Nvidia's flagship RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards are failing more than they should

UPDATE: Nvidia has responded to the numerous concerns over its flagships cards, telling Tom's Hardware that "it's not an increasing number of users [...], it's not broad [and] we are are working with each user individually like we do always".

The most powerful consumer GPUs to hit the market are experiencing some teething problems at the moment, with a number of early users reporting their Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards are failing in a variety of ways.

Among the issues being reported are day-one failures, according to Digital Trends, with instabilities and artifacts being found immediately after installing the card, while others are seeing their GPUs die after a few days of nominal use.

Across both the Nvidia forums and relevant Reddit threads, an alarmingly high number of users have told the tale of their cards dying – more often than not, it's the Founders Edition of the GPU and, in some cases, even their replacement cards from the manufacturer have gone the same way.

The GeForce RTX 2080 Ti is the cream of the crop at the moment (when it's actually working), with the capability of handling 60fps, 4K gaming comfortably, as well as sporting the breakthrough feature known as ray tracing.

Perhaps the premature failures wouldn’t be so hard-hitting if the cost of the unit wasn’t so obscene – the Founders Edition will set you back $1,199 (£1,099, AU$1,899) for instance.

Hopefully this is an instance of the first batch of units needing a few kinks ironed out and some bugs patched, as the card shows a lot of promise. 

For all the latest on Nvidia’s greatest, keep following TechRadar's coverage.

TOPICS
Harry Domanski
Harry is an Australian Journalist for TechRadar with an ear to the ground for future tech, and the other in front of a vintage amplifier. He likes stories told in charming ways, and content consumed through massive screens. He also likes to get his hands dirty with the ethics of the tech.
Latest in Gaming Components
An AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT made by Sapphire on a table with its retail packaging
Where to buy AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070: the best retailers in the US and UK to check for stock
Image of the Resident Evil 4 remake & the RTX 4080 Super
I've spent 250 hours in the Resident Evil 4 remake using an RTX 3080 Ti - the upgrade to an RTX 4080 Super and Asus' 49-inch OLED ultrawide is worthwhile
best crossplay games: Horizon from Apex Legends slowly approaching a machine that glows with blue light
AMD's new anti-lag feature could mark you as a cheater in your favorite competitive shooter
BenQ Zowie XL2566K gaming monitor
BenQ Zowie XL2566K review: for pro gamers only
Promotional image for the Crucial T700 Gen5 NVMe SSD.
Crucial players – how this Gen5 SSD can unlock your gaming potential
G.Skill DDR5 RAM against a colorful pink backdrop
Good news gamers, Samsung is making 12nm DDR5 RAM easier to get
Latest in News
Image showing detail of the Leica D-Lux 8
Still can't get a Fujifilm X100VI? This premium Leica compact costs less, and it's in stock
Man using iMessage on an iPhone
Apple will finally enable encrypted RCS messages between iOS and Android, and it's about time
Jason Sudeikis' Ted Lasso pointing at someone in Ted Lasso season 2
Believe it, baby: Ted Lasso season 4 is officially in development for Apple TV+ and Jason Sudeikis will reprise his role as the titular soccer coach
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #1146)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #377)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #643)