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NVIDIA seems to be facing another bump in the road with their GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards, particularly concerning the "Blackwell" GB202 chip. Reports have surfaced indicating that many units might be sporting a defective chip.
Missing ROPs in NVIDIA’s Blackwell GPU: What’s Going On?
Is it ever going to be smooth sailing for gamers in the GPU landscape? First, we dealt with the scarcity of NVIDIA’s RTX Blackwell GPUs, and now there’s chatter about defects in the flagship model. The issues seem to stem from the GB202 chip, leading to significant performance hits. Recently, a ZOTAC GeForce RTX 5090 fell victim to this problem, and according to tech enthusiast @MEGAsizeGPU, it’s the Blackwell chip that’s to blame.
The root cause is the chip. A small batch of GB202 is defective, and the bios can not do anything with this issue.
— MEGAsizeGPU (@Zed__Wang) February 21, 2025
For anyone not in the loop, the RTX 5090 is appearing online with a reduced number of ROPs in tests like GPU-Z. This essentially means that users with these defective units are seeing a drop in performance. Initially, folks thought GPU-Z was to blame for this glitch in some versions. However, it’s now clear that the issue stems from the faulty GB202 chip itself, spelling trouble for more than a few gamers.
To put this issue to the test, HWINFO also faced the same drop in ROPs, reinforcing the alarm. Although we’re still in the early phase of identifying the problem, not all SKUs are affected. However, whispers suggest that it isn’t just limited to one AIB model; even the FE variants might be in jeopardy.
Image Credit: @BuildLabEx
So, what’s next? We’ve reached out to NVIDIA for their take on this situation. Considering the faulty GB202, NVIDIA will likely proceed with replacements for affected units. Hopefully, the issue remains contained; the company faces enough challenges already, with their mid-range GPUs facing delays due to similar performance hiccups.
If you suspect your card might be affected, check the ROP count on your model. If it’s below 176, give us a shout. As it stands, we’re unsure if this issue extends to models like the GeForce RTX 5080, but we’re on high alert as this story continues to unfold.
