Performance Degradation in ZOTAC RTX 5090 GPUs Due to Missing ROPs, Slower Than Founder’s Edition

Recent reports indicate that ZOTAC’s custom editions of the RTX 5090 feature a reduced number of Raster Operations Pipelines (ROPs), which may adversely affect performance when compared to other RTX 5090 models.

Performance Implications of Reduced ROPs in ZOTAC RTX 5090 GPUs

New findings suggest that certain ZOTAC RTX 5090 GPUs might underperform compared to the standard GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition. According to a report by Techpowerup, these graphics cards have been detected with eight fewer ROPs, as confirmed by multiple users through GPU-Z diagnostics.

While it’s still unclear if this deficiency is universal across all ZOTAC RTX 5090 models, Techpowerup and its forum contributors have corroborated the findings.

The reported reduction in ROPs from the expected 176 down to 168 is significant. ROPs play a crucial role in executing complex graphical tasks like antialiasing, color blending, and depth testing. With gaming environments constantly demanding these operations, the inferior ROP count can directly impede render performance, which Techpowerup has validated through further testing.

ZOTAC RTX 5090 vs FE CPU-Z ROPs — Image Credit: Techpowerup.com

In their tests, Techpowerup found that the ZOTAC RTX 5090 performed slightly worse than the Founders Edition and substantially lagged behind premium editions from other manufacturers. Their re-testing confirmed the initial assessment: ZOTAC’s RTX 5090 GPUs are indeed delivering lower performance than anticipated.

This issue is perplexing, as other RTX 5090 variations from different vendors do not show similar performance declines. Consequently, the ZOTAC RTX 5090 models may fall short in various popular titles, including Elden Ring, Starfield, and Doom Eternal, which heavily rely on ROPs for optimal gameplay experiences.

The root cause of this discrepancy remains uncertain. If this shortfall is due to a software bug, it could potentially be rectified through updates. However, if it stems from hardware limitations, no modifications would be possible. It’s vital to note that while ZOTAC is being scrutinized, the specifications of the GPUs are ultimately controlled by NVIDIA, which provides the chips post-QA testing. Regardless, both companies need to address and rectify this situation to restore consumer confidence.

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