No, Zotac didn’t just leak the Nvidia RTX 5090 – but we’re still hoping for a CES 2025 launch anyway

A leaked video thought to show a trial production of Nvidia’s rumored upcoming RTX 5090 GPU in an Indonesian factory has been confirmed to not be the next-gen graphics card, instead it shows a Zotac Gaming RTX 4070 Ti Super Solid – a graphics card that already exists.

The footage, posted on Bilibili (via VideoCardz), showed a Zotac Gaming-branded GPU being connected, powered on, and the production team applauding a successful test.

It appeared to corroborate predictions that the RTX 5090 will launch following an announcement during CES 2025, and if that is the case, you’d expect Nvidia partners like Zotac to be working on their own spins of the GPUs. One detail that got people rather excited about the video was that it looked like it dispelled the rumor that the RTX 5090 would require two 16-pin connectors because of the card’s increased power draw, as the GPU shown only used one.

Wishful thinking

Of course, now we know that the GPU in the video was an RTX 4070 Ti Super, as Zotac itself has confirmed this in a statement it felt pressured to make because the video had gone viral, and that means the dual 16-pin rumor is still well and truly alive.

The video, says Zotac, was an “internal training recording”. This calls into question Zotac’s supply chain security, particularly because the company has previously been involved in early leaks of Nvidia’s RTX 4090.

That footage emerged in September 2022, and, similarly to this one, showed Zotac GPUs being assembled and tested in a factory – which is why so many people were willing to believe that history was repeating itself and Zotac had accidently leaked the 5090.

Some people might believe there’s a possibility that Zotac might be bending the truth to protect itself. The video shown could very well be of Nvidia’s next-gen flagship GPU, and if the leak is legitimate, it could land Zotac in hot water, so issuing a statement denying the GPU is the 5090 could be seen as a way to avoid falling out with Nvidia over yet another leak. I don’t think this is the case, however, as it would be a massive risk on Zotac’s behalf to lie to its consumers like this, so it’s best to take its statement at face value and accept that the video does not show a secret, unanounced GPU. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the 5090 isn’t real or coming soon.

If you’re interested in the RTX 4070 Ti Super Solid, it’s an improvement on the popular 4070 Ti, offering improved 4K gaming performance. It was built using the AD102 chip, the most powerful of Nvidia’s Ada Lovelace lineup, and the one that powers the flagship 4090 GPU. This is an upgrade from the 4070 Ti’s less powerful AD104 chip. The Super Solid features 16 GB of VRAM improving on clock speeds and offers an upgraded cooling system. There’s no question that it is a powerful GPU, but it’s no 5090.

It’s a little bit disappointing that we didn’t in fact see Nvidia’s next-gen card. But it doesn’t mean that the RTX 5090 isn’t currently undergoing testing for its rumored CES 2025 release as there are enough believable rumors out there that suggest the 5090 is real and it’s coming soon. We just have to hold on tight.

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