99% Likely DOA 4090 (factory direct) approved for RMA, but I'd like to test it out on another system before sending it off. Suggestions to find a test bench? Every shop insists I drop it off (hell no). Also, how will ASUS replace a discontinued card with no real value comp? First time RMA'ing a GPU
TLDR: For the sake of making this as brief as possible without listing EVERY troubleshooting step, please trust I did all the reseating, cable swapping, BIOS updates, driver installs etc, and the system ultimately worked fine with two other cards. My questions pertain strictly to (1) testing options where I don't have to drop off the card unattended at the shop, as I'm not risking some of the horror stories I've heard even BEFORE gpus were eleventy billion dollars, and (2) if the answer is to just RMA it, what will they likely do to replace a card that has been long discontinued? First time RMA'ing a gpu, so any heads up would be appreciated.
Ultimately, I'm seeking advice on what lengths I should go to to find a test bench before RMA'ing it and having them send me back a card well below the value and power of the 4090. More details and partpicker list below for those with more questions
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/rbVvHW
I did a 4090 build for a friend in February, card was showing all signs of DOA after full troubleshooting. It powered up the lights, but the fans didn't start up, the Q-code read D6 (graphics card abnormal), and BIOS wouldn't recognize it, even after flashing. The old 580 I plugged in powered up and the fans ran with no error code, but it wasn't recognized by BIOS either, until I wiped and did another flash, and it worked fine. Went back to the 4090, no dice. Wiped and flashed, still nothing. Again, still nothing. It wouldn't fit in my old 580 rig, so trying another system entirely was the only stone left unturned, so I went ahead and got an RMA number.
Friend snagged a 5090 instead of waiting for the RMA to come back, and first try it powered up with no error code and fans ran, but like the 580, BIOS still couldn't find it. So I flashed AGAIN, and it was suddenly recognized and has been running like a dream ever since. I tried the 4090 one last time, but again, nothin doin. Friend told me to keep the 4090 as a thanks for the build. Due to life, I just now got around to getting a new RMA number, as the last one from Feb obviously expired.
QUESTION ONE: Now that I'm finally getting around to sending it off, I can't help but feel like there was something funky going on between that particular system/mobo and would love to try it on another system to see if it actually works, but I don't have a rig that can do that, and every single shop I called within a 30 minute radius (including Microcenter) won't even let me be present for the testing, much less let me use a test bench to see if it gets recognized.
Even small shops that I offered to pay full price for "testing and diagnostics" wouldn't let me simply be present when they plugged it in to make sure it wasn't getting messed with or swapped out. I'm guessing the answer is to just RMA it, but I figured I'd get input here first, as I've never RMA'd an insanely expensive, sought after card that has been discontinued for two years.
QUESTION TWO: Assuming the correct answer is to RMA it, what should I expect to receive as reimbursement if it is indeed a dead card? Customer service was reading boilerplate to me and would tell me literally nothing about the process or reimbursement short of the fact that they do not offer monetary refunds, and that the replacement will be a card that "they believe" to be equivalent to the 4090, but is well below the value and power of the card.
Sorry for the long post, but I tried to answer as many of the questions folks would ask instead of replying back and forth in the comments.