German tech retailer Alternate has explained a controversial recent listing on its website for an RTX 5090 with missing ROPs. On the site it was classified as "B-stock" that, despite the apparent defect, was being sold for more than the graphic card model's MSRP. The online store confirmed has now that this GPU was part of a customer return and was never intended for sale (via ComputerBase).
The first case of an RTX 50 series GPU with missing ROP units dates back to late February, with many subsequent reports to follow as awareness increased. ROPs are hardware units on your GPU responsible for pixel processing, blending, anti-aliasing, and writing to the frame buffer. All displayed pixel data must go through the ROP units before it can be written to the GPU's memory.
Nvidia later issued a clarification asserting only 0.5% of produced RTX 5090s and RTX 5070 Tis were impacted, asking affected customers to push their respective board partners for a replacement. After it was revealed that this manufacturing defect extended to the RTX 5080 as well, testing by Gamer's Nexus showed that GPUs with a missing ROP cluster take an up to 11% performance hit while gaming.
Considering the broad Blackwell shortage, retailers selling defective units with missing ROPs at a discount wouldn't be surprising. Last week, Alternate listed a "B-stock" RTX 5090 with 168 (out of 176 advertised) ROPs for €2,899 ($3,100), a price that's comparable to fully functional models. After the news emerged, the German store contacted ComputerBase, explaining that the listed GPU was the consequence of an internal system error and was never intended to be sold.
B-stock typically refers to products that are no longer considered new due to issues like cosmetic flaws or customer returns. Based on the extent of these issues, retailers then establish a reasonable price tag for these items. The defective RTX 5090 at Alternative was likely misclassified as B-stock in their database due to a part defect: the missing ROP units. Moreover, the system defaulted to the cost of a brand-new RTX 5090, as it was probably not designed to price GPUs with missing ROPs in the first place.
“We have of course removed the said graphics card from the sale... Some internal processes run automatically where errors can happen.”
Alternate to ComputerBase
The GPU has now been delisted from the website, and it was apparently a customer return, likely intended for replacement. Blackwell supply is gradually improving but the same cannot be said for the prices.
Even though street prices barely adhere to the MSRP, AIBs are continuing to increase them as we move into April. The average selling price of an RTX 5090 Founders Edition at eBay has stabilized at $4,000 but we're still likely months away from normality. Sadly, this trend continues to plague both current-gen and last-gen GPUs, not just from Nvidia, but from all three vendors.
