NVIDIA RTX 5090 and 5090D GPUs Are Failing — Some Cards Getting Bricked After Driver Updates
Owners of NVIDIA’s newest flagship graphics cards — the GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5090D — are reporting serious problems. In some cases, these cards stop working completely after installing the latest drivers, turning them into expensive paperweights.
What’s Going On
The RTX 5090 launched globally on January 30, alongside the RTX 5090D, a special version for the Chinese market with slightly reduced AI performance to comply with U.S. export rules.
While the cards are nearly identical, users across China and Reddit communities in the U.S. are reporting the same issue: the GPU works fine at first, but once the NVIDIA driver is installed, the screen goes black and the system can no longer detect the card through HDMI or DisplayPort.
Brands Affected
Reports have surfaced from owners of cards made by:
- Colorful
- Manli (Gallardo edition)
- Gigabyte
- A few standard RTX 5090 models as well
Some users also mention a burning smell or visible chip damage, suggesting possible hardware failure rather than a simple driver glitch.
Suspected Causes
No one knows the exact cause yet, but several theories are being discussed:
- PCIe Gen 5 Compatibility Issues
The RTX 5090 series is NVIDIA’s first to fully support PCIe Gen 5. Some older or mid-range motherboards may struggle with Gen 5 signaling, leading to instability. A few users have found temporary relief by switching their BIOS setting from “Auto” or “Gen 5” to “Gen 4”, but it’s not a confirmed fix. - Driver or Firmware Bugs
The problem often appears immediately after installing NVIDIA’s newest drivers, suggesting a potential software-level trigger. - Motherboard Lane Sharing
Many newer boards share PCIe lanes between M.2 SSDs and GPU slots, which could add more instability under heavy load.
Real-World Reports
- On Baidu, a user’s Colorful RTX 5090D went dark right after driver installation — no signal, no detection in BIOS.
- On Reddit’s r/ASUS, another owner experienced the same with a regular RTX 5090. Even resetting CMOS and reinstalling Windows didn’t help.
- Sellers on Goofish, a Chinese resale site, claim the issue is widespread and warn buyers not to install the latest drivers.
Possible Workarounds
If you own one of these cards or plan to buy one soon, here’s what you can do:
- Avoid Updating Drivers for Now
Stay on your current working version until NVIDIA confirms a fix. - Switch PCIe Mode to Gen 4
Go to your motherboard BIOS → Advanced → PCIe Settings → Change from “Auto” or “Gen 5” to “Gen 4.” Save and restart. - Clean Driver Install
If you’ve already run into issues, uninstall the drivers completely using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller), then reinstall either an older version or a verified stable release in Safe Mode. - Update BIOS and Chipset
Check your motherboard manufacturer’s site for updates — especially those that mention PCIe 5.0 improvements or RTX 50-series compatibility. - Try Different Display Ports
Test HDMI instead of DisplayPort, or vice versa. Make sure your monitor supports the chosen resolution and refresh rate.
Advice for New Buyers
Before purchasing an RTX 5090 or 5090D:
- Confirm your motherboard fully supports PCIe 5.0 (or can safely run on Gen 4).
- Update BIOS before installation.
- Avoid GPU riser cables unless they are PCIe 5.0-rated.
- Be cautious about “first-batch” hardware. Waiting a few months can save you from early-run problems.
What NVIDIA Has Said
So far, NVIDIA hasn’t issued any official statement about the problem. The reports coming from both China and international users suggest that this isn’t an isolated issue — it may be related to architecture or driver-level flaws that need deeper investigation.
Conclusion
The RTX 5090 and 5090D were supposed to represent the peak of NVIDIA’s GPU power, but these early issues have left many users frustrated and anxious. Whether this turns out to be a driver glitch, a Gen 5 hardware bug, or something deeper, one thing is clear: early adopters are paying the price for bleeding-edge tech.
If you already own one of these cards, be very cautious with driver updates — or risk turning your $3,000 GPU into an expensive decoration.
