Apart from performance improvements, one of the major peculiarities of the GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition, which rivals the best graphics cards, is its considerable thinness compared to its predecessor. The company had to reinvent its printed circuit board (PCB) and cooling system to achieve this. One of the notable features of the new cooler is that it uses a liquid metal thermal interface material (TIM), a rather unconventional interface for a Founders Edition graphics card.
Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition has the same length and height as its predecessor — 304 mm x 137 mm — but it is just two slots wide. To make this possible, Nvidia implemented a three-piece PCB and a double flow-through cooling system design that is more efficient than the single flow-through cooler on the GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition. To maximize its efficiency, Nvidia had to optimize the performance of the thermal interface between the GPU and the radiator, and this is where a liquid metal thermal interface comes into play.
Liquid metal TIMs are typically made of gallium alloys (such as gallium-indium-tin) with exceptional thermal conductivity. While they greatly enhance heat transfer from hot components to the cooling system, their usage comes with significant risks and challenges. They are electrically conductive, which could cause short circuits if not appropriately handled, and they can corrode specific metals, such as aluminum.
Using a liquid metal TIM for a Founders Edition graphics card has significant implications. Enthusiasts (especially those familiar with Thermal Grizzly's Conductonaut) will likely appreciate the new thermal material, which promises to increase the cooling performance of the GeForce RTX 5090 FE.
However, Nvidia's Founders Edition graphics boards are widely used by PC makers, including major companies and boutique PC builders. PC makers tend to be extremely cautious, as they want their systems to last for years, so adopting something brand new always involves extensive testing beforehand. Nvidia provides samples of its boards to partners before the commercial launch, so hopefully, PC makers will offer the new GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition when it hits retail in late January or early February.
Nowadays, only Asus uses liquid metal TIMs more or less widely for high-performance laptops and graphics cards; other makers tend to be more cautious. Some systems by Acer and Alienware also use TIMs. Perhaps the most commonly used application of TIMs is Sony's PlayStation 5 game console, which uses a TIM between its custom AMD processor and the heatsink.
