Summary
Tech giantNvidiastated 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.Nvidiasaid 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 outat 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.
Although some users managed to purchase the RTX 5090 GPU, a few units may have a specific defect. Firstreported 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 intitles 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
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 evensome RTX 5070 Ti GPUsthat 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 programfor registered users interested in purchasing an RTX 5090 or 5080. Only time will tell how effective it will be at deterring scalpers.
