In the ever-evolving world of graphics cards, the new GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 models have recently encountered some unexpected challenges. Despite stellar performances in various tests, these powerful units have been struggling to unseat their predecessors, particularly on the popular PassMark benchmark database. Surprisingly, the latest GeForce RTX 5090 even fell behind its older counterpart, the RTX 4090, when it came to overall graphics benchmarking performance.
The reason behind this puzzling performance issue has finally surfaced, thanks to insights shared on PassMark’s X account. It turns out that Nvidia’s decision to quietly discontinue 32-bit support for the GeForce RTX 50 series has played a significant role. While older generations of cards will continue to support 32-bit CUDA, Nvidia’s proprietary framework, this functionality has been “deprecated” for the Blackwell boards, which include the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080. Although PassMark’s PerformanceTest benchmark application operates in a 64-bit environment, compatibility issues may have caused unexpected performance drops or failures with the newer cards. Interestingly, PassMark admitted they were unable to acquire an RTX 5090 for direct testing.
This revelation sheds light on why the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 seemingly underperformed compared to the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080, but it doesn’t fully explain all discrepancies. For example, the RTX 5090 still lags behind the RTX 4090 in DirectX 9 tests, though this could be attributed to the significantly different sample sizes – 70 tests versus 14,521, respectively.
While this news is a comfort to RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 owners concerned about benchmark performance, it may pose a challenge to gamers. The removal of 32-bit support has led some gamers to opt for older graphics cards to enjoy titles that depend on 32-bit PhysX. One Reddit user, known as u/jerubedo, found a workaround by pairing an RTX 3050 with an RTX 5090. This combination helped them achieve improved performance, as seen in their gaming tests with titles like Batman Arkham Asylum, where the FPS jumped significantly when the older Ampere card was utilized.
This development highlights the complexity of maintaining backward compatibility while pushing forward in technological advancements, urging both manufacturers and users to carefully navigate the evolving landscape of gaming and graphics performance.
