MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC Review: Fast, Frigid Blackwell

We also spent some time overclocking the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC to see how it behaved when running above its stock frequencies...
Overclocking The MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC
Like previous-gen GeForces, Blackwell-based GeForce RTX 50 series cards feature GPU Boost, which scales frequencies and voltages, power and temperatures permitting, based on the GPU's workload at the time. Should a temperature or power limit be reached, GPU Boost will drop down to the previous boost frequency/voltage stepping, in an attempt to bring power and temperatures down gradually and not cause any significant performance swings. The maximum boost clock and power limit can be tweaked and tuned to increase performance with most cards, however.

MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC Hardware Monitor - Default Settings
The MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC will respond faster to changes in workloads versus previous-gen cards, and its more robust VRMs and cooling should help with overclocking.
That said, like previous-gen cards, the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC is still usually voltage or power limited to prevent damage and ensure longevity, and it's those limits that will usually be the limiting factor in any overclocking. With the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC, the power target cannot be increased manually through Afterburner or othermeans at this time, but it is already 4% higher than NVIDIA's Founders Edition right out of the box. Though the latest version of MSI's Afterburner has the option to alter voltage as well, it was greyed out with the build we used. Even still, we were able to increase the GPU and memory clocks somewhat.

MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC Hardware Monitor - Overclocked
We used the frequency offsets in a beta version of Afterburner to manually push the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC's frequencies. We basically increased the GPU and memory clock offsets incrementally until the test system was no longer stable, showed on-screen artifacts, or performance peaked due to hitting the power or other limit.
The MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC technically has a default boost clock of 2,580MHz, which is right about where we say the card peaking while stock (2,572MHz). While overclocked, we were able to take its GPU clock all the way up to an impressive 2,797MHz with a 28.3Gbps memory speed.


With the card overclocked, we re-ran some tests and saw some modest performance gains. As we saw with the Founder's Edition card, overclocking didn't yield massive performance increases, but we were able to squeeze a couple of additional frames per second out of the card with minimal effort. There's probably more performance to be had here with additional tweaking.
Also note, that while overclocked the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC remains exceptionally cool. We saw temperatures peak at only 54°C, which is amazing considering how much power the GB202 GPU at the heart of the card requires.
Total System Power Consumption
Throughout all of our benchmarking and testing, we also monitored noise output and tracked how much power the GPUs were consuming in our test system. Our goal here is to give you an idea as to how much power each GPU used while idle and also while under a heavy workload.
The MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC power consumption numbers were high relative to previous-gen cards, but were actually slightly lower than NVIDIA's Foudner Edition, which was somewhat of a surprise. We though the additional fans and water pump would end up pushing total power higher, but that wasn't the case. MSI must have done some optimization of the frequency and voltage curve on this card.
Noise is not a concern for the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC either. At idle or when under light loads, the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC is effectively silent. It's fans spin down completely at idle and the card and can't be heard over typical chassis and PSU fans. When under a heavy, sustained workload, the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC's fans do spin up, but this card runs so cool and quiet they never produce anything more than a dull whir.MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC Review Summary
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition is one heck of a beast. We dig its two-slot form factor and efficient cooling, but the overall experience may be even a little better with the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC. The liquid-cooling setup won’t be for everyone, but this card is faster, quieter, and it runs much cooler than the Founders Edition, and it's got plenty of thermal headroom to spare. You’ll need a case that can accommodate the 360mm radiator, but that’s shouldn’t be an issue for any enthusiast considering a high-end GPU like this one.
Considering its large, AIO liquid cooling system and higher performance, it should be no surprise the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC also commands more of a premium over the already opulent Founders Edition card. Whereas NVIDIA prices the GeForce RTX 5090 FE at $1,999, this liquid-cooled speed demon will likley command 10% - 15% more -- we're still waiting for actual, confirmed pricing from MSI. The card won't go on sale until January 30, and MSI is still strategizing. Whether that extra investment is justifiable will be up to you, be we suspect many gamers will dig what the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC has to offer. We know it's pricey, but this card is bad ass.
With its higher price and liquid cooling setup, this card is not for everyone, but the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Suprim Liquid SOC is an awesome GPU. If you’ve got the means, dig the liquid cooler, and are considering an RTX 5090, put this card on your short list of potential contenders.
