The graphics card market never ceases to amaze. This time, the source of the surprise was the Goofish platform (Alibaba’s equivalent of eBay), where very specific copies of video cards with the mysterious RTX 5090 32G D7 Turbo label appeared. They look like they are from a parallel reality where NVIDIA allows turbine cooling systems on its flagships. Although, of course, this is not the case.
«Turbine» returns, but not quite officially
Back in mid-April, Chinese enthusiasts and journalists drew attention to the first samples of custom GeForce RTX 5090D graphics cards with turbine cooling. This decision was surprising, because this type of cooler – a legacy of the Quadro and Tesla era – has long been out of use in gaming graphics cards due to insufficient efficiency at high TDPs. But the turbine has one advantage: it removes hot air from the case, which is important for servers and compact systems. This is what has apparently attracted some Chinese companies and wealthy enthusiasts.
However, the new batch of graphics cards looks even more interesting. Firstly, the boxes have inscriptions on the back like NVIDIA RTX 4090 24G AIB BLOWER or RTX 4070 12G AIB BLOWER — presumably to disguise the real content. Secondly, the 32G D7 Turbo labeling hints at a real RTX 5090 graphics card with a full GB202 GPU, not its «cropped» D-version.
Who and where are they from?
These graphics cards are unlikely to be licensed or certified by NVIDIA. Most likely, we are seeing an example of the same «workarounds» schemes that still allow flagship GPUs to enter China despite the restrictions on exporting powerful chips. Western sources (such as VideoCardz і Tom’s Hardware) suggest that NVIDIA itself is unlikely to take up the investigation — it is too complicated and politically sensitive.
Given the current demand for AI computing, unofficial vendors are willing to do a lot to get Blackwell chips. The GB202 is known to deliver impressive performance not only in games, but also in tasks such as generative AI models. It’s no wonder that even the artisanal turbo-cooled versions are in demand.
This situation with the RTX 5090 D7 Turbo is another reminder that literally anything can be found on the shadow market. Even an almost real flagship with an alternative cooling system in the box. While NVIDIA is observing a diplomatic pause, Chinese businessmen are showing that they are clearly not in short supply of engineering savvy.
What about you, would you like to drive an RTX 5090 with a turbine? Or do you leave this exoticism for server cabinets and forum discussions?
Source: techpowerup
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