Excellent news for mini gaming PC builders searching for the very best spec graphics card, a minimum of partially. The brand new flagship Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Version graphics card has been added, together with different RTX 50-series gaming GPUs such because the RTX 5080, to Nvidia’s SFF-Prepared certification listing for small kind issue PC builds.
Greater Nvidia RTX 40-series playing cards just like the RTX 4090 have been excluded from this listing resulting from their measurement, that means that SFF builders couldn’t assure utilizing one of the best graphics card obtainable of their SFF-Prepared PC case. In a shocking flip of occasions, although, the brand new flagship RTX 5090 Founders Version seems to be to be an extremely slim affair, with a lowered PCB measurement and a intelligent new cooler serving to to cut back it to solely a two slot thickness. This makes producing a prime spec, mini gaming PC construct a risk this time round.
Nvidia launched the SFF-Prepared certification in 2024, offering patrons with a straightforward to know listing of GPUs and small kind issue PC instances which are appropriate with one another. The necessities for graphics playing cards embrace a most peak (together with energy cable bend radius) of 5.94 inches (151mm), a 11.96-inch (304mm) most size, and a 1.96-inch (50mm, or 2.5-slot) most thickness. In the meantime, for a case to be licensed, it has to offer a graphics card house that’s 50mm large, 154.5mm excessive and 312mm tall.
The unique listing, geared toward RTX 40-series playing cards, included no RTX 4090 fashions, as no playing cards utilizing this GPU are sensibly-sized sufficient to slot in these case/card measurement limits. As an alternative, solely RTX 4070, 4070 Ti, 4070 Tremendous, and 4080 playing cards have been included.
Nonetheless, the slim profile of the Founders Version RTX 5090 means it remarkably does match inside the usual, and fairly comfortably too. It’s solely Nvidia’s personal RTX 5090 design that does, although, as no different RTX 5090 card is but sufficiently small to make the lower. There are, nonetheless, loads of different RTX 50-series collection playing cards, together with the RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070, which are included.
Founders Version GPUs have usually been a contact smaller and extra visually understated than third social gathering choices, a degree which has brought about consternation with some graphics card producers, because it’s left them struggling to compete with the commonly fascinating Nvidia-made playing cards. Nonetheless, third-party graphics playing cards usually embrace a lot bigger coolers, RGB lighting, overclocked specs, and different design tweaks to make them stand out, with them usually operating cooler and quieter, too.
When you’re tempted by this SFF-Prepared RTX 5090, although, there could possibly be one other issue to think about, and that’s inventory availability. At launch, Founders Version playing cards just like the RTX 5090 FE could also be laborious to pay money for, a minimum of at their $1,999 MSRP. Nvidia might want to have produced sufficient of those playing cards to fulfil the doubtless very excessive demand.
Potential inventory points apart, the addition of even a single RTX 5090 card in any respect to the SFF-Prepared listing is frankly spectacular, particularly because the elevated 575W TDP over the 4090 in concept makes thermals tougher to handle. It could be unbelievable if Nvidia stored the RTX 5090 the identical measurement because the RTX 4090, not to mention make it so it matches in an SFF gaming PC.
You may take a look at the total Nvidia SFF-Prepared certification listing on the Nvidia web site. Within the meantime, take a look at our greatest mini gaming PC information for pre-built choices if you need your construct to get additional small with out the trouble of constructing it your self. You’ll want to test our greatest PC instances information for some suggestions of prime tier instances in all sizes, too.
You too can take a look at our RTX 5090 information for a run by of all of the specs and options of this top-spec Nvidia powerhouse.
