News Today's heavy GPUs continue to be plagued with cracking around PCIe slots — 19 damaged Nvidia RTX 4090s, most with cracked PCBs, arrive at Northbri...

[palladin9479]

Well folks sounds like its time to go back to the horizontal PC boxes from back in the day. Silver Stone and Cooler Master still make some cool ones.

https://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-Technology-Computer-Micro-ATX-Motherboards/dp/B093Y3ZHQB

https://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-Technology-Grandia-Radiator-SST-GD11B/dp/B0B5GV42GH

https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/legacy-products/cases/haf-xb-evo/

 

[ManDaddio]

There is no real way to put a support beam at the part that goes into the socket slot unless motherboard manufacturers create a slot where the support beam can also fit in and work. That is an electrical engineering issue.

That would need a consortium to approve. But something needs to be invented besides upright slotting. Most PC cases don't support GPUs standing upright.

I like to lay my PCs sideways on the floor but that can creat airflow problems so I take the side panel off. But then that creates dust problems.

My RTX 2080ti will sag if I don't have a support or place the case sideways on the ground. Back then they came with no kickstands.

My Zotac 4090 came with a kickstand. Thank God. It needs it. I'm very careful taking it in and out when I need to.

Obviously whoever had these GPUs saved up enough to make it worth it to ship out but the guy they sent it to doesn't do unworthy work. His philosophy on business.

Northwest repair does stuff like that.

 

[palladin9479]

It's really not the manufacturers fault. Common sense dictates something as heavy as an air cooled 4090 / 4080 / 4070Ti / 7900 XTX / 7900 XT / etc. should have some sort of support to prevent the PCB from flexing if it's going to be installed in the traditional horizontal orientation.

Common sense further dictates that moving a system with something that heavy still installed in it with no additional support and thinking there is no possibility of something breaking is absurd. It would be the manufacturers fault if these damages were caused by a manufacturing defect, but they're not. They're caused due to damage from shipping or individuals either known or unknown negligence by not installing something as simple as a $5 GPU support for a exorbitantly more expensive piece of hardware that every warranty states will not be covered in the event of physical damages.

As I said before, manufacturers should advocate more in informing end users that they should install a support bracket for most cards that are 2 slots or more but that doesn't necessarily put the blame directly on them. If every PC case was designed so PCIe hardware was mounted in a vertical fashion these incidents would be almost unheard of. I don't see you blaming case manufacturers though.

There have been plenty of cards purchased that come with a support bracket for this exact reason and the end user opts not to install it anyways, how is that the fault of the manufacturer? There is only so much engineering that can be done to combat breaks like this when the GPU is mounted horizontally with zero additional support.

The only ones who need to put the pipe down are customers who feel they're entitled to warranty repairs or replacements for damages that were ultimately their fault. That's not how warranty works, it covers manufacturing defects and premature component failure, not cracked and broken layers of fiberglass epoxy filler and copper from customer negligence.

Ehh "common sense" doesn't really exist in the US legal system and limited warrantees are absolutely covered by that system. Specifically the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act. Those cards are all assumed to have an implied warranty guaranteeing they perform as advertised free of defect for a reasonable amount of time. That bolded part is very important because if the manufacturers advertised their product would work without needing a support bracket, then it better well continue to work without need that bracket. If on the other hand the product advertising illustrated a support bracket and there was plain English saying the product needed a support bracket and that bracket was not included, then they could deny claims and damages.

Why do you think there are so many warning labels and product instructions stamped all across products in the USA? It's not because Americans are that stupid, but because without them the product manufacturer would be held liable.

 

[USAFRet]

Do you genuinely believe places like this are thriving, especially given the current economic climate? It's a failing business model... it's been running on fumes for ages. Whoever was responsible for shipping out these PC's dun goofed, either way.

Not sure where you saw the word "thrive".
I said "exist".

And there are many many many other retailers of prebuilt systems, with large GPUs.
ex: Acer Predator Orion 7000
https://www.acer.com/ae-en/predator...es/predator-orion/orion-7000/pdp/DG.E39EM.002

 

[tstng]

4090 or that level

The 4090 IS the level. There is no other option. So either the 4090 or a DIFFERENT level.

 

[dpryder]

thats is not the reason for the cracking. its the clip on the pcie-16 there is a slider behind it and when the 4090 is taking up 3 slots then there is very little room to reach a tiny screwdriver in there to release the pcb from the slot. so people cant see the little connector and then yank it out.

 

[cyrusfox]

thats is not the reason for the cracking. its the clip on the pcie-16 there is a slider behind it and when the 4090 is taking up 3 slots then there is very little room to reach a tiny screwdriver in there to release the pcb from the slot. so people cant see the little connector and then yank it out.

So true, retention system on gpu on each board can be a pain to get it to released.. all these look like someone wrenched them out.

 

[razor512]

GPU makers need to add a PCB layer that is made out of steel to minimize flex, or make the card use 2 PCIe x16 slots where it gets 16 lanes from 1 slot and power from both slots.

 

[plusev]

thats is not the reason for the cracking. its the clip on the pcie-16 there is a slider behind it and when the 4090 is taking up 3 slots then there is very little room to reach a tiny screwdriver in there to release the pcb from the slot. so people cant see the little connector and then yank it out.

Using the eraser end of a pencil to reach the retention clip was my preferred method. Unless people are using massive air coolers, it shouldn't be an issue, especially with modern mobos since companies added the QoL change. Long overdue, imo.


Scenario 1 - an opportunist let his emotions dictate his actions, and was looking to make a quick buck by buying up damaged GPUs on ebay, because apparently selling GPUs with cracked PCBs are a thing. I had no idea... strange times we're living in.

Scenario 2 - an inexperienced, independent builder shipped out prebuilts, while not properly filling/securing the inside of the case with appropriate preventative measures in order to ensure nothing bad would happen during transport.


Guys like NorthridgeFix are notorious, unscrupulous clickbait artists that love stirring up controversy because it works for him. The type of guy that wouldn't bat an eyelid about pulling the rug out from under you so long it was guaranteed to make him $$$$. It's part of his culture.

Take everything he says with a grain of salt.

 

[Ogotai]

I'm simply saying that assuming and implying that someone spending $3000+ on a prebuilt can't be bothered to educate themselves on the exact components and their requirements borders on extreme ignorance. It's basic, rudimentary knowledge. These are not kids.

actually, i work with some one that is exactly this. he buys prebuilts because he has no idea how to build a comp, only knows how to turn it one, use it, and buy it, thats it.

 

[KyaraM]

I mean. Isn't that why most big GPUs ship with brackets nowadays? If people don't install them, I have little compassion for them. If they got the system prebuilt, the seller needs to be held accountable and there should be laws in place to ensure people can get compensation or replacement for it; that should be covered in warranty afaik.

The customer would then be required to sign a waiver and be made aware of any potential risks. For Christ's sake, assembling a GPU to its appropriate slot isn't tough.

Dude, you would be surprised. Just a month ago people on Discord told me they bought a gaming laptop because the prospect of just opening and cleaning a PC daunts them (don't ask why they think a laptop doesn't need internal maintenance...), and they were outright horrified by the idea of changing RAM, or, you know. Installing a GPU. When I showed them pictures of me changing my CPU cooler to a larger, better model they were fascinated and awed. That's how normal PC users are, and no, not all of them use laptops. I wasn't that much different when I got my first (prebuilt) gaming PC ever. Which was a desktop. And the website still exists now, almost 20 years later, and other companies in my country offer assembly as an additional service for systems no matter the price, so you are dead wrong in assuming that people are educating themselves about this stuff. I listen to my boyfriend's curses about idiot customers who can barely plug their HDMI cable in the right port every day. He works customer support for exactly one of those companies with that service, and believe me, they earn their own weight in gold. Stay wishfully ignorant about the idiocy of people if you want; sadly, it doesn't change the raw reality of the situation.

 

[watzupken]

It is a design flaw.

If you make something so heavy that it flexes and breaks in normal use....that is a design flaw.
Stiffen the board, or provide an additional support.

I agree. And I think even with additional GPU support being deployed, the issue may not go away. Fundamentally, the GPU is too heavy with the weight of the heatsink pulling it downwards when horizontally mounted. GPU support, be it a bracket or stand, can prevent the card from bending, but I don't think it takes away the load on the PCI-E slot. So there is always a risk of the PCI-E connector cracking due to the load.

 

[coromonadalix]

simply put : you have to solidify the hold on the card front and rear against it's own weight or use pcie extenders to hold the card straight up ..... but in the end when you see thoses giants .... and their weight .... pffff

but the weight is still going on the pci side .............

 

[purpleduggy]

in the case of a 4090, is the gpu really mounted to the board, or is it rather that the board is mounted to the gpu

 

[hedwar2011]

Retention clips for GPUs have been a thing since way back in the AGP slot days. I dealt with numerous customers (over the phone) where I had to guide them through trying to open that clip somehow in order to release the GPU at the time and usually they were apprehensive about even going into the case to begin with.

From the videos, some of the cracks look like the GPU was forcibly removed and some don't. It wouldn't surprise me if it is a defect in design in that the PCI-E fin isn't structurally sound or something.

 

[Jiminez Krankenshire]

So, nobody going to mention that this article mistaken the Northwestrepair with NorthRidgeFix ?
Northwestrepair is a tech-channel that repairs only GPUs. Please correct the name.
Tony from Northwestrepair is very skilled with this type of board repair.

I don't have an exhaustive knowledge of all of the people repairing GPUs on YouTube but of the ones I've seen he's closest to being a damned real-life wizard. Pop off the GPU core and memory and reball the lot of it to see if that might fix the problem? Sure, why not. Dremel through the layers of a cracked board and solder in wires to replace the traces? You bet. Amazing patience and skill.

 

[plusev]

I mean. Isn't that why most big GPUs ship with brackets nowadays? If people don't install them, I have little compassion for them. If they got the system prebuilt, the seller needs to be held accountable and there should be laws in place to ensure people can get compensation or replacement for it; that should be covered in warranty afaik.


Dude, you would be surprised. Just a month ago people on Discord told me they bought a gaming laptop because the prospect of just opening and cleaning a PC daunts them (don't ask why they think a laptop doesn't need internal maintenance...), and they were outright horrified by the idea of changing RAM, or, you know. Installing a GPU. When I showed them pictures of me changing my CPU cooler to a larger, better model they were fascinated and awed. That's how normal PC users are, and no, not all of them use laptops. I wasn't that much different when I got my first (prebuilt) gaming PC ever. Which was a desktop. And the website still exists now, almost 20 years later, and other companies in my country offer assembly as an additional service for systems no matter the price, so you are dead wrong in assuming that people are educating themselves about this stuff. I listen to my boyfriend's curses about idiot customers who can barely plug their HDMI cable in the right port every day. He works customer support for exactly one of those companies with that service, and believe me, they earn their own weight in gold. Stay wishfully ignorant about the idiocy of people if you want; sadly, it doesn't change the raw reality of the situation.

The "raw reality" is that people are lazy. End of.


I'm not going to argue semantics, nor should I have to justify my stance, as someone could easily learn how to assemble a PC in an hour or two. There are copious amounts of guides on YouTube that literally babysit people through the entire process.

 

[bill001g]

thats is not the reason for the cracking. its the clip on the pcie-16 there is a slider behind it and when the 4090 is taking up 3 slots then there is very little room to reach a tiny screwdriver in there to release the pcb from the slot. so people cant see the little connector and then yank it out.

I suspect most people commenting on this did not actually watch the video. About half have a horizontal crack which is would most likely be caused by the bending of the card because of lack of support. The other cracked boards could also have been caused by that but the crack is more diagonal and very near the retention clip so those could be due to someone removing it without fully releasing the clip.

I don't think the guy really cared if the cracks were different because he doesn't feel it worth his effort to try to fix a cracked pcb.

 

[realityvirtuoso101]

I have an interesting problem that is related to this actually.

I have a hyper 212 Evo installed on a 5800x3d with two fans in push/pull config, in a Asus x370 prime.

My cpu is literally being ripped out of the socket ever-so-slightly by the weight of the cpu cooler that I have to lay my PC on its side, so it stays in the socket. To deal with the thermal issue, I simply rearranged my case fans so that the intakes are from what would be the top of the case, and exhausting through the large fan on the sliding side door of the case. Thermals are comparable to standing PC vertically.

It makes zero sense for PCs to stand the way they do now. The latest and best GPUs are heavy as hell. People who still use air cooling usually have massive heatsinks with little to no support.
We need more PC cases that sit horizontally rather than vertically. I realize we can get a vertical GPU mount but it's stupid. I mean really thinking about it, why would the heaviest components be installed into the PC sideways?

PC cases were not designed to support components this heavy. We need new designs now. I was heavily debating on getting a new cooler and case (hyte y70) but after reading this, my suspicions have been confirmed. I'll definitely be waiting/looking for horizontal cases.

 

[KyaraM]

The "raw reality" is that people are lazy. End of.


I'm not going to argue semantics, nor should I have to justify my stance, as someone could easily learn how to assemble a PC in an hour or two. There are copious amounts of guides on YouTube that literally babysit people through the entire process.

That doesn't, at all, in any way eliminate fear. And that's literally the main argument I get. "I'm afraid of breaking something."

And I can understand it. Some components need an uncomfortable amount of force to install and there is a danger to break something. Some people are clumsy. I don't care if you don't want to understand, but that's how it is, sorry.

 

[Moonstick2]

The size and weight of the 4090 is just ridiculous.

My current and previous cards were 1 kg / 2.2 lbs. (The motherboard's horizontal anyway.)

This thing weighs 2.2 kg, almost 5 lbs. That's nearly a kilo heavier than my laptop!

The "raw reality" is that people are lazy...someone could easily learn how to assemble a PC in an hour or two. There are copious amounts of guides on YouTube that literally babysit people through the entire process.

Spoken like somebody who has spent too much time in an echo chamber with other people who have put PCs together over and over. If assembling a PC were so easy, half the posts in this forum probably wouldn't exist.

I searched youtube installing 4090 and went through the results on the front page. One couldn't use the anti-sag bracket, said he'd have to drill it later and used a clamp thing he had lying around. "It's not perfect but it looks like the best we're going to get." GPU hit his case side panel so he had to push it. The next had to trim a header cable with a knife to get the anti-sag bracket to fit. Another used blocks of styrofoam for anti sag. Another didn't use anything at all or even mention it. Another installed a ROG support but without explanation and to me it looked loose. Another attached the anti-sag bracket to the motherboard but didn't show attaching the GPU to the bracket. The rest of the links were either about PSU connections, drivers or vertical brackets.

I know what's right and wrong with these videos because I know what I'm doing. Users who haven't even seen let alone touched so much as a motherboard before have no chance.

The idea that it would be okay for somebody can order a PC for thousands and be told they have to install the most expensive part themselves with full liability because the supplier dare not, and go find some YouTube to tell you how...yeah right. It's not the end users who are lazy, it's the manufacturers and suppliers.

 

[hedwar2011]

I suspect most people commenting on this did not actually watch the video. About half have a horizontal crack which is would most likely be caused by the bending of the card because of lack of support. The other cracked boards could also have been caused by that but the crack is more diagonal and very near the retention clip so those could be due to someone removing it without fully releasing the clip.

I don't think the guy really cared if the cracks were different because he doesn't feel it worth his effort to try to fix a cracked pcb.

I don't think that he didn't care, he even stated himself that it wasn't feasibly effective or cost effective to repair the PCB simply because it's a 15-layer board and he would spend more time back-tracing any broken traces and leads.

 

[TheAlmightyProo]

Just another building rule for me (thankfully learned from noting the experience of others, not my own)

If the GPU I'm hanging off a mobo weighs a kilo or more it doesn't go in without a proper support bracket. No ifs, no buts.
Now, I can quibble over the idea that manufacturers should give warnings or include brackets with cards etc. There has been some improvement in this so far and that's all good. But in the absence of such I'm gonna fix it myself anyway.

 

[Order 66]

My Rx 6800 reference model has a support bracket, is it necessary, probably not but it's nice for peace of mind.

 

[ABlazinBlueToe]

This isn't a manufacturer defect, it's a harsh reality that can befall any particularly heavy GPU that is not vertically mounted and has no GPU support bracket installed as well.

As someone who does warranty / refurbish / RMA related repairs for a number of large electronics and PC component manufacturers I've seen this over and over again first hand with larger GPUs across every single manufacturer including NVIDIA's Foxconn manufactured FE models. The number one cause of this type of crack near the PCIe slot retention bracket is a combination of the sheer weight of the cards, gravity, time, and no decent GPU support bracket being installed on top of it all.

At best, you don't wind up with a cracked PCB and instead the flexing of the PCB over time leads to solder joints under the VRAM or GPU Core breaking which will result in either artifacts / no video / no fan spin / etc. This is exacerbated when an individual or a prebuilt manufacturer ships the PC or moves the whole PC with said card installed in the system still.

Gigabyte is slightly more susceptible to this causing damage that leads to the card no longer functioning as intended for the simple fact that they manufacture their PCBs with several critical data and voltage traces running much closer to the retention hook then other manufacturers but it has nothing to do with PCB quality or defects.

This is the same reason no manufacturer will accept warranty repairs for this kind of damage because it's technically the fault of the user or the company that purchased the GPU to be installed into the prebuilt system.

Do I believe manufacturers should be more transparent about how critical a solid GPU support bracket is to the longevity of these larger GPUs? Yes. However, the damage that occurs from these combination of factors ultimately isn't the fault of the manufacturer.

Also, there is a typo in the heading. It's NorthRIDGE not Bridge.

It's not a good look that it only happened with the Asus cards, and not Gigabyte.