NVIDIA RTX 50-Series GPUs: Performance Woes Stem from Defective ROPs
Introduction
The release of NVIDIA’s highly anticipated RTX 50-series graphics cards has been met with a sense of disappointment for some early adopters. Numerous reports have emerged on social media platforms indicating that newly purchased RTX 5090 and RTX 5070 Ti GPUs are exhibiting a performance deficit compared to expectations.
The Issue: Missing ROPs
At the heart of the problem lies a manufacturing defect affecting the number of Render Output Units (ROPs) on these cards. ROPs play a crucial role in the rendering process, and the RTX 5090 is expected to have 176 ROPs, while the RTX 5070 Ti should have 96. However, users have reported that their cards have 8 fewer ROPs, with 168 and 88 respectively.
Impact on Performance
The reduction in ROP count translates directly into a noticeable decrease in final FPS performance for games. In the worst cases, users have experienced performance drops of up to 10%. While this may not seem like a significant margin, it represents a substantial portion of the performance delta between the current generation of cards and their predecessors.
NVIDIA’s Response
In a statement issued to Tom’s Hardware, NVIDIA has acknowledged the issue as a quality assurance problem. The company classifies it as a "rare issue" affecting only 0.5% (1 in 200) of manufactured GPUs. Despite the low percentage, this translates to a significant number of affected cards considering the high volume of GPUs sold.
RMA Process
NVIDIA recommends that affected buyers contact their respective manufacturers to initiate the RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) process. For Founder’s Edition cards, buyers should contact NVIDIA directly, while cards purchased from vendors like Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, etc., should be returned to those vendors.
Warranty Coverage
All RTX 50-series cards sold this year are covered under warranty, which means that affected buyers can have their cards repaired or replaced free of charge. The only inconvenience lies in being without the GPU for several weeks while the RMA process is underway.
Additional Quality Assurance Issues
The RTX 50-series cards have also encountered another quality assurance issue: melting power cables. This problem is not new to NVIDIA, as it also occurred with the RTX 40-series. Although the issue does not affect the majority of users, it highlights the need for thorough quality control measures.
Probability of Getting a Defective Card
Despite the reported issues, the odds of purchasing a defective card are relatively low, based on the available information. However, it is important to note that these problems have primarily surfaced among early adopters who have purchased their cards recently.
Conclusion
The performance issues caused by missing ROPs on RTX 50-series GPUs are a source of frustration for affected buyers. NVIDIA has acknowledged the issue and is working to rectify it. While the RMA process will provide a solution for those with defective cards, it is important for potential buyers to be aware of these potential quality assurance concerns before investing in the new RTX 50-series cards.
