Tis but a scratch: ASUS cites a “surface irregularity” to deny RTX 5090 ASTRAL warranty and quote a $4,661 CAD replacement
It almost seems like we are writing about strange RMA cases involving GPUs every day now, and each is equally interesting and confusing for us and users involved.
A new RMA dispute over an ASUS RTX 5090 ASTRAL has raised fresh questions about how the company handles warranty claims on its flagship GPUs. The owner of the very heavy card submitted it for RMA after random black screens and system restarts, having confirmed that the system worked normally with a different GPU. ASUS rejected the claim, citing a “ surface irregularity ” near the PCIe connector and classifying the issue as customer-induced damage, then quoted $4,661 CAD for a full replacement with no repair option.
According to the customer, pre-shipment photos and ASUS’s own unboxing video show no visible damage around the PCIe edge. The only proof of the defect is a microscope shot of a fine crack on the PCB tongue by the slot latch, raising questions about whether the flaw was invisible to the naked eye or worsened during handling. After escalation to a customer service supervisor, the only concession offered was a 50% discount , cutting the replacement bill to $2,330 CAD, still a large sum for a card sent in under warranty.
Handle with care
The RTX 5090 ASTRAL weighs more than 3 kg , with most of that mass hanging off a single PCIe slot interface and the narrow PCB tab that engages with the case retention latch. The owner states that the card was installed with the bundled support bracket and that the system was never moved, yet a crack still appeared in the stressed area near the connector.
Source: Bilibili
This dispute adds to growing criticism of how ASUS handles warranty claims on expensive hardware. Recent coverage of its motherboard and ROG Ally support has shown rejected claims and extra fees tied to small marks or minor damage, which pushed ASUS to promise changes to its RMA process.
At the same time, specialist GPU repair shops keep showing that cracked PCBs, damaged connectors and similar faults can often be fixed instead of replacing a whole card at full price.
And speaking of warranty claims, Gamers Nexus has a great guide on how to prepare for such claims and how to prepare for most common rejections.
Source: Reddit
