While trying to get its Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card more solidly on the market, the component manufacturer and its retail partners have bumped into some functionality issues with the GPU that affect its performance.
Several users have obtained the RTX 5090 GPU from multiple different retailers, and have reported a unique problem, where the GPU does not have as many ROPs (Raster Operations Pipeline unit) as it should to sufficiently render images in 3D post-processing.
A member of the TechPowerUp forums reported that their graphics card, GeForce RTX 5090 GPU supplied by the retailer Zotac was registering as having fewer ROPs than it should. The member attempted to remedy the issue with software re-installs and switching the video BIOS, which was no help.
Upon further analysis, on a Zotac brand RTX 5090 GPU of their own, TechPowerUp observed that the component has 168 ROPs instead of the customary 176 ROPs. The 8 ROP difference can equate to a 4.5% difference in GPU performance; however, the publication observed performance losses of over 5% when performing benchmarks with the compromised graphics cards.
With the problem affecting not only, Zotac brand, but also ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, Palit, and NVIDIA GPUs, enthusiasts have determined that this is a hardware issue more than a software challenge.
Nvidia has acknowledged the reports of performance issues with the RTX 5090 GPU, indicating that only a small number of graphics cards have been affected. The component company has also made it known that the GeForce RTX 5090D, a chip localized to the Chinese market, and GeForce RTX 5070 Ti have also been affected.
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.
YouTuber JayzTwoCents noted anyone concerned about the performance efficacy of their RTX 5090 can download TechPowerup’s GPU Information Utility here, or by searching for TechPowerup GPU-Z. Download the utility from the servers. Once it pops up, it will tell you everything you need to know about your GPU. For this instance, the ROPs section should read 176 for a healthy card. Anything less, such as 168 ROPs may indicate a problem.
For preliminary assistance, the YouTuber recommends not returning the defective GPU, as it may just end up in circulation with another consumer– and you may end up having to wait for an extended time for a new GPU.
He suggests reaching out to the customer service account of the vendor from which you purchased the card, using a headline such as ‘Missing ROPs, response required,’ and remembering to be kind, as there are likely many people reaching out with similar concerns at this time.
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