One of the Galax OC Lab employees shared fresh information about the development of the flagship GeForce RTX 5090D video card (version for China) in the HOF (Hall of Fame) version. It differs from the previously shown prototype by the presence of a second 12V-2×6 power connector. Each of them can transmit up to 600 W of power to the card.
Image source: Galax OC LAB Team (Micka)
According to the information available, the card is called the GeForce RTX 5090D HOF OC Lab XOC Limited Edition. “XOC” in this case stands for Extreme OC (extreme overclocking). This abbreviation is usually used by Galax for graphics cards with non-standard and unofficial specifications that the company can only use within its overclocking teams. In practice, this means significantly higher TGP levels for graphics cards, going beyond what Nvidia allows.
Every change to the TGP (Total Graphics Power) and VRAM parameters must first be approved by Nvidia. Only then can the manufacturer release a vBIOS with the modified characteristics and distribute it through its closed channels. In reality, XOC vBIOS firmware often leaks onto the Internet and is sometimes even installed by enthusiasts on other video cards.
GeForce RTX 5090D HOF OC Lab XOC Limited Edition has already set a new world record in the 3DMark Speed Way benchmark. During the test, the graphics chip of the video card operated at a frequency of 3.27 GHz. Extreme cooling in the form of liquid nitrogen was used to overclock it.
New World Record Performance in Speed Way Test on RTX 5090 HOF XOC. Image Source: 3DMark
GeForce RTX 5090D HOF OC Lab XOC Limited Edition Specifications. Image Source: Galax OC LAB Team (Micka)
The GeForce RTX 5090D HOF model also made its mark in the 3DMark Port Royal test. Overclocker OGS set a new world performance record with it. However, in this case, an engineering sample of the video card with one 12V-2×6 connector was used.
GeForce RTX 5090 HOF (with single 12V-2×6 power connector). Image source: 3DMark
Galax hasn’t shown off the final designs of the GeForce RTX 5090D HOF or the regular RTX 5090 HOF yet. And to date, the company hasn’t confirmed that these cards will even be available for sale. However, Galax has previously shown off the HOF versions of the RTX 5080 and RTX 5070 Ti. It’s likely that more engineering effort is needed to develop an RTX 5090 for extreme overclocking.
The company still remains loyal to the enthusiast and overclocking community, but with EVGA’s Kingpin cards gone and no word on MSI or Asus’ plans to release their Lightning and Matrix models, Galax is effectively competing with itself.