Nvidia's RTX 5090 has already been pushed beyond its limit - ROG Astral model overclock reaches 3.45GHz and 35 Gbps VRAM

An RTX 5090 graphics card resting against its retail box with a closeup of the RTX 5090 branding

(Image credit: Future)

The Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090 OC Edition has taken a big leap over Nvidia's Founders Edition model, via overclocking
It has broken four overclocking world records, reaching a boost clock of 3.45GHz
Unfortunately, stock still remains low across every online retailer

Nvidia's RTX 5000 series GPU launch has been littered with issues, ranging from limited availability (among both Founders Edition and third-party cards) to missing ROPs - but now, Asus is responsible for some good news regarding the RTX 5090.

Breaking four overclocking world records, Asus' ROG Astral GeForce RTX 5090 has reached a boost clock above 3.4GHz with 35 Gbps GDDR7 VRAM, as reported by Tom's Hardware. While the ROG Astral already has a boost clock of 2.58GHz out of the box, benchmarks (with high-end processors) on Safedisk conducted by well-known overclocker Tony Yu saw the GPU push beyond its OC limit - via air cooling, it maintained a steady 3GHz clock speed, while a liquid cooling method pushed it above to 3.45GHz, an incredibly impressive speed.

The RTX 5090 is already a powerhouse GPU - ‘overkill’ is a better description, honestly - as its 32GB VRAM at roughly 28 Gbps is more than enough to handle AAA games. With a push up to 35 Gbps (during the 3.45GHz result), gaming would be a cakewalk for the Blackwell GPU - though it's safe to say that this overclocking method is only for those who are absolutely dead-set on getting the very best out of the most powerful GPU available.

Thanks to Asus' quad-fan design with claims of up to 20% better airflow, an incredibly high level of overclocking is possible even without the advanced liquid cooling implemented by Yu - but it certainly doesn't come at an affordable cost, either. Considering the RTX 5090's limited availability, its ludicrous $3,079.99 / £2,889.99 / AU$6,499.00 price will likely be inflated when it becomes available again.

Image of ROG Astral RTX 5090 benchmark — Now, those are some crazy speeds... (Image credit: HWBot)

Good luck getting any RTX 5090 GPUs to begin with

Again, it is virtually impossible to acquire an RTX 5090 at retail price, or even find one available to purchase at all - so while the ROG Astral RTX 5090 is probably the best model (as of now) to attain due to its overclocking capabilities, but good luck finding one.

We know Nvidia will restock its Founders Edition cards eventually, once again returning to its Verified Priority Access scheme, which may help some in the US get their hands on the GPU. As for third-party cards (such as the ROG Astral), you will likely be forced to overspend if you're out for one - not only are we dealing with high demand, but also scalpers, so it's not an easy task.

Besides, there are still reasons why I'd recommend staying away from the Blackwell GPUs for now - there could still be issues left to be discovered, with a prime example being the missing ROPs and some users' GPU power adapters overheating.

However, I have to admit that seeing just how far the RTX 5090 can be pushed in terms of its performance capabilities is fascinating, and I can't wait to see how it handles upcoming AAA titles.