Recently, there have been unsettling reports coming from China about GeForce RTX 5090D and RTX 5080 GPUs becoming non-functional due to problematic drivers. Although this issue is more widespread among RTX 5080 users, a few RTX 5090 owners have also encountered trouble. These Blackwell GPUs, which users eagerly jumped through numerous hoops to get their hands on, are now causing fresh headaches.
One user turned to Reddit to share their frustrating experience, describing an unusual phenomenon when attempting to run 3DMark Time Spy. The screen, instead of displaying the benchmark, continuously cycles through full-screen colors—red, blue, white, green, black, and then red again. Despite this, the test seems to be running in the background. This peculiar screen behavior pauses only to load subsequent tests, like Graphics Test 1 and 2, as well as a CPU test. Issues have also been reported, with at least one complaint about a black screen being posted—but later deleted—from a popular Nvidia discussion forum. In another tech forum, users discussed similar black screen occurrences, paired with sound stutters and eventual system restarts.
While the RTX 5090 is primarily affected, one RTX 5080 user reported encountering similar issues, though such cases are less frequent. Proposed fixes include adjusting to PCIe Gen4, avoiding riser cables, downgrading Windows, and, as suggested by one Reddit user, using a single monitor with a 4K resolution at 60Hz.
So far, the number of affected users remains relatively small. However, with more RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs expected to reach consumers soon, more issues may surface. The affected units mostly originate from MSI, but there are also cases involving a Founders’ Edition and a Gigabyte variant.
At present, it’s uncertain whether Nvidia’s drivers or recent Windows updates are to blame for these GPU troubles. However, considering the latest GeForce Game Ready 572.16 driver update has caused unusual behavior even in last-gen cards, drivers could be a strong contender for the root cause. As more users bring their experiences to light, a clearer picture of the issue’s source may develop.
