NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5090 “GB202” Chip Shows Defects in Certain Market Units; Possible Widespread Impact Across Variants

NVIDIA seems to have hit another snag with their GeForce RTX 5090 GPUs, as reports surface about the "Blackwell" GB202 chip being faulty in numerous units.

NVIDIA’s Top-Tier RTX Blackwell GPU Faces ROP Deficiencies: GB202 Chip to Blame?

It’s becoming increasingly difficult for gamers to catch a break in the GPU market. First, there was the issue of scarcity — the flagship RTX Blackwell model being available in only "limited" quantities. Now, reports are pointing to a more serious problem: defective silicon in some models is leading to a noticeable dip in performance. We’ve already covered a ZOTAC GeForce RTX 5090 suffering from this setback, and as per @MEGAsizeGPU, the heart of the problem lies with the Blackwell’s GB202 chip, which we’ll delve into shortly.

The root cause is the chip. A small batch of GB202 is defective, and the bios can not do anything with this issue.

— MEGAsizeGPU (@Zed__Wang) February 21, 2025

For those out of the loop, the GeForce RTX 5090 is popping up online with a reduced number of ROPs in GPU-Z equipment checks. Unfortunately, this means that consumers with this issue have a model that underperforms compared to others. Initially, this was thought to be a GPU-Z error on certain units. However, it’s now indicated that the GB202 chip itself is at fault, and this revelation isn’t great news.

Further validating these claims, an affected RTX 5090 model was examined using HWINFO, where a similar reduction in ROPs was observed, indicating a significant underlying issue. Though the problem seems confined to a limited number of SKUs at present, it’s rumored that it may extend beyond a single partner’s model. Reports suggest even the Founders Edition could potentially suffer from this flaw.

Image Source: @BuildLabEx

So, what’s next? We’ve reached out to NVIDIA for more information. Since the issue stems from the GB202 chip, it’s plausible that NVIDIA will initiate an RMA process to replace the defective units. There’s also a hope that this problem doesn’t spread, as NVIDIA is already grappling with production delays due to performance issues in their "mid-range" lineup.

If you own one of these models, we recommend checking your ROP count. If it’s below 176, let us know. As of now, it’s unclear whether models like the GeForce RTX 5080 are impacted, but we’ll keep monitoring this developing situation.