This week, NVIDIA confirmed hardware issues affecting the GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5070 Ti, following multiple reports online. Shortly after, the company also acknowledged that the RTX 5080 suffers from the same defect. However, the RTX 5070, which is set to be the next Blackwell GPU to launch, is not affected by this issue.
The problem stems from the lack of ROP (Raster Output Pipeline) units in these GPUs. The RTX 5090, for example, is missing 8 ROPs, which results in an estimated 4% drop in performance compared to a properly functioning GPU.
Speaking to The Verge, NVIDIA stated:
“After further investigation, we identified that an initial production version of GPUS GeForce RTX 5080 has also been affected by the same problem. Affected consumers can contact the plate manufacturer for replacement.”
RTX 50 owners affected must request plate exchange
NVIDIA has provided the same guidance to owners of other affected Blackwell GPUs—the only solution to this hardware defect is product replacement. Since this is a physical hardware issue, it cannot be fixed through methods like GPU reballing or video memory repairs.
However, NVIDIA reassured that the GeForce RTX 5070 is not affected by this defect. In a statement to The Verge, the company confirmed:
“No other NVIDIA GPU was affected.”
When specifically asked about the mid-range Blackwell GPU, NVIDIA reiterated that it is not impacted, suggesting that the RTX 5060 (Ti) could also be free from this issue.
Previously, NVIDIA claimed that less than 0.5% of GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs were affected. While this is a very low failure rate for mass-produced hardware, the bigger issue remains—a shortage of stock, making replacements even harder to come by.
