Last week, MSI teased the return of its famous MSI Lightning GPU brand , last seen in the now distant MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti Lightning Z. Thanks to the CES 2026 Innovation Awards, we now have more details ahead of the official launch, as the MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Lightning Z has been showcased. Documentation confirms a liquid-cooled AIO system featuring a 360 mm radiator and dual 12V-2×6 power connectors, each capable of delivering 800 W, totaling 1600 W. One of its most notable features is a front-mounted display that covers nearly the entire surface of the card. MSI has equipped the card with a reinforced PCB, premium voltage regulation modules, and a companion mobile app for remote monitoring and overclocking adjustments.

Elite overclockers worldwide are already submitting HWBOT results showcasing the RTX 5090 Lightning Z variant reaching 3,742 MHz , making it the highest-clocked RTX 5090 GPU globally. These benchmarks, conducted with exotic cooling methods such as liquid nitrogen or custom water loops instead of the retail AIO solution, show memory operating at 36 Gbps in various tests. This indicates that the memory modules used in this GPU are also suitable for overclocking. Samsung GDDR7 modules are now sampling at 36 Gbps speeds straight out of the box, but it requires LN2 for older modules to achieve these speeds. Of course, MSI has reportedly readied a XOC VBIOS that allows the card to consume 2,500 W of power, which will require additional PCB modification to the power input. With 40-phase power delivery, 2,500 W of load seems like a good choice for extreme overclocking runs.