A German retailer has listed NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs with missing ROPs as B-stock, reigniting discussions about
the previously reported issue. We first reported the problem in February, which affects multiple Blackwell-based GPUs, including the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5070 Ti. These cards were found to have fewer ROPs (Render Output Units) than advertised, leading to up to 11% performance loss in certain applications. At the time, NVIDIA acknowledged the issue, claiming that only 0.5% of the supply was affected, and worked with retailers to offer replacements for affected buyers. However, not all defective units were returned to manufacturers. Instead, some are now being resold as B-stock, typically indicating returned or refurbished items with minor defects.
One such listing on Alternate, a German retailer, features the ZOTAC GeForce RTX 5090 SOLID OC with only 168 active ROPs instead of the expected 176. Despite the reduced specifications, the card is priced at €2,899—the same as the fully functional version. Another similar B-stock listing is available at the same price, while a third unit with additional packaging damage is priced slightly lower at €2,799. Unlike the initial retail period when buyers could exchange these GPUs, the B-stock versions may not be eligible for replacement. However, under EU consumer protection laws, buyers can still return them within a limited timeframe. While NVIDIA has ensured that
no affected notebook models were shipped, the resale of desktop variants as B-stock suggests that some retailers opted not to return them to manufacturers. Currently, no other B-stock RTX 50 series models with missing ROPs have been spotted, but this development raises questions about how many such units may still be in circulation.
Update 14:30 UTC: According to
Alternate clearing up the case for ComputerBase, the retailer didn't sell the GPU as a B-stock, but instead the listing occurred as an error, that got listed from a customer return. "We have, of course, withdrawn the graphics card in question from sale. Some internal processes run automatically, where errors can occur," said Alternate for ComputerBase. The company by no means planned to deceive customers or anything else.