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- The RTX 50 Series GPUs have been reported to malfunction under varying workloads, ranging from minor stuttering in games to full-fledged system reboots and BSODs.
- The problem seems to target the high-end RTX 5080 and flagship RTX 5090 in particular, but all 50 Series GPUs and even previous generation GPUs are at risk.
- Nvidia has released a couple of new drivers, but they’ve completely failed to rectify these GPUs’ erratic behaviour, resulting in a public outcry.
- According to Nvidia’s forums, staff members are uninformed as to whether the fix will arrive in the form of a driver update or a VBIOS update.
The Nvidia RTX 50 Series was supposed to be a monumental leap in GPU technology, promising unparalleled performance for gamers and creators alike.
However, instead of basking in the glory of next-gen graphics, many users have been greeted by the dreaded Blue/Black Screen of Death (BSOD).
As someone who’s been following this issue closely, I’ve seen the frustration firsthand.
Let’s dive into where this problem started, what Nvidia is doing to address it, and what users can expect moving forward.
Where Did The Problem Start?
The BSOD issues with the RTX 50 Series began surfacing shortly after its launch.
Users reported frequent crashes, particularly during demanding tasks like gaming, 3D rendering, or even AI workloads.
The crashes were often accompanied by error codes like “DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION” or “VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE,” pointing to driver or hardware instability.
From my analysis, the root cause seems to stem from a combination of factors.
Firstly, the RTX 50 Series introduces a new architecture with significant changes to power delivery and thermal management.
While these advancements are impressive on paper, they’ve also introduced compatibility challenges with existing drivers and system configurations.
Second, early adopters often face the brunt of teething issues, as manufacturers rush to meet launch deadlines, sometimes at the expense of thorough testing.
Adding fuel to the fire, some users reported that the BSODs were more frequent when enabling certain features like Ray Tracing or DLSS.
Similarly, users claimed that black screen issues were exacerbated when pushing their monitors’ refresh rates above 60 Hz.
This suggests that the problem isn’t just hardware-related but also tied to how the GPU interacts with software ecosystems.
Another possibility is that the RTX 50 Series shipped with faulty firmware, which has been exacerbated by the arrival of the buggy 570 Series drivers.
However, people are allegedly claiming that a few RTX 40 Series and even 30 Series GPUs are experiencing somewhat related issues as well, which hints towards these malfunctions being more widespread than we originally thought.
What Is Nvidia Doing To Fix It?
In a statement released after the arrival of GeForce driver 572.16, the company confirmed that they are actively investigating the BSOD reports and working on driver updates to address the instability.
I should mention that Nvidia officially began an investigation into these BSODs after the GeForce driver 572.16 was released because that’s when all these GPUs started going haywire.
According to Nvidia’s official forums, the engineering team has identified a couple of potential culprits, including but not limited to:
- Driver Conflicts: The initial drivers for the RTX 50 Series were optimized for performance but may have overlooked edge cases that cause crashes. Nvidia is rolling out incremental updates to improve stability.
- Software Compatibility: Certain games and applications are triggering crashes more than others. Nvidia is collaborating with developers to patch these issues on a case-by-case basis.
Nvidia has already released a pair of driver updates, i.e., 572.42 & 572.47, but the former did nothing to resolve these BSODs while the latter just enabled support for the RTX 5070 Ti and fixed a relatively minor issue where users were plagued by driver instability issues when waking up their monitors after extended periods of time.
As far as the primary BSOD issues are concerned, there’s no word yet on when a fix will arrive. The icing on the cake is that Nvidia’s staff members don’t even know whether this fix will be issued in the form of a new driver or VBIOS (Video BIOS) update.
What Can Users Do In The Meantime?
If you’re one of the unlucky few experiencing BSODs with your RTX 50 Series GPU, there are a few steps you can take to mitigate the issue while waiting for a permanent fix:
- Downgrade Your Drivers: A few users have been successful at alleviating these BSODs when they rolled back to the beta driver 572.41 or even an older driver like 566.45, but this isn’t a guaranteed solution.
- Lower Your Refresh Rate: According to my research and my own experience, the chances of encountering BSODs are higher if you’re using a high refresh rate monitor, so you might want to try going down to 60 Hz and then stress-testing your GPU to see if you’re still being bugged by black screens or system crashes.
- Underclock your GPU: Surprisingly, a few people have had success when they attempted to underclock their GPU’s base frequencies using software utilities like MSI Afterburner, even though you shouldn’t have to do this on such next-generation GPUs.
- Turn down the settings: Feedback suggests that turning off Ray Tracing, DLSS, and Frame Generation may help as a temporary workaround, although this will severely impact your overall gaming experience.
What Can Users Expect Moving Forward?
While the BSOD issues are undoubtedly frustrating, there’s reason to be optimistic.
Nvidia has a track record of resolving similar problems with past GPU launches. For example, the RTX 20 Series faced driver-related crashes at launch, but subsequent updates eventually stabilized the platform.
Based on my experience, I expect Nvidia to release a major driver/VBIOS update in the coming weeks that addresses the majority of BSOD complaints.
That said, if you’re considering purchasing an RTX 50 Series GPU, I’d recommend waiting a few more weeks until the dust settles.
Quite A Fire
The RTX 50 Series BSOD issue is a reminder that cutting-edge technology (cough) often comes with growing pains.
This isn’t even Nvidia’s first rodeo with the RTX 50 Series GPUs. The newest hardware from Nvidia has had a myriad of problems since its launch, starting with melting PCIe connectors, supply chain/availability issues leading to merciless scalping.
If that wasn’t enough, we’ve also confirmed that quite a few defective GPUs are floating around with fewer ROPs than advertised, leading to degraded performance.
Needless to say, Nvidia has a lot of ground to cover.
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[Wiki Editor]
Ali Rashid Khan is an avid gamer, hardware enthusiast, photographer, and devoted litterateur with a period of experience spanning more than 14 years. Sporting a specialization with regards to the latest tech in flagship phones, gaming laptops, and top-of-the-line PCs, Ali is known for consistently presenting the most detailed objective perspective on all types of gaming products, ranging from the Best Motherboards, CPU Coolers, RAM kits, GPUs, and PSUs amongst numerous other peripherals. When he’s not busy writing, you’ll find Ali meddling with mechanical keyboards, indulging in vehicular racing, or professionally competing worldwide with fellow mind-sport athletes in Scrabble at an international level. Currently speaking, Ali has completed his A-Level GCEs with plans to go into either Allopathic Medicine or Business Studies, or who knows, perhaps a full-time dedicated technological journalist.
Get In Touch: alirashid@tech4gamers.com
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