A rare glitch is better than a common one, but perfection is the ultimate aim.
The Nvidia RTX 50-series has been plagued by a multitude of issues, including low stocks and inflated prices. However, one problem that seemed to add insult to injury was the report of missing ROPs (Raster Operations Pipelines) in some of the new GPUs. This issue was particularly concerning, as ROPs play a crucial role in the rendering process, and a reduction in their number can result in decreased performance.
Initially, it seemed that this problem was yet another example of the RTX 50-series’ woes. However, a recent statement from Wallace Santos, the founder and CEO of Maingear Computers, suggests that the issue may be far less prevalent than initially thought. According to Santos, Maingear has thoroughly tested hundreds of RTX 50-series builds and has yet to find a single GPU with missing ROPs.
This finding appears to corroborate Nvidia’s claim that the issue affects less than 0.5% of GeForce RTX 5090, 5090D, and 5070 Ti GPUs. The company has attributed the problem to a “production anomaly” that resulted in some GPUs having one fewer ROP than specified. Nvidia has also stated that the average graphical performance impact is around 4%, with no impact on AI and Compute workloads.
The news from Maingear provides some reassurance that the issue may not be as widespread as initially feared. However, it’s still a concern for those who have purchased an RTX 50-series GPU and are worried about potential performance issues. Fortunately, users can easily check their GPU’s ROP count using hardware reporting software such as TechPowerUp GPU-Z.
While the missing ROPs issue may be relatively rare, it’s still a black mark on the RTX 50-series’ reputation. However, Nvidia’s efforts to address the problem and provide transparency about the issue are a step in the right direction. As the company continues to work on resolving the remaining issues with the RTX 50-series, users can take some comfort in knowing that the missing ROPs problem may be less prevalent than initially thought.
