NVIDIA’s latest issues with the GeForce RTX 5090 are causing quite a stir, as it turns out the new "Blackwell" GB202 chips aren’t performing as expected for many users.
NVIDIA’s Top-of-the-Line RTX Blackwell GPU Faces ROPs Issues in GPU-Z and Other Tests; Problems Likely with the GB202 Chip
When will gamers finally have a worry-free experience with the GPU market? First, there were shortages of NVIDIA’s flagship RTX Blackwell, which were barely available in stores, and now we hear that some units are coming with faulty silicon, leading to noticeable drops in performance. Recently, there was a report on a ZOTAC GeForce RTX 5090 facing this issue, and now, insights from @MEGAsizeGPU suggest that the real culprit is the Blackwell GB202 chip.
"The root cause is the chip. A small batch of GB202 is defective, and the bios can not do anything with this issue." — @MEGAsizeGPU, February 21, 2025
For those who might not know, NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5090 has been popping up online with fewer ROPs in tools like GPU-Z. This essentially means affected users have a model that underperforms compared to what they expected. Initially, it was speculated that the issue might be a glitch in GPU-Z itself, but we now know it’s actually due to faulty GB202 chips—bad news for gamers everywhere.
To strengthen this claim, a compromised RTX 5090 was also checked using HWINFO, and, once again, fewer ROPs showed up, confirming that there’s more going on than just data misrepresentation. While the issue seems to affect only a limited batch at this point, it isn’t confined to just one AIB model, sparking rumors that even the FE edition might be affected.
So, what’s next? We’ve reached out to NVIDIA for comment, and given the problem originates with the GB202 chip, we’re expecting them to initiate a replacement process through RMA. Hopefully, this hiccup won’t grow into a bigger headache for NVIDIA, especially as their production of mid-range GPUs is already delayed due to other performance issues.
In the meantime, we urge our readers to check their models for any discrepancies in ROP count. If you find that it’s below 176, please contact us. Right now, we don’t know if similar problems exist in other models, like the GeForce RTX 5080, as this story continues to unfold.
