If you’ve recently spent a substantial amount of money on a new RTX 50-series GPU, you might be disappointed to hear that some users are experiencing performance issues due to a manufacturing defect. A growing number of buyers are reporting missing ROP (Render Output Unit) units, which is causing a noticeable dip in performance. But not to worry—this issue is covered under warranty.
For context, the RTX 5090 should have 176 ROPs, and the RTX 5070 Ti is supposed to come with 96 ROPs. However, users have discovered that their cards only have 168 and 88 ROPs, respectively, leading to performance drops of up to 10% in certain games. While this may not sound like much, it’s a significant difference for those who’ve invested heavily in the latest graphics technology.
In response, Nvidia has acknowledged the issue and described it as a rare manufacturing defect. According to Nvidia, only 0.5% (1 in 200) of their GPUs are affected. Although the issue may seem minor, this still means that a few hundred or thousand early adopters could experience problems with their cards. Nvidia has reassured customers that the impact on overall graphical performance averages about 4%, with no effects on AI and Compute workloads. The good news is that the problem has already been addressed in the manufacturing process.
If you’re one of the affected customers, Nvidia recommends contacting the manufacturer of your card, whether it’s a Founder’s Edition or another brand like Asus, MSI, or Gigabyte, to begin the RMA process. Since all affected cards are still under warranty, your biggest concern will likely be the time it takes to receive a replacement.
On top of this, there have also been reports of melting power cables on RTX 50-series cards, an issue that also surfaced with the previous generation’s RTX 40-series. Despite these issues, the overall chances of receiving a faulty card remain low. If you’re lucky enough to get a good one, you’re still likely to experience excellent performance with your GPU.