NVIDIA has recently addressed a manufacturing issue affecting a small percentage of its latest graphics cards, specifically the RTX 5090, RTX 5090D, RTX 5080, and RTX 5070 Ti models. The company confirmed that less than 0.5% of these GPUs were shipped with a defect that resulted in missing render output units (ROPs), leading to a slight performance drop.
Key Takeaways
- Less than 0.5% of RTX 5090, 5090D, and 5070 Ti GPUs affected.
- Missing ROPs result in an average performance loss of about 4%.
- Affected users can contact manufacturers for replacements.
- The production anomaly has been corrected.
Overview Of The Issue
The issue came to light when users reported discrepancies in the ROP count of their RTX 5090 graphics cards. The ROPs are crucial for rendering graphics, and the affected cards were found to have one fewer ROP than specified. This defect was confirmed by Nvidia’s GeForce global PR director, Ben Barraondo, who stated that the average performance impact was around 4%, with no effect on AI and compute workloads.
Affected Models
The following models are confirmed to be affected by this manufacturing anomaly:
- RTX 5090: Expected ROP count is 176; affected cards show 168.
- RTX 5090D: Similar issues as the RTX 5090, primarily sold in China.
- RTX 5080: Expected ROP count is 112, affected cards show 104.
- RTX 5070 Ti: Expected ROP count is 96; affected cards show 88.
Performance Impact
While the performance drop is relatively minor, it has raised concerns among users who expect top-tier performance from Nvidia’s latest offerings. The performance loss was noted in various benchmarks, with affected cards performing approximately 4-5% slower than their fully functional counterparts.
Replacement Process
Nvidia has advised affected consumers to reach out to their board manufacturers for replacements. Users can verify if their GPU is affected by using the GPU-Z utility, which displays the ROP count. If the count is lower than expected, users should initiate the replacement process promptly.
Here is their full statement on the issue…
We have identified a rare issue affecting less than 0.5% (half a percent) of GeForce RTX 5090 / 5090D, RTX 5080, 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.
Conclusion
Nvidia’s swift acknowledgment and resolution of this manufacturing issue reflect its commitment to customer satisfaction. As the company continues to address these concerns, users are encouraged to check their graphics cards and ensure they are receiving the performance they paid for. With the production anomaly corrected, future shipments of the RTX 50 series should not encounter this issue.
Via The Verge
