diff --git a/tinygrad/codegen/uops.py b/tinygrad/codegen/uops.py
index 877e46a824..44b9c2a6ec 100644
--- a/tinygrad/codegen/uops.py
+++ b/tinygrad/codegen/uops.py
@@ -444,7 +444,7 @@ class UOpGraph:
           arg = src[0].arg
         assert dtype is not None and type(arg) is type(dtypes.as_const(arg, dtype)), f"type of {arg=} does not match {dtype}"
       if uop in {UOps.CAST, UOps.BITCAST}: assert arg is None   # type is the output type, not an arg
-      if uop is UOps.LOAD and len(src) > 2 and src[2].op not in {UOps.IF, UOps.BARRIER}: assert src[2].dtype == dtypes.bool
+      if uop is UOps.LOAD and len(src) > 3 and src[2].op is UOps.ALU: assert src[2].dtype == dtypes.bool and src[3].dtype == dtype
       if uop is UOps.STORE and len(src) == 4: assert src[3].dtype == dtypes.bool
       if uop is UOps.ALU:
         if arg in UnaryOps:
diff --git a/tinygrad/renderer/assembly.py b/tinygrad/renderer/assembly.py
index d0155c00fb..ab7aadbb99 100644
--- a/tinygrad/renderer/assembly.py
+++ b/tinygrad/renderer/assembly.py
@@ -181,15 +181,16 @@ class PTXRenderer(Renderer):
           assert src[0].dtype == dtypes.int64, "load isn't int64"
           assert src[1].op is UOps.CONST, f"load isn't const {u}"
           mem_type = '.shared' if src[0].op is UOps.DEFINE_LOCAL or any(x.op is UOps.DEFINE_LOCAL for x in src[0].parents) else '.global'
+          has_gate = len(src) > 3 and src[2].op is UOps.ALU
           if dtype.count > 1:
             r[u] = [ssa('val', dtype=self.types[dtype.scalar()]) for _ in range(dtype.count)]
-            if(len(src)>3):
+            if has_gate:
               for v in r[u]: kk(f"mov.{self.mem_types[dtype.scalar()]} {v}, {render_val(0, dtype.scalar())};")
-            kk((f"@{r[src[2]]}"if len(src) > 3 else "")
+            kk((f"@{r[src[2]]}"if has_gate else "")
               + f" ld{mem_type}.v{dtype.count}.{self.mem_types[dtype.scalar()]} {{{', '.join(r[u])}}}, [{r[src[0]]}+{src[1].arg}];")
           else:
-            kk(*self.render_load(r[src[0]], ssa('val', u), dtype, gate=r[src[2]] if len(src) > 3 else None,
-                                alt=r[src[3]] if len(src) > 3 else None, ss=mem_type, offset=src[1].arg))
+            kk(*self.render_load(r[src[0]], ssa('val', u), dtype, gate=r[src[2]] if has_gate else None,
+                                alt=r[src[3]] if has_gate else None, ss=mem_type, offset=src[1].arg))
         elif uop is UOps.PHI:
           if dtype.count > 1:
             for x0, x1 in zip(r[src[0]], r[src[1]]): kk(f"mov.b{self.types[dtype.scalar()][1:]} {x0}, {x1};")
diff --git a/tinygrad/renderer/cstyle.py b/tinygrad/renderer/cstyle.py
index 120a9a8aa7..6c5926b607 100644
--- a/tinygrad/renderer/cstyle.py
+++ b/tinygrad/renderer/cstyle.py
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ class CStyleLanguage(Renderer):
         elif uop is UOps.LOAD:
           val = self.render_load(dtype, r[src[0]], src[0].dtype, strip_parens(r[src[1]]), src[0].op is UOps.DEFINE_LOCAL)
           # NOTE: this relies on the load not happening if it's in the unselected branch
-          if len(src) > 3: val = self.code_for_op[TernaryOps.WHERE](r[src[2]], val, r[src[3]], dtype)
+          if len(src) > 3 and src[2].op is UOps.ALU: val = self.code_for_op[TernaryOps.WHERE](r[src[2]], val, r[src[3]], dtype)
           kk(f"{self.render_dtype(dtype)} {ssa('val',u)} = {val};")
         elif uop is UOps.PHI:
           kk(f"{r[src[0]]} = {r[src[1]]};")