Hardware repair expert NorthridgeFix recently found himself in a tough spot. He had two RTX 5090 graphics cards, both modified with water - cooling systems and now damaged. One was a non - public version, which he successfully repaired and reverted to air - cooling. However, the RTX 5090 FE public version proved to be a lost cause due to its intricate internal design.

The public version of the graphics card employs a split design. Both the PCIe interface and the display interface are separate sub - cards. These sub - cards are connected to the main circuit board via a large number of pin - based interfaces. During the process of water - cooling modification, gamers inadvertently bent or broke the pins. As a result, although the graphics card could be powered on, it failed to produce any output signal.

The internal interfaces of the RTX 5090 FE public version are akin to those found in mobile phones and tablets. Yet, there are no available replacement parts. Given that this graphics card is worth tens of thousands of yuan, it ultimately became a useless piece of hardware.

Therefore, it is strongly advised that users of high - end graphics cards refrain from recklessly disassembling or modifying them. If water - cooling is a necessity, they should consider purchasing pre - installed versions directly.