Retailer Sells Defective RTX 5090 GPUs at Inflated Prices, and Someone Will Likely Buy Them
For those lucky enough to snag an Nvidia RTX 50-series GPU, the experience should be a thrilling one. But instead, some early adopters have found their excitement short-lived, as certain RTX 5090 models are underperforming due to missing Render Output Units (ROPs). While this is already frustrating for buyers, the situation has escalated further, as a European retailer is now selling these defective cards as “B-stock” at an outrageous price.
German Retailer Sells Defective Zotac RTX 5090 for Over $3,000
German online store Alternate.de has listed a Zotac RTX 5090 Solid OC with a major defect, noting that the GPU is missing eight ROPs (168 instead of 176). While this may sound like a minor issue, it can lead to performance losses of up to 10%—a significant drop for a GPU that’s meant to be at the bleeding edge of performance.
Despite its flaws, the card is listed for €2,899 (~$3,140 USD), well above the official $2,000 MSRP Nvidia set for a fully functional 5090. Meanwhile, the same Zotac model—without defects—was briefly seen at $2,370 on Newegg, though it quickly sold out.
No Warranty Relief for Buyers
Unfortunately, purchasing this flawed GPU comes with risks beyond just performance loss. According to VideoCardz.com, Zotac won’t replace the defective card under warranty with a fully functioning RTX 5090. Instead, affected buyers would need to rely on the retailer’s return policy, which may not guarantee a full refund or easy resolution.
A Sign of the Times in the GPU Market
The most disappointing part of this situation isn’t just that defective GPUs are being sold at premium prices—it’s that someone will almost certainly buy them anyway. Whether it’s a desperate PC gamer willing to pay over $3,000 for an underperforming card or a reseller looking to profit off uninformed buyers, the demand for high-end GPUs is so extreme that even flawed hardware is being treated as a hot commodity.
This unfortunate scenario reflects the current volatility of the GPU market, where supply shortages, pricing chaos, and questionable retailer practices have made even defective hardware a highly sought-after product.