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In recent weeks, a few RTX 50 graphics card buyers have encountered some issues. This time, we aren't talking about burning connectors, but a different kind of fault. It turns out, a small number of RTX 5090 and RTX 5070 Ti graphics cards were shipped with GPUs featuring fewer ROPs than advertised on the official spec sheet.
According to Nvidia, the problem stems from a factory defect affecting a small number of GPUs, including the RTX 5090, RTX 5090D, and the recently released RTX 5070 Ti. These defective GPUs were shipped to board partners, meaning cards from various manufacturers could be affected. The defect, which results in a reduced number of ROPs (Render Output Units) being enabled, can lead to a performance decrease of up to 4%, as confirmed by TechPowerUp's investigation.
Nvidia's statement was the following:
“We have identified a rare issue affecting less than 0.5% (half a percent) of GeForce RTX 5090 / 5090D and 5070 Ti GPUs which have one fewer ROP than specified. The average graphical performance impact is 4%, with no impact on AI and Compute workloads. Affected consumers can contact the board manufacturer for a replacement. The production anomaly has been corrected.”
While Nvidia claims that only 0.5% of GPUs are affected, this still translates to many potentially defective cards already in consumers' hands. What's particularly concerning is that Nvidia seemingly knew about this issue for some time but failed to disclose it before the launch of the affected cards.
The company's statement offers little guidance for affected customers, simply advising them to seek a replacement from their board partner. However, securing a replacement could be tough given the ongoing supply challenges, particularly for the high-end 5090 series. A prompt recall of the affected cards would be a more appropriate course of action.
KitGuru says: This statement casts a further shadow over the RTX 50 series launch, which has been marred by underwhelming performance gains, inflated pricing, and now, production defects.
