Question PNY RTX 5070 Ti – Residue on Fins Out of the Box

[Apexx88]

Hi all,

I recently picked up a PNY RTX 5070 Ti (model: VCG5070T16TFXPB1-O) from Best Buy last week and picked it up in-store this past Saturday. The box was factory sealed and unopened.

However, upon unboxing the card and removing it from the anti-static bag, I noticed some residue on one side of the heatsink fins. It looked like dried moisture spots or some sort of residue that had settled on the metal. Definitely not something I expected on a brand-new card.

I reached out to PNY support and shared images of the issue. At first, they suggested it might have been caused by a coolant leak from my AIO cooler’s braided cables, but I clarified that the card had never even been installed or powered on when I first noticed it — this was straight out of the box.

PNY responded that they haven't seen any similar reports and currently have no in-house cards showing this issue. They offered to RMA the card, but I declined since it didn’t seem like a serious problem. They were fine with that decision and just reminded me not to disassemble the card, so my 3-year warranty remains valid if any issues arise in the future.

I also asked if I could clean the residue using isopropyl alcohol and paper towels, since the space between the fins is too narrow for a Q-tip. They approved that as well.

Just wanted to share my experience and see if any of you had anything similar.
x-posted to Reddit, tomshardware, and linustechtips.
image mirror: https://imgur.com/a/0oxgpx1
Edit: Forgot to mention the GPU is functioning fine both idle and underload

 

[Lutfij]

PNY responded that they haven't seen any similar reports and currently have no in-house cards showing this issue. They offered to RMA the card, but I declined since it didn’t seem like a serious problem.
I would've accepted the RMA, considering that they were offering it. If you don't have OCD or aren't bothered by it or the card isn't exhibiting any anomalies, then no you don't need to relace the card.

reminded me not to disassemble the card, so my 3-year warranty remains valid if any issues arise in the future.
That's very sound advice!

 

[Apexx88]

PNY responded that they haven't seen any similar reports and currently have no in-house cards showing this issue. They offered to RMA the card, but I declined since it didn’t seem like a serious problem.
I would've accepted the RMA, considering that they were offering it. If you don't have OCD or aren't bothered by it or the card isn't exhibiting any anomalies, then no you don't need to relace the card.

reminded me not to disassemble the card, so my 3-year warranty remains valid if any issues arise in the future.
That's very sound advice!

I declined to RMA because the card is still fully functional, and my PC would be down for who knows how long without a GPU while they figure things out. I have a KF model CPU, so no integrated graphics. They aren't willing to send a replacement and then have me send this one back. That's probably standard, though? I guess it depends on the manufacturer. I know with Ubiquiti and UniFi network gear, they'll send you a replacement first, and then you can return the defective unit.