A single user report suggests that NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5080 may fail after running modified versions of DLSS 5 in Grand Theft Auto V. This finding matters to PC gamers who plan to use experimental graphics settings, as it highlights potential stability risks with early adoption of new rendering technologies. We need to track whether this is an isolated incident or a broader issue with the new software stack.
User reports hardware damage after running unverified graphics mods
The incident involves an RTX 5080 graphics card that reportedly failed after just one day of use. The user, known as Wax469, experienced screen artifacting and flashing graphics after five minutes of gameplay. The card had functioned normally for a month prior to this sudden failure, which occurred while running unmodified game code patched with DLSS 5 mods.
DLSS 5 is not officially supported in Grand Theft Auto V, requiring users to rely on third-party modifications to enable the technology. Testing by Tom's Hardware indicates that DLSS 5 can increase GPU power consumption by up to 50% compared to DLSS 4.5. This significant jump in computational demand may stress hardware components beyond their typical operating parameters.
Similar claims have emerged regarding the RTX 5090, with reports of power connectors melting when using DLSS 5. These reports suggest that the increased power draw associated with the new upscaling technology could impact connector integrity on high-end cards. The causal link between DLSS 5 and hardware failure remains unconfirmed by NVIDIA or independent labs.
We looked at NVIDIA GeForce NOW Gets DLSS 4.5 in our earlier Nvidia coverage. That update focused on streaming capabilities rather than local hardware stress. The current reports highlight a different challenge for PC builders using the latest generation GPUs with unverified software modifications.
Source: TweakTown
