It seems NVIDIA’s latest GeForce RTX 5090 GPUs are encountering a bit of turbulence, as reports emerge about defects in their “Blackwell” GB202 chip, a concern that’s causing a stir among gamers.
NVIDIA’s Top-Tier RTX Blackwell GPU Faces ROP Shortfalls; Rumors Suggest Blame Lies with the GB202 Chip
When, indeed, will gamers find some tranquility in the realm of GPUs? At first, NVIDIA’s flagship RTX Blackwell was hard to come by, with stock appearing in frustratingly small numbers. Now, we’re hearing murmurs that certain models might be faulty, leading to a significant dip in performance. Not long ago, it came to light that a ZOTAC GeForce RTX 5090 was plagued by this issue, and according to @MEGAsizeGPU, the trouble seems to originate from the GB202 chip in the Blackwell series.
The core problem is the chip itself. A select batch of GB202 came out defective, leaving the BIOS powerless to fix the situation.
— MEGAsizeGPU (@Zed__Wang) February 21, 2025
For those not in the loop, there’s chatter online about certain GeForce RTX 5090 units showing a reduced number of ROPs in GPU-Z data. This essentially means that some users are ending up with graphics cards that simply don’t perform to their full potential compared to the standard models. Initially, fingers were pointed at a GPU-Z glitch affecting specific variants, but now it seems the culprit may indeed be the defective GB202 chip, a development that’s less than thrilling.
To further substantiate the issue’s root not being within GPU-Z, another affected RTX 5090 was examined using HWINFO, which also reflected the diminished ROP count. This suggests that the complexity of the problem is deeper than first suspected. At this stage, only a small number of SKUs are reportedly affected, but the buzz is that the glitch could potentially involve all variants, including the Founders Edition.
So, what’s the next step? We’ve reached out to NVIDIA for their take, and given that the issue centers on the GB202 chip, we anticipate they might initiate an RMA process for replacements. The hope is that this doesn’t escalate, as it could spell more headaches for NVIDIA, especially since there’s already talk of delays with their “mid-range” GPUs due to similar performance snags.
In the meantime, we’re encouraging viewers to check their own models for any discrepancies in ROP count. If it’s under 176, do let us know. As it stands, we don’t yet have clarity on whether this issue extends to other models like the GeForce RTX 5080, but we will keep an eye on this evolving situation.
