Every PC enthusiast knows that heat is the enemy of performance. The silicon in a GPU or CPU works best when it is kept cool. As such, water cooling solutions are popular amongst high-end users. However, owners of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Founder Edition who were interested in a water cooling solution might be disappointed.

The Founders Edition versions of Nvidia's graphics cards are often highly sought after. They have a great design and often become collectors’ items even when not in use. Last generation, liquid cooling manufacturer Alphacool provided All-in-one (AIO) and water cooling systems specifically designed for the RTX 4090.

RTX 5090 won’t be getting

Some customers bought the RTX 5090 Founder Edition in anticipation of being able to squeeze more performance out of it at a later date using an AIO or water cooler system like the previous generation. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed after a screenshot of a conversation with an Alphacool representative was posted on Reddit.

After a user asked if there were plans for AIO or water coolers for the RTX 5090 FE, Alphacool representative u/Eddy-Alphacol explained that AIO for third-party RTX 50 series of graphics cards is due for a Summer release, but there were no plans for AIO or water-cooled systems for the Founders Edition.

When pressed for a reason behind this decision, Eddy explained: “Disassembling the FE cards is complicated. The split PCB layout with the cable connection is fragile. The risk of damaging the card during modification is high. Before customers end up complaining that our coolers are responsible for damaging their graphics cards, we prefer to avoid it entirely.”

Though this news is bound to disappoint some RTX 5090 FE owners, the reasons are understandable. Even Reddit users were understanding: “I honestly can't blame them for this decision and I'd probably make the same one myself,” said u/Aquaticle000, “I'm wondering though why it was designed the way it was. I never really looked into it but I've been curious of it.”

Those wanting to get the best performance from an RTX 5090 will be better off with an AIB version – assuming they can find one for sale.

About the Author

Rebecca Hills-Duty

Writing and journalism experience at VRFocus, UploadVR, The Escapist, HTC, PC Gamer, Tech Radar+ and Dexerto. Can sometimes be found playing with retro tech.