NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090: Defective cards, grilled components, problems accumulate

Each new device arrives with its share of problems, small or large. Since their launch on January 30, some GeForce RTX 5090 (and 5090D) would probably meet some seeds. A handful of disappointed report defective cards, black screens and damaged parts, especially in China.

A launch under (or without) tension for some

Testimonies appear here and there, especially on the Chinese forums Chiphell and Baidu, as well as on the Bilibili social network. The scenario is often the same: installation of the card, update of the Nvidia pilot, then sudden stop and unable to detect the graphics card.

The Colorful, Manli and Gigabyte models would be among the most affected. A user reports that after having installed a GeForce RTX 5090D (Colorful), his system immediately frozen, making the GPU completely inoperative. There is a similar concern for a GeForce RTX 5090 on the Forum d’Asus, on Reddit.

The GeForce RTX 5090D, remember, is a specific version intended for the Chinese market. Designed to respect the export restrictions imposed by the United States, it displays reduced capacities in artificial intelligence while retaining technical architecture similar to the standard GeForce RTX 5090.

Experts are advancing several explanations: incompatibilities with certain motherboards, conflicts with firmware or problems related to the PCIe 5.0 interface. Some suggest forcing PCIe 4.0 mode by BIOS in order to improve compatibility.

Another possible point of concern, the overheating of 16 -pin connectors, which some media had mentioned (notably tests carried out by PCmarket). This concern should not arrive on this generation, according to NVIDIA, the 12V-2X6 connector seeming for the moment to be spared. Even if the still limited stocks of RTX 50 series prevent a sufficient perspective on the issue.

We had not noted any problems during our RTX 5090 test, including with thermal photos.

Always nonexistent stocks

In addition to these diffuse technical problems, one of the biggest challenges of this launch remains the availability of cards. The GeForce RTX 5080 and 5090 are not found with deadlines up to 16 weeks, stocks being extremely limited. The resellers are struggling to meet demand, and the rare copies available are sold at exorbitant prices on the parallel market.