GeForce RTX 4090 pads may rip off if cards are not packaged properly for shipping

North West Repair discusses a new issue that has been observed, likely caused by poor shipping conditions.

If you ever have to send a $2,000 worth graphics card, make sure to package it properly. GPU repair specialists from Northwest Repair have showcased the problem they are facing with RTX 4090 cards, and it is not the melting power connector .

The RTX 4090, in particular, can be a very heavy and large GPU. It is important to ensure that the GPU is not sagging due to its weight; after all, most high-end RTX 4090 cards already ship with some form of support for the 2-3 kg load. If your card is one of the heavier ones, make sure to support it properly. If you need to ship it somewhere, just consider what may happen if you don’t put enough foam.

According to Northwest Repair, some cards may experience GPU pads ripping off, primarily caused by poor shipping methods and lack of enough foam that could potentially protect the GPU when it is thrown around during shipment. At least four examples were shown of such GPUs, all with similar issues of GPU solder pads being ripped off.

RTX 4090 with damaged GPU pads, Source: Northwest Repair

As noted, such repairs are technically possible, but would require a lot of time and resources and still do not guarantee that the card will be in working condition. Thus, such cards are considered non-repairable, and the only way to bring them to a working condition is by using donor cards with working PCBs.

The repair shop made this video because of another card that was just shipped to them for repairs, and even before taking the cooler off, it was obvious that the card suffered from the same problem, later confirmed during the repair. This card was eventually fixed, but only because a donor PCB was used.

Source via Tom’s Hardware :