1600W Design? – MSI unveils its RTX 5090 Lightning
CES unveils MSI’s RTX 5090 Lightning early
CES has unveiled the RTX 5090 Lightning graphics card from MSI, giving the GPU an “Innovation Award” ahead of the GPU’s official reveal. The GPU is listed as a “2026 Honoree in Gaming and eSports”, and claims the GPU was “co-developed with Nvidia”.
The listing also confirms that the graphics card uses a “dual-connector” design. Furthermore, it claims that this design “delivers up to 1600W” of power to its “reinforced high-power PCB and premium VRM”. Prior RTX 5090 Lightning leaks have confirmed the dual 12V-2×6 power design of this graphics card. Below, we can also see that this side of this GPU features a large display.
Co-developed with NVIDIA, this ultimate flagship graphics card is engineered for unmatched performance and rock-solid stability, even at extreme power and clock speeds. MSI’s breakthrough dual-connector design delivers up to 1600W to a reinforced high-power PCB and premium VRM, unlocking exceptional compute density and overclocking headroom. To sustain this load, our next-generation exclusive liquid-cooling architecture employs an integrated full-contact cold plate beneath the block, extending coverage across the GPU, memory, and all high-power stages. A next-generation pump optimizes flow dynamics, feeding MSI’s patented hybrid-density radiator with zoned fin spacing for superior heat exchange. A silent, high-pressure axial fan with newly designed aerodynamic blades further boosts static pressure at low noise. The world’s first full-surface display enables real-time system visualization and personalization, while a dedicated mobile app lets users monitor and customize overclocking presets on the go. Together, this power delivery and thermal design provide sustained performance beyond RTX 5090-class expectations.
Based on the image above, MSI’s new lightning GPU is liquid-cooled. The GPU uses a “full-contact cold plate”, alongside a “next generation pump”, and “patented hybrid density radiator with zoned fin spacing”. MSI also reportedly uses a new ” silent, high-pressure axial fan with newly designed aerodynamic blades” to cool its new RTX 5090 Lightning GPU.
MSI claims that its new RTX 5090 Lightning can “provide sustained performance beyond RTX 5090-class expectations”. In other words, this GPU is faster than a standard RTX 5090.
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