A small batch of NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPUs may be defective, impacting performance by up to 5%, according to reports.
GPU enthusiasts are reporting that a small batch of NVIDIA RTX 5090 (GB202) GPUs have been shipped with defective chips, including some Zotac, MSI and NVIDIA’s own Founder’s Edition RTX 5090s. The drop in real-world performance is said to be up to 5%.
Those expecting a fix via a BIOS update are out of luck, as this is a defective hardware issue that can’t be rectified in software. Those who own defective RTX 5090s will likely have no choice but to return it to the manufacturer, as the root cause is the chip itself.
Previously, it was reported that MSI and other GPU vendor updated prices for their RTX 5090 lineup of GPUs, with an increase by up to 400 US Dollars. These changes came after US president Donald Trump signed executive orders to impose tariffs on all imports on Canada, Mexico, and China on February 1, 2025, the largest tax hike in the country since 1993. Given how GPUs are manufactured in China, it was only a matter of time before vendors would begin raising product prices to reflect the higher taxes.
As expected, the price hike isn’t linear to the 10% tariff imposed on imports from China, as there are additional processing costs associated with the new trade policy. It appears that NVIDIA opted to release its RTX 5000 GPU series ahead of the execution of tariffs in order to launch with a lower MSRP. Though, a shortage of stock didn’t do it any favors in this regard.
The NVIDIA RTX 5000 Ada Generation GPU, built on the NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture, introduces significant advancements in generative AI while providing the power needed for modern professional workflows. Equipped with 100 third-generation RT Cores, 400 fourth-generation Tensor Cores, 12,800 CUDA® cores, and 32GB of graphics memory, this GPU is optimized for high-performance rendering, AI processing, graphics tasks, and computational workloads. Designed to tackle intensive industry applications, the RTX 5000 excels in areas such as ray tracing, physics simulation, neural graphics, and generative AI.
