RTX 4090 vs RTX 5090: Is Upgrading Worth It?
The RTX 5090 is 28% faster than the RTX 4090 on our performance index and has 32GB of video memory against 24GB. Their launch prices were $1999 and $1599.
Most people asking this question already own a 4090 and want to know whether the newer card is worth the switch. For most games the answer is no.
RTX 4090 vs RTX 5090: the specs side by side
| RTX 4090 | RTX 5090 | |
|---|---|---|
| Performance index | 100 | 128 |
| Relative speed | 100% | 128% |
| Video memory | 24GB | 32GB |
| Board power | 450W | 575W |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1599 | $1999 |
| Index points per $100 | 6.3 | 6.4 |
| Index points per 100W | 22.2 | 22.3 |
| Released | 2022 | 2025 |
| Upscaling support | DLSS, FSR | DLSS, FSR |
| Recommended specs met, 2024+ games | 19 of 19 | 19 of 19 |
| Recommended specs met, upcoming games | 16 of 16 | 16 of 16 |
"Recommended specs met" counts the games whose recommended graphics card each GPU matches or beats. It covers the 19 games from 2024 onward in our catalogue that name a recommended card, and the 16 unreleased games whose publishers have posted one.
The RTX 4090 still clears everything
The RTX 4090 meets the recommended graphics card of all 16 unreleased games whose publishers have posted one, and 19 of the 19 recent games that name a recommended card. No published requirement for 2027 comes close to it. An upgrade buys headroom above what games ask for, not the ability to run them.
What is new on the RTX 5090
Beyond the 28% speed gain and the extra memory, the 5090 belongs to the RTX 50 generation. That matters for one feature: DLSS 4's Multi Frame Generation, which inserts several generated frames per rendered frame, runs only on RTX 50-series cards. The 4090 keeps DLSS upscaling and single frame generation. If a high-refresh 4K monitor is the goal, that feature is the strongest argument for the switch.
Power
The 5090 is rated at 575W, 125W above the 4090's 450W. A power supply that was comfortable for a 4090 may be marginal for a 5090, so check with the PSU calculator.
Verdict
- Keep the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 if you play at 1440p or 4K at ordinary refresh rates. Nothing announced for 2027 asks for more.
- Upgrade to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 if you want Multi Frame Generation for a very high-refresh 4K display, or need 32GB of memory for AI or 3D work.
Want a different pairing? Put any two cards in the GPU comparison tool, see both on the GPU tier list for 2027, or estimate frame rates for a specific game with the FPS calculator.
How these numbers were worked out
Requirements are the publishers' own, read from each game's Steam store page (last checked 15 September 2026). Entries such as "TBD" or "Coming soon" count as not published, never as a spec. Graphics cards are compared on the relative performance index explained in our editorial standards, where a card "meets" a requirement when it scores at least as high as the card the publisher named and has any VRAM amount the publisher stated. This article is rebuilt whenever that data is refreshed.
Prices are launch MSRPs in US dollars, not today's street prices, which we do not track.