Nvidia Admits RTX 50 GPUs Have Shocking Performance Flaw

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Summary

  • Some RTX 5090, 5090D, and 5070 Ti cards are missing ROP units, impacting gaming performance.
  • Affected users should contact manufacturers for replacement.
  • Nvidia stated that less than 0.5% of RTX 50 cards have the ROP issue and it will be corrected in future shipments.

In simpler terms, Nvidia, a well-known tech company, has acknowledged an issue with certain GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards such as the RTX 5090 and 5070 Ti. The problem lies in the number of raster operating pipeline (ROP) units, which are essential for rendering images quickly during gaming. This shortage results in subpar gaming performance for affected users. If you own an RTX 50 series graphics card with this issue, Nvidia recommends reaching out to the product manufacturer for a replacement.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 stands as the premier graphics card in the Blackwell series. Compacting on its predecessors in terms of size (Founder’s Edition), it boasts innovative technologies such as DLSS 4 and Multi-Frame Generation to boost performance in compatible games. This high-end GPU has become highly sought-after among PC enthusiasts. Regrettably, upon its release on January 30, the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 sold out rapidly across multiple retailers globally. To add to consumer frustration, scalpers are reselling these Blackwell cards at prices significantly higher than their Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). In some instances, the RTX 5090 is being resold for over $3,000.

While some users successfully bought the RTX 5090 graphics card, it’s been noted that a small batch may contain a particular flaw. According to TechPowerUp, certain RTX 5090 GPUs produced by Zotac, MSI, Gigabyte, and Inno3D lack eight Raster Operator Processing Units (ROPs). This deficiency impacts the performance in all games, particularly those that heavily rely on ray tracing. Normally, the RTX 5090 has 176 ROPs, but these faulty cards only have 168 active ROPs. Users can verify the number of ROPs their graphics card possesses using tools like GPU-Z, and then compare this figure with the number of ROPs the card is supposed to have according to the advertisements.

Nvidia Confirms Existence of Defective RTX 5090 Cards

  • Nvidia stated that a few RTX 5090, 5090D, and 5070 Ti cards are missing ROP units.
  • The missing units can result in degraded gaming performance compared to normal GPUs.
  • Cards from MSI, Zotac, Inno3D, and Gigabyte are affected.
  • Nvidia told users to contact board manufacturers for an RMA and replacement.

If the figures aren’t consistent, it suggests that there might be a faulty device. A decrease of eight ROPs in the affected graphics cards could lead to performance drops ranging from 4% to 8%, while this issue does not affect users with the GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition card from Nvidia because the problem is confined to cards produced by Add-in-Board (AIB) partners.

Regarding the absent ROPs (Render Output Units) on some newly released RTX 5090, RTX 5090D, and RTX 5070 Ti graphics cards, Nvidia acknowledged the problem as a manufacturing glitch that affected fewer than half a percent of these cards. Despite ROPs not influencing AI-centric tasks, Nvidia recommended users experiencing this issue to contact the card’s manufacturer for an RMA or replacement. They also mentioned that future shipments of RTX 50 series cards will no longer face this ROP issue.

For those eagerly awaiting a reasonably-priced RTX 50 graphics card, Nvidia has introduced the Verified Priority Access program for pre-registered users wishing to buy either an RTX 5090 or 5080. The success of this program in preventing scalpers remains to be seen.

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2025-02-22 23:55