If it's one client it could be a system builder and the cards were damaged in transport to clients being insufficiently protected - We had the same incident with two 4090 systems that we bought for data computation - the cards were supposed to be dismounted from the pc's for transport and assembled back here but the guys from the system builder forgot and the systems arrived with the cards hanging in the cases cracked in the same region like from these pictures. These are heavy cards....I don't think that it is an issue with the cards themself - more like an issue with people negligence.

a card that requires 600watts is ridiculous anyway and in every aspect. One of which is the weight of the cooler and the stress on the gpu pcb and the pci-x slot.

Nah, this is caused by card sag and the bad build quality around the retention finger. There was analysis of this issue in the past.

GlassGR:

a card that requires 600watts is ridiculous anyway and in every aspect.

Not if you want the absolute best gaming performance and are prepared to pay for it, plenty on here have 4090's.

Honestly, I'd be the least worried about a cracked PCB. Just put a stand under it, use the ones that come with many cases and some GPUs even, and if all breaks, cut a damn piece of wood to the right length and wedge it in. Hells one might as well use legos.

pegasus1:

Not if you want the absolute best gaming performance and are prepared to pay for it, plenty on here have 4090's.

an analysis of "the absolute best" + "prepared to pay for it" would be fun but not on this site.

I watch those videos and conclusion is simple - use support brackets and remove GPU from slot when PC is in shipping and you will be ok. I am owner of Gigabyte 4090 Gaming OC since March. I am using support bracket from GB and i can say i newer in my live have so good secured GPU. Zero sag and in my opinion it is impassible to move/dmg GPU without use of major force like drooping or throwing PC

Yes, Gigabyte's anti-sag brackets are rock solid and innovative. You can always get one of those usual stands from Amazon, but the GB retention is unique. Beside being fixated by three (3!) screws to the graphic-card it also has the advantage of working in any orientation. My build is upside-down (left-handed) with 20 cm between graphic-card and next solid bottom/frame, most stands wouldn't even fit that distance and surely not be anywhere near as stable.

GlassGR:

an analysis of "the absolute best" + "prepared to pay for it" would be fun but not on this site.

Its the same for any hobby at the top end, if spending your Sundays thrashing around the Nurburgring is your thing then maybe spending £2000 on an exhaust isnt odd, maybe £2000 on a Scott fully sprung bike or even spending £2000 on 200 pints of beer is your way to spend your Friday nights in central London revs you up, criticism from other is irrelevant.

pegasus1:

Its the same for any hobby at the top end, if spending your Sundays thrashing around the Nurburgring is your thing then maybe spending £2000 on an exhaust isnt odd, maybe £2000 on a Scott fully sprung bike or even spending £2000 on 200 pints of beer is your way to spend your Friday nights in central London revs you up, criticism from other is irrelevant.

So true. There are hobbies much more expensive than gaming hardware. I would like a good used sports car to replace my Clio but everything decent costs more than 20.000/25.000!... And then we need to add the expenses of fuel and maintenance...

GlassGR:

a card that requires 600watts is ridiculous anyway and in every aspect.

Even with OC to 3GHz, 4090 is (well) <450W in most games. Let's try to stay realistic...

I am not sure, I have MSI ventus 4090 and support bracket just do not help... its lose which I got with it... Its 101% design fault for whole series

Probably more a design issue of that useless bracket than of the card itself? Should have provided a supporting pillar instead.

THAT's a knife:

Curious and makes me wonder if the OEMs or resellers aren't doing this for cards replaced under warranty, as they would have no way to fix them, just as the repair shop couldn't fix them. Interesting, as well, why all of this was not done via email without the need for physically sending the cards to the repair shop just to be returned labeled "NoFix." Can't say I have ever seen this before, but that certainly doesn't mean very much...;) The 4090 is simply too big, imo.

with a cooler that size it might be wise to standardize the distance between 2 16X slots and add a dummy 16x pci-e to the cooler for extra support :P if those pictures are correct scale in my case i'd have to remove my pump/reservoir to even get it in the damn case....and it'd still seem like a tight fit (011 D) :P

The only way I can see for them to strengthen it is to replace the tab with a high tensile strength plastic with a metal lattice internally for added rigidity. The tab itself cannot be altered in it size as it has to conform with the PCI-e specification. The plastic tab that replaces the fiberglass PCB material would also have to have a attachment plate that would have to be attached externally on the PCB itself as it would not be possible to integrate it in to the PCB layers itself. This would add a considerable cost to a already ludicrously priced graphics card. The smart solution would be to include a support stand with the graphics card that has to be used in order for the graphics card to function. It would have to integrate in such a way physically with the card that it would complete a circuit with the power stages of the card. No stand, no power. Of course people would find a way to defeat the stand and get the card to function anyway. Hopefully they have a way to detect the tampering and set a bit in the firmware that voids the warranty. Or have the stand be electronically keyed to the card like a smart key for a car. Just ideas. Graphics cards companies are either going to find a meaningful fix for this issue or they will continue to make the flawed cards and give the end user no recourse since the damage voids your warranty as they are currently written; it falls under the misuse of the card section in the warranty. Basically if you never mount the card you will never have an issue and you can enjoy your warranty. This I speak from with experience. My Gigabyte 4070 has a damaged tab. Luckily I noticed it before it got more than a millimeter cracked; I was able to repair the crack without adding to the thickness of the tab or surrounding PCB so it still fits into the slot. I called Gigabyte to get an RMA with pictures of the damage and was told the card was not properly inserted into the slot and I caused the damage or I did not properly secure the card in the case. The back plate on my particular model is more for show and maybe a small amount of cooling than a structural member. I also challenged then on how it was supposed to be mounted outside of what is in included instructions with the card. They had no answer for that. Keep in mind I was using a graphics card support with the card to minimize flex. It did not help with the issue as the top of the card had ample support but without the back plate to assist it was a lost cause. The kicker. They voided my warranty not for the crack in the PCB but the card support I installed to try to support the card. They said I modified the card by using some thing not supplied with the card. I am waiting for the class action lawsuit that looks like it might come to fruition in the future to join.

The funny thing about the 4090 is, take the HSF off and that PCB is tiny and light as a feather 😀. For context. 4090 Asus TUF HSF 1.9kg 6900xt Asus TUF HSF 1.4kg 1080Ti with full waterblock 1kg

honestly they should just stop using the tab as a structural support if they make cards that heavy. much rather the card dislodge than crack the freaking pcb.

I've posted this picture recently, I used the same with my 6900xt and the 1080Ti before it. Its the absolute most basic and cost effective solution.