NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5090 “GB202” Chip Found Defective in Certain Market Units; Issue May Affect All Variants

NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards are facing yet another setback. Recently, the onboard "Blackwell" GB202 chip has been flagged as faulty in numerous units, causing quite a stir.

Performance Woes with NVIDIA’s RTX Blackwell GPU

When will gamers catch a break in the graphics card world? It seems like only yesterday we were grappling with limited availability of NVIDIA’s flagship RTX Blackwell model. Now, reports are surfacing of significant performance issues due to defects in the silicon of some models. Just the other day, we heard about a ZOTAC GeForce RTX 5090 exhibiting these issues. According to industry insider @MEGAsizeGPU, the problem lies in the Blackwell’s GB202 chip—a topic we’ll dive into right now.

The problem comes from the chip itself. A small batch of GB202 is flawed, and unfortunately, the BIOS can’t fix this issue.
— MEGAsizeGPU (@Zed__Wang) February 21, 2025

For those who haven’t been following, some RTX 5090 cards are showing fewer Raster Operation Pipelines (ROPs) on GPU-Z. This means users affected by this bug are experiencing subpar performance compared to other units. Initially suspected as a glitch with GPU-Z itself, it’s now clear the core issue is the defective GB202 chip, a discovery that isn’t welcome news.

To add weight to these claims, an impacted RTX 5090 was tested with HWINFO, which also confirmed a reduction in ROPs, pointing to a substantial issue. While we’re early in the discovery phase, fortunately, only a limited number of SKUs appear impacted so far. Nevertheless, concerns remain as rumors suggest all variations, including the Founders Edition (FE) models, might be compromised.

Image credit: @BuildLabEx

So, where do we stand now? We’ve reached out to NVIDIA for more details. Given the problem originates with the GB202 chip, NVIDIA might initiate replacements through RMA procedures. It’s crucial that this issue is contained swiftly, especially since their mid-range GPUs are reportedly facing delays due to similar performance issues.

In the meantime, we advise our readers to inspect their RTX 5090 models. If you notice the ROP count is below 176, do let us know. As of now, we’re unsure if the GeForce RTX 5080 or other models are affected, but we’re keeping our ears to the ground as the situation unfolds.