NVIDIA’s flagship GeForce RTX 5090 GPU is experiencing a defective “Blackwell” GB202 chip issue that’s causing performance degradation in many units. The problem was first reported with a ZOTAC model, but now it’s confirmed by NVIDIA forums and testing tools like GPU-Z and HWINFO.
The root cause of the issue lies in a small batch of defective GB202 chips, which are causing the BIOS to fail. This results in models receiving fewer ROPs (Render Output Units), leading to reduced performance compared to normal models.
Although initially suspected to be an issue with testing tools like GPU-Z, further testing has confirmed that the problem is indeed related to the faulty chip. The affected models include not only the flagship RTX 5090 but also rumored variants of the GeForce RTX 5080 and possibly other AIB (Add-In Board) models.
NVIDIA has been reached for a comment on this issue, and it’s likely that they will push out replacements under warranty for affected units. The situation is still developing, and it’s unclear if the problem will spread to other models in NVIDIA’s lineup.
Source: https://wccftech.com/nvidia-geforce-rtx-5090-gb202-chip-reportedly-defective-for-units-in-the-market