The problems with the GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards have increased. To a very limited stock of cards at the start, which was sold out in just seconds, and an insufficient number of samples for reviewers, we can now safely add hardware defects that lead to incorrect operation of new products in games. All this will definitely leave a negative mark on the history of NVIDIA.
During the last days we have reported complaints users of GeForce RTX 3080 graphics cards associated with “crashes” in games. As it turned out, the crux of the problem lies in the hardware shortcomings of the GPU power subsystem. Namely, in the use of capacitors that do not correspond to the required parameters of the GPU power subsystem. The problem is aggravated by the fact that NVIDIA does not provide any clarification on this matter.
According to NVIDIA specifications, manufacturers must use six groups of capacitors of one type or another, which are installed directly under the GPU BGA pad located on the back side of the board. These capacitors are responsible for filtering the current on the voltage rails NVVDD and MSVDD. The more efficient the filters are, the more stable the GPU is at high frequencies. Apparently, NVIDIA did not specify what types of capacitors should be used for factory-overclocked video cards. As a result, some manufacturers have used components that are not suitable for GPU operation at frequencies above 2000 MHz. It manifests itself in such a way that games “crash” to the desktop without any error messages when the graphics chip overcomes the 2000 MHz mark during operation.
As shown by the investigation carried out by enthusiasts, video card manufacturers used for their solutions either tantalum-polymer solid capacitors (Conductive Polymer Tantalum Solid Capacitors, POSCAP, in the images below are marked in red) or ceramic chip-capacitors (Multilayer Ceramic Chip Capacitor, MLCC, marked in green) , which are usually installed in groups. Formally, NVIDIA allowed both types of capacitors to be used in arbitrary combinations. However, in practice, not all circuits turned out to be working, and the lack of time for high-quality testing of video cards before mass production did not make it possible to identify this in advance.
Schematic of the reference board NVIDIA PG132 (left), Zotac Trinity (center), NVIDIA Founders Edition (right)
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According to statistics, users complain less about cards that use a combination of two types of capacitors, and even less about cards where only MLCC capacitors are installed. Below you can find a list of currently known models of video cards and the types of capacitors that are used in them.
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Ceramic Chip Capacitors (Multilayer Ceramic Chip Capacitor, MLCC) are small and cheap to manufacture. However, their disadvantage is fragility (they crack), as well as susceptibility to piezoelectric effects. In addition, they have poor thermal performance. Tantalum Polymer Solid Capacitors (Conductive Polymer Tantalum Solid Capacitors, POSCAPs are large, operate at lower voltages and cope worse with high frequencies. But they are durable, do not degrade, and are not subject to piezoelectric effects and can work at higher temperatures. in fact, the choice in favor of one or another type of capacitor can cause various negative effects, and one cannot say that some of them are obviously worse.
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At the time of this writing, several manufacturers have acknowledged and commented on problems with Ampere generation gaming graphics cards. However, official statements from NVIDIA itself have not yet been reported.
Colorful was the first manufacturer to report problems with video cards. The sample models for reviewers that were sent out for review have already been recalled, the company said.
EVGA issued the following statement: “Recently, discussions began to surface on the performance of the EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics cards. Even during quality checks before mass production began, we found that when using six POSCAP capacitors, the video cards did not pass real gaming tests. The solution was to use 4 POSCAPs together with 20 ceramic capacitors (MLCC). However, it took almost a week to find the reason, which is why the release of the GeForce RTX 3080 FTW3 was postponed. In the current versions of EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 FTW3 video cards, six POSCAPs not used… However, due to the rush, pre-release samples with six POSCAPs were sent to some reviewers. We are in contact with these reviewers and are going to replace the maps with revised versions. As for the EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 XC3 model, which uses 5 POSCAP capacitors and 10 sets of MLCC capacitors, there are no problems with these cards. “… The manufacturer has also posted on its website new pictures of the video cards that demonstrate the use of a new set of components. Buyers can compare their purchased graphics cards with these photos to ensure they have the “correct” versions of the products.
ASUS changed the architecture of the GPU power supply during the trial production and now uses only MLCC capacitors. There were no official statements from the manufacturer.
MSI openly acknowledged the issue of game crashes during its MSI Insider stream, but suggested that driver bugs may be the culprit.
According to Igor’s Lab, PC Partner, which owns graphics maker Zotac, has also acknowledged the problem and will apparently take steps to resolve it.
Palit GeForce RTX 3080 GamingPro OC board from our review
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Gigabyte, Galax, Palit and other manufacturers have not yet officially commented on the situation.
Meanwhile, according to the resource VideoCardz, the problem with gaming video cards of the Ampere family may turn out to be more extensive and related not only to the choice in favor of one or another type of capacitor. Just at the moment, only the first of the shortcomings has surfaced.
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