, the PCB looks considerably beefier than that of Galax’s 5090D HOF, which until now has been the only truly XOC-oriented graphics card on the RTX 5090. We’ll wait for the official specifications before getting too far ahead of ourselves.
Fans of the series will be pleased to note that MSI is not abandoning its visual identity, which is well highlighted. The typical color of this series can be seen in several places, as well as the lightning patterns and the words “lightning” on either side of the pcb.
With a little zoom, this label on the back erases any remaining doubts. This is indeed an rtx 5090 lightning z. But the more attentive will have noticed: it also says “OCER”. So what does this mean? A separate version, clearly marked as being intended for overclockers selected by the brand? Or just a generic name?
The objective:
One thing’s for sure: MSI is going to strike hard with this card. The objective seems clear-cut: an ultra-high-end model, aimed at those who want to push their card to the extreme.
Several questions remain, however. Are we dealing here with a limited edition? A competitor to the matrix recently released by Asus? And of course, many of you are probably wondering… how much will it cost?
All these questions shouldn’t remain unanswered for long. CES is fast approaching, and the overclocking.com team will be on hand to cover all the announcements, including that of this graphics card!
