Custom RTX 5090 editions from ZOTAC are reported to feature 8 fewer ROPs compared to other RTX 5090 GPUs.
Lower ROPs Count on ZOTAC RTX 5090 Cards Results in Inferior Raster Performance, Confirmed Through GPU-Z
An interesting finding has revealed that some GeForce RTX 5090 GPUs aren't normal. They can sometimes be even slower than the GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition. As reported by Techpowerup, the ZOTAC RTX 5090 SOLID graphics cards have shown up with fewer ROPs in GPU-Z and this has been confirmed by other users as well.
We don't know if this is 100% accurate with all the available ZOTAC RTX 5090 cards, but Techpowerup, as well as one of its forum users, has reported this to be the case.
Note - Not all ZOTAC cards are affected by the missing ROPS issue.
The ZOTAC RTX 5090 cards show up with eight missing ROPs compared to the standard design. ROPs or Raster Operations Pipelines are responsible for executing complex workloads in graphically intensive processes such as antialiasing, depth testing, color and blending operations, etc.
With such processes being active all the time in games, it's obvious that fewer ROPs will lead to inferior performance, and this is exactly what Techpowerup has found in re-testing. In the original review of their ZOTAC RTX 5090 card, they found it to be slightly slower than the Founders Edition and noticeably slower than premium editions from other vendors.
In re-testing, this was replicated, confirming that the ZOTAC RTX 5090 cards are indeed performing slower than expected. As far as ROP count goes, the Founders Edition RTX 5090 is equipped with 176 ROPs while the ZOTAC RTX 5090 cards show 168. Despite driver re-installation, switching of BIOSes, and whatnot, the ZOTAC RTX 5090 GPUs still show the same ROP count, which is concerning.
It's not known why this is common only on ZOTAC RTX 5090 cards, as the RTX 5090s from other vendors don't show this behavior. This puts the ZOTAC RTX 5090 GPUs behind all other RTX 5090 editions in games like Elden Ring, Starfield, Doom Eternal, and various other titles, depending on the game requirements for ROPs.
In case this is a software-level bug, it could be fixed, but if it is found to be initiated at the hardware level, then it can't be fixed. If you think that this is all ZOTAC's fault, then we must notify you that ZOTAC doesn't have control over core specs, and the chips are supplied by NVIDIA after QA testing. Regardless of whose fault this is, both NVIDIA and ZOTAC have misled consumers and need to fix it asap.
Update: Looks like there are more RTX 5090 editions affected by this problem but from different vendors. This includes Manli RTX 5090D and Gigabyte RTX 5090 Gaming OC.
Manli 5090D
It doesn't seem to be an isolated case, but a batch of defective chips was shipped normally.https://t.co/CW7RDbObh6 pic.twitter.com/OPJwIKgBWL
— HXL (@9550pro) February 21, 2025
Looks like someone on the r/NVIDIA subreddit has one of these defective RTX 5090s and it's a GIGABYTE GAMING OC model.
What the actual fuck is happening at NVIDIA? This Blackwell launch has been an utter, unmitigated disaster!Source: https://t.co/pNruAwhYrZ https://t.co/ame5tgstI6 pic.twitter.com/lC4R3QNfkW
— Sebastian Castellanos (@Sebasti66855537) February 21, 2025
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
