Overclockers have pushed the MSI RTX 5090 Lightning to 3.74GHz, breaking multiple world records along the way. These achievements were made possible thanks to the card’s impressive power delivery system and generous XOC BIOS, which allowed for a power limit of up to 2,500W. Yup, two point five kilowatts.
Starting with raw frequency, the lucky overclockers who managed to get their hands on the special RTX 5090 Lightning Z managed to hit up to 3,742MHz GPU frequency using a combination of liquid nitrogen (LN2) cooling and a less-restrictive BIOS. The latter is an important part since without it the card would be limited to Nvidia’s official 600W limit. For reference, even the most generous OC BIOSes only allow for 1,600W to 2,000W. Shunt mods can alleviate this restriction too, but doing so via the BIOS is better.
While the frequency record likely didn’t require 2,500W, the card is nevertheless equipped with two 12V-2×6 power connectors and a massive 40-stage power delivery system. In fact, the voltage regulators, capacitors, and inductors fill every available space around the GPU on the Lightning’s extra-large PCB. This puppy was made for overclocking.
Compared to other attempts, this record sits about 100MHz ahead of the previous holder, who pushed a Galax RTX 5090D HOF OC V2 to 3.65GHz. Memory speed, on the other hand, didn’t change compared to the HOF record, sitting at 36Gb/s, hinting that this may be the limit for these GDDR7 chips.
Frequency-hunting aside, overclockers have also claimed multiple benchmark top spots in 3DMark and Geekbench. To name a few, we have TSAIK achieving first place in HWBot’s Port Royal, Time Spy, and Speed Way rankings, Lucky_n00b on Geekbench 5 compute score, and littleboy on 3DMark Solar Bay.
Unfortunately, since these records used LN2 pots, we didn’t get to see the original cooling assembly. Depending on its capacity, owners of the RTX 5090 Lightning could take advantage of the card’s overclocking prowess without voiding their warranty. A higher power limit alone can make the difference. That said, it is unclear if MSI will authorise the same 2,500W limit on consumer/retail variants.
The MSI RTX 5090 Lightning is set to appear during CES 2026, showcasing the extraordinary potential for enthusiasts. You can also expect new records as more overclockers get their hands on it.
