MSI Unveils the GeForce RTX™ 5090 32G LIGHTNING Z — The Return of a Legend, Perfectly Built at CES 2026

[Taipei, Taiwan] After seven years of silence, the legend returns stronger than ever. The GeForce RTX 5090 32G LIGHTNING Z stands as the most powerful, most meticulously crafted, and most technically advanced flagship graphics card in MSI’s history—a defining showcase of engineering without compromise.

Forged for extreme overclocking and elevated into a new class of liquid-cooled design, it combines a full-cover cold plate with a next-generation high-pressure pump, MSI’s exclusive Lightning Fan thermal architecture, precision-molded carbon-fiber elements, lightning-cut detailing, and next-era software control—forming a singular expression of performance perfection.

Powered by NVIDIA Blackwell, GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs bring game-changing capabilities to gamers and creators. Equipped with a massive level of AI horsepower, the RTX 50 Series enables new experiences and next-level graphics fidelity. Multiply performance with NVIDIA DLSS 4, generate images at unprecedented speed, and unleash creativity with NVIDIA Studio.  From ultra-fast image and video generation to building agents with RTX AI PC accelerations in top apps and frameworks, the 5090 LIGHTNING Z serves as the ultimate platform for gamers, creators, and AI innovators.

Design & Cooling — Where Engineering Becomes Art

The GeForce RTX 5090 32G LIGHTNING Z debuts the most visually striking identity ever created for the lineup, led by a full 8-inch display panel—the world’s first on a graphics card—enabling complete personalization of system stats, artwork, and animations through intuitive software control. 

Carbon-fiber elements refine the backplate, paired with precision lightning-cut accents and an individually numbered badge that underscores its rarity and collectible stature. Beneath this sculpted exterior lies a fully evolved liquid-cooled thermal system:      

• a next-generation high-pressure pump and full-cover cold plate spanning the GPU, VRAM, and MOSFETs for perfectly even heat distribution
• a hybrid-fin radiator engineered with alternating dense and sparse sections to create deliberate hot-cold exchange zones for maximum thermal efficiency
• the exclusive Lightning Fan, crafted with advanced aerodynamic geometry to deliver exceptional airflow, static pressure, and refined acoustics.      

Together, these innovations create the most advanced cooling ecosystem ever deployed on a LIGHTNING graphics card—uniting artistry, engineering, and absolute thermal dominance in one flagship design.

PCB, Power Architecture & Software — Built to Break Limits

At its core, the GeForce RTX 5090 32G LIGHTNING Z features a power architecture engineered explicitly for professional overclocking, anchored by a custom PCB built exclusively for the LIGHTNING line. Reinforced with a 3oz copper layer and premium-grade components, it delivers exceptional conductivity, thermal stability, and voltage integrity under extreme workloads, while Dual BIOS provides instant access to an enhanced performance profile tailored for high-level overclocking. Complementing this hardware foundation is a next-generation control ecosystem:

• Lightning Hub offers instant, web-based tuning of performance parameters, display visuals, and lighting effects — without heavy software overhead
• Lightning Overdrive, the companion mobile app brings real-time monitoring and overclocking control to any device—offering unprecedented freedom and precision for users pushing the LIGHTNING to its limits.     

MSI GeForce RTX 5090 LIGHTNING Tops Overclocking Leaderboards at Debut

Powered by MSI’s uncompromising hardware engineering and extreme overclocking design, the GeForce RTX 5090 LIGHTNING claimed first-place positions across 17 overclocking benchmarks, breaking numerous records on HWBOT and 3DMark, as detailed in the charts below.

Geekbench5

3DMark Solar Bay

3DMark Solar Bay Extreme

GPUPI v3.3 – 32B

3Dmark Time Spy

3Dmark Fire Strike

3Dmark Fire Strike Extreme

3Dmark Fire Strike Ultra

3Dmark Fire Strike Physics

GPUPI – 1B

GPUPI – 32B

GPUPI v3.3 – 1B

3DMark Port Royal

3DMark Time Spy (GPU)

3DMark Speed Way

Geekbench6

3DMark Wild Life Extreme

Designed exclusively for extreme overclocking, Lightning once again demonstrates its ability to operate beyond conventional limits—where records aren’t pursued, but purpose-built.

A Limited Global Masterpiece — Only 1,300 Units Worldwide

The MSI GeForce RTX 5090 LIGHTNING  will be produced in a strictly limited run of 1,300 units worldwide, each individually serialized. MSI invites the global community to witness its overclocking achievements as elite OC partners push the card to its absolute edge.

The RTX 5090 LIGHTNING  will make its full public debut at CES 2026, where MSI will unveil its performance breakthroughs, design innovations, and software ecosystem for the first time.

MSI welcomes enthusiasts, creators, and overclockers worldwide to experience the next chapter of ultimate GPU engineering.

For more information, please visit the LIGHTNING product page: https://www.msi.com/Graphics-Card/ GeForce-RTX-5090-32G-LIGHTNING-Z

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