Table of ContentsTable of ContentsMake sure youre using the right cablesInstall the latest BIOS and drivers that workCheck for missing ROPsInstall and older secondary GPU for older game supportTo say Nvidias RTX 50 graphics card launch has gone poorly would be an incredible understatement. There are almost no cards in stock, despite Nvidia shutting down last-generation production at the end of last year to prepare for it, but the cards that are our there are failing in all sorts of ways. From driver and BIOS issues, to melting power cables, and even missing hardware on the GPU die itself.If you were lucky enough to get hold of one of these cards, you really need to make sure you got what you paid for.Recommended VideosPCMThere were a lot of problems with Nvidias RTX 4090 when it first launched, but Nvidia fixed that with a new power connector. Or so we thought. Thats why when RTX 5090s and some 5080s started having problems with melted or damaged power connectors, and even damaged power supplies and graphics cards, everyone was so surprised.Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming But power problems are still here and here to stay, it seems. Third-party power cables often appear to be at fault, but we cant discount user error or poor airflow around these hot and demanding cables.Even if you havent encountered any issues with your GPUs cabling yet, make sure that youre using first-party cables only, and that you dont have any kinks or restricted airflow around your GPU and its power connectors.Many of the latest RTX 50 graphics cards have been facing strange black screen issues since launch. This can happen at random times and making some of these new cards all but unusable. Fortunately, Nvidia has a fix for it and has released updated drivers and BIOS updates for a range of RTX 50 cards that should fix the problem.Unfortunately, for some this issue still isnt fixed. So, while the best general advice we can give if youre facing black screen issues is to update your card and its drivers to the latest versions, read up what your fellow gamers are saying. If theres an older driver or BIOS that works better for now, roll back to that instead to get your card working. When Nvidia has ironed out the kinks, then you can download the latest releases for a proper fix.One of the strangest issues with the RTX 50 generation, is that more than 0.5% of all cards sold have been found to have missing hardware, specifically ROPs. These Render output units, accelerate specific functions of the GPU and are vital to its performance. Cards are missing 8 ROPs each, which in some cases can equate to close t0 10% of the total. Some third-parties have found performance can be impacted by between one percent and 11 percent, so the swing can be huge.You can check if your card is missing ROPs using these steps. Hopefully you wont be affected, but if you are, youll need to get in touch with your graphics cards manufacturer, be it Nvidia or a board partner, and request either a refund or return and replace.Its probably smarter at this stage to request a refund and buy something else at retail the turnaround time will almost certainly be faster, even if you have to wait for Nvidias cards to come back in stock. AMDs new GPUs are just around the corner, afterall.If you do request a replacement, though, be sure to test it thoroughly when you receive it to make sure its not also negatively effected.Are you trying to play older games on your RTX 50 and finding the performance terrible? It could be because Nvidia deprecated 32-bit PhysX support with its new-generation. You can get around this by installing a secondary PhysX-supporting GPU, though. Its not a cheap fix, but if you really want to play those old classics on your new card, doing so with another GPU to help is the best way forward for now.Editors Recommendations