The latest buzz around NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5090 GPUs has taken a troubling turn as reports of defective "Blackwell" GB202 chips emerge, causing quite a stir among users.
Concerns Rise Over Missing ROPs in NVIDIA’s Flagship GPU
It seems like every time gamers hope for a stable GPU market, another wrench gets thrown into the works. Initially, NVIDIA’s release of the RTX Blackwell model faced severe inventory shortages, making them hard to find. Now, fresh reports indicate some units have defects, notably leading to significant performance drop-offs. Recently, attention was drawn to a ZOTAC version of the GeForce RTX 5090 plagued by these issues. According to @MEGAsizeGPU, the crux of the matter is a faulty GB202 chip, which we’ll delve into further.
For those not closely following the latest developments, NVIDIA’s RTX 5090 models have surfaced online showing a reduced number of ROPs in GPU-Z diagnostics. This means some users have GPUs that don’t perform on par with what they should. Initially, there was some hope it might be a glitch in the GPU-Z software, but now we understand the flaw stems from the GB202 chip itself, which is definitely not the news anyone wanted to hear.
HWINFO tests on an affected RTX 5090 variant confirmed fewer ROPs, reinforcing that this isn’t a simple software hiccup but perhaps a deeper hardware issue. Fortunately, at this stage, only a limited number of models seem to be impacted. Worryingly, though, it’s not confined to a single AIB model; speculation suggests even the Founders Edition might not be immune.
So what does this mean moving forward? We’ve reached out to NVIDIA for a statement. Since the problem is traced back to the GB202, it’s plausible they’ll initiate RMA replacements. We sincerely hope the issue remains contained, as NVIDIA is already grappling with production delays in their "mid-range" GPU lineup due to other performance-related challenges.
In the meantime, we urge users to inspect their RTX 5090 models for any discrepancies in ROP count. Should you find yours has fewer than the expected 176, do let us know. As of now, we’re unsure if this problem extends to other models like the GeForce RTX 5080, but we’ll keep you updated as more information comes to light.
