MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Lightning Z Review Roundup

At CES 2026 MSI introduced the return of the Lightning Z.  The Lightning series is highly coveted in the overclocking community for offering reliable performance due to the overbuilt PCBs and options to unlock the VRM.  This was a feature exclusive to LN2 overclocking and would void the warranty but, was hella fun.  In factory form, the series catered to the hardware enthusiast for offering a healthy factory overclock and overbuilt heatsink to ensure that the best performance could be enjoyed in every environment from single card clocking to massive 4-way SLI gaming setups.

When Nvidia started to crack down on warranty claims it forced companies to cut back on exposed features.  This would limit power delivery but would also augment the factory Boost feature for better performance and, once again limiting overclocking.  A few years later Nvidia would remove SLI and the global GPU shortage would effectively remove overclocking friendly video cards from the market overnight.

This is one reason why the new RTX 5090 Lightning Z release is such a surprise.  Not only does it revive a well-known brand but becomes a litmus to see if the enthusiast PC market can sustain high-end graphics cards again.  I will admit, this design mirrors the luxury demands for computer hardware in China and will likely be a one off considering the excessive price and lack of real value to a normal gamer.

Web Reviews
MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Lightning Z review @ Guru3D
MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Lightning Z Review - Up to 1000 W @ TechPowerUp