CES award outs MSI's monstrous 1600W RTX 5090 Lightning GPU — new flagship has next generation liquid cooling, dual 16-pin power connectors, and a surface-mounted LCD display
For a few weeks now, we've known about MSI's RTX 5090 Lightning, a return to form for an iconic lineup of GPUs targeted at extreme overclocking. This new 5090 Lightning is no different with a 1600W power limit (2500W XOC BIOS) split across dual 12V-2x6 connectors, a large screen, and liquid-cooled design, now all confirmed by CES.
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
MSI's Lightning brand of GPUs have represented the company's highest-tier offerings, but they've been on a hiatus these past few generations. Fortunately, the iconic line-up is being revived with a new RTX 5090 Lightning, overtaking the Suprim X as MSI's flagship 5090 variant. While the card hasn't been officially shown off yet, a new CES Innovation Awards listing has unveiled much of the specifics.
I heard that there will be a thunderstorm tomorrow... 😏Stay tuned⚡#MSIxCES2026 pic.twitter.com/qU2meUD6kRJanuary 5, 2026
On the CES awards page, it mostly talks about the cards cooling prowess, "A next-generation pump optimizes flow dynamics, feeding MSI’s patented hybrid-density radiator with zoned fin spacing for superior heat exchange. A silent, high-pressure axial fan with newly designed aerodynamic blades further boosts static pressure at low noise." The main takeaway is the mention of a "reinforced high-power PCB and premium VRM." This refers to an insane 40 power phases, higher than even Galax HOF 5090D's 36/38-phase VRM, capable of delivering up to 1600W of power via dual 12V-2x6 connectors.
Those will probably go well with MSI's new power supply promising to prevent your 5090's 16-pin connector from melting, a situation only exacerbated by having two of them. Evidently, we saw this GPU break world records just yesterday. There will also be a dedicated mobile app to take advantage of the card's unique design.
That transitions us nicely into aesthetics. Prior leaks have already shown us what the GPU looks like — it's a liquid-cooled card with the tubes protruding from the right side, connected to a 360mm radiator. There's a massive screen on one side of the card, and the CES page notes that it can display real-time system visualizations and a companion app enables users to monitor and tweaking overclock settings on the go. The teaser MSI shared also features quick glances at the fans on that aforementioned rad. As you'd expect, the design language leans heavily into a gaming aesthetic, with sharp lines and tasteful RGB accents all around.
