This is one of those cases that almost never happens. A user trying to install a water block on their GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition accidentally damaged a fragile connector on the board — a part that is almost impossible to repair and not covered by warranty. But NVIDIA agreed to replace the card with a new one.
The story was told by the popular repairman NorthridgeFix. He noted that the RTX 5090 FE is one of the most complex video cards, with many small elements and non-standard connector placement. The small internal connector connecting the PCB section to the PCIe port is considered especially dangerous. A slight displacement or excessive pressure is enough — and the pins break, as happened in this case.
The user, realizing that it was impossible to repair the video card, contacted NVIDIA and attached a video with evidence. The company, probably noticing that the topic had gained popularity online, decided to meet the user's needs and issued a new GPU, although according to the rules, such a breakdown is not covered by the warranty.
It is worth understanding that this is an exception. The Founders Edition design is extremely difficult to modify, and installing water cooling is an almost guaranteed risk. For those who are planning a so-called "custom loop", it is much safer to choose a non-reference version with a simpler printed circuit board design and more standard connectors.
In fact, the user was just lucky. In a normal situation, NVIDIA would not have replaced the card. If you buy FE, it is better not to remove the native cooling.
