Nvidia RTX 5090 Founders Edition is possibly the best-looking GPU I've seen in a while - here's everything included in the box

(Image credit: Future)

Nvidia's RTX 5090 Founders Edition GPU is almost here, promising to step performance up across the board from the previous generation's RTX 4090 - fortunately, we've got our hands on it with an early unboxing. While we won't be able to share more about its performance with the new Multi Frame Generation feature until the January 24 review embargo lifts, today we're able to unveil its box and everything inside.

RTX 5090's Box & Power Connector

RTX 5090 FE unboxing — Now, tell me that box doesn't at least remind you of the PS1 in some way... I'm waiting. (Image credit: Future)

Starting with the box itself, Team Green has changed the packaging, opting for a cool retro design (at least in my eyes) - and I love the look, which reminds me of Sony's PlayStation 1 with its grey color scheme for the paperboard design protecting the GPU. This is a huge contrast to the RTX 4090's packaging, which had a much bigger box catering to the GPU's large form factor size, and that's changed here (something I'll dive into later).

Whilst the box itself is a purely cosmetic change that will likely end up in the garbage of many buyers, the new power connector deserves some attention here - the previous adapter was an issue for myself and many other PC gamers attempting to shut their case or at least maintain an appealing build, with its short and stiff design, while also posing a potential fire hazard based on user reports.

Nvidia RTX 5090 Founders Edition GPU

Now moving on to what you came here for - the RTX 5090 Founders Edition in all its glory is much sleeker with its new design. Team Green has paid attention to those who prefer slim PC builds, as this is much smaller than the previous generation's flagship GPU - this was evident with the new box used to house the new dual-slot GPU compared to the 4090's triple-slot design.

While some rumors hinted at the 5090 being much louder compared to previous GPUs, some videos have already been enough to debunk it such as PC Centric's CES video, showcasing just how quiet it is under heavy load in Cyberpunk 2077.

RTX 5090 FE gif — While it's a lot smaller than the previous RTX 4090 FE, the 5090 FE is still a chunky card. (Image credit: Future)

While the new power connector I mentioned earlier will surely help many PC builders, Nvidia has taken an extra step to alleviate any potential issues by setting the power connector at an angle to avoid cables pushing up against side panels.

It's insane to imagine that a GPU this small packs greater power than the RTX 4090, so I must say I'm impressed with Nvidia's efforts here. There's still a lot left to be unveiled in terms of the power consumption leap from the previous 450W to 575W (with rumors suggesting that it's actually 600W) and whether an upgrade to this GPU will be worthwhile - but from what I've seen so far with the unboxing, it's certainly so far so good from Team Green.