ASUS straightaway denies repair due to a crack in the interface, but the good thing is that they are offering a "whopping" 50% discount on the replacement.
ASUS Rejects RMA Claim, Quoting "Surface Irregularity" on User's RTX 5090 Astral Card; Asks for $3,340 for Replacement
GPU RMA claims can sometimes become quite complicated, and this case is exactly what led to several months of back-and-forth conversations between the customer and the ASUS representatives. Redditor u/kromz explains on the ASUS subreddit how his RMA claim was rejected by ASUS as the company reportedly found a "crack" on the PCB near the PCIe interface.
The user said his ROG RTX 5090 Astral started producing black screens and caused reboots. So, he sent the GPU to ASUS for RMA, but ASUS found "surface irregularity" near the PCIe interface, which is hard to spot with the naked eye but is visible under the microscope. User says he doesn't know if this was there before he sent it, as it wasn't visible to the naked eye.
ASUS has reportedly rejected his RMA claim due to "consumer-induced" damage, and this GPU cannot be repaired. So, the company is now asking for a whopping CAD$4,661 or US$3,340 for the replacement. So, quite a tough situation for the user as he reports having done everything right when installing the card and also used the GPU support bracket.
The company is now offering a "50%" discount on the replacement, which means the user will still have to pay around $1,700. This is already closer to the MSRP of the RTX 5090 FE, and quite a huge amount of money to be paid for something as small as "surface irregularity" that can't be seen with the naked eye. It's understandable not to offer a free replacement for damage that is noticeable as a result of user negligence, but if something is so insignificant that it can't be seen except under a microscope, it feels as though the company was looking for any customer-induced issue it could use to deny the warranty.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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