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.
Tech giant Nvidia stated that some GeForce RTX 50 graphics cards, including the RTX 5090 and 5070 Ti, are missing some raster operating pipeline (ROP) units, leading to degraded gaming performance. Nvidia said that users with defective RTX 50 GPUs should contact the part manufacturer for a replacement.
The GeForce RTX 5090 is the flagship GPU of Nvidia’s Blackwell lineup. With a smaller Founder’s Edition card than its predecessors and access to technologies like DLSS 4 and Multi-Frame Generation to increase performance in compatible games, the RTX 5090 is a coveted item for high-end PC enthusiasts. However, like other Nvidia products, the RTX 5090 and 5080 instantly sold out at various retailers worldwide following their January 30 launch. To make matters worse for consumers, scalpers relisted the RTX 5090 and other Blackwell cards at much higher prices than the MSRP, with some markups raising prices above $3,000.
Related
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 Founder’s Edition Graphics Card Review
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 is an efficient, sleek member of the latest graphics card line, and the Multi-Frame Generation tech is eye-catching.
Although some users managed to purchase the RTX 5090 GPU, a few units may have a specific defect. First reported by TechPowerUp, a few RTX 5090 graphics cards manufactured by Zotac, MSI, Gigabyte, and Inno3D are missing eight ROPs. This results in lower performance across all games, especially in titles that heavily utilize ray tracing. The RTX 5090 usually has 176 ROPs, but the defective cards have only 168 enabled ROPs. Users can check the number of ROPs their graphics card has using programs like GPU-Z and compare the number to the advertised ROPs the card should have.
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 numbers don’t match, that indicates a defective unit. With eight fewer ROPs, affected cards will see performance losses of between 4% and 8% compared to unaffected GPUs. Users with a GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition card from Nvidia are unaffected by the ROP defect, as the problem is only restricted to cards from Add-in-Board (AIB) partners.
In response to the missing ROPs, Nvidia confirmed that the issue was a production anomaly that affected less than half a percent of RTX 5090 and RTX 5090D cards, and even some RTX 5070 Ti GPUs that just hit the market on February 20. Although ROPs don’t impact AI-based workloads, Nvidia stated that affected users should contact the board manufacturer for an RMA or replacement. Nvidia said the missing ROP issue has been corrected in future RTX 50 shipments.
As users continue to hold out for a fair-priced RTX 50 graphics card, Nvidia launched the Verified Priority Access program for registered users interested in purchasing an RTX 5090 or 5080. Only time will tell how effective it will be at deterring scalpers.
Nvidia
- Date Founded
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April 1, 1993
- Headquarters
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Santa Clara, California, United States
- CEO
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Jensen Huang
- Subsidiaries
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Mellanox Technologies, Cumulus Networks, NVIDIA Advanced Rendering Center