Nvidia rejects RTX 5090 graphics card warranty claim over faded serial number
The case of the disappearing GPU number.
An Nvidia RTX5090 graphics card, plus warranty rejected. Image by Cybernews.
- Nvidia denied a customer's RTX 5090 warranty claim because the serial number on the GPU bracket was unreadable.
- The customer said the GPU caused black screen crashes under heavy load and sat with Nvidia for 30 days.
- Nvidia's chatbot had said packaging and a receipt would be enough if the serial number could not be read.
- Other Nvidia users report similar concerns because the serial number is printed on a sticker, not etched into metal.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
An Nvidia graphics card owner was denied a warranty claim by the company because the serial number on the GPU’s metal bracket was illegible.
UK Redditor Willing-Avocado-4830 revealed that his system had been experiencing black-screen crashes after the RTX 5090 graphics card throttled under heavy load.
The customer dutifully returned the device to Nvidia, and they kept it for 30 days before issuing their first correspondence.
At first contact with Nvidia, an outright rejection was given with no explanation, meaning the customer had to wait for a follow-up email from Nvidia explaining why.
Posting on Reddit, Avocado said:
On September 11th, an NVIDIA L2 representative, Jason, told me that my RMA had been rejected and that they were arranging to send the GPU back to me. However, the email did not give any reason for the rejection,Redditor, Willing-Avocado-4830, commenting on Nvidia's refusal of warranty.
The user maintained that they had not interfered with or tampered with the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), which raised the question of how this could affect the warranty service.
Willing-Avocado disclosed that he purchased the hardware for over $2,000 on September 10th, 2025.
My RTX 5090 FE RMA was rejected because the physical serial number is no longer readable — has anyone experienced this?
by u/Willing-Avocado-4830 in nvidia
A murky issue
Before his rejection from Nvidia, the customer had been told by an Nvidia chatbot that even if the serial number was unreadable, the original packaging and receipt would be enough to make a claim.
And with the serial number printed on a sticker rather than etched into the metal, the issue has cropped up on numerous occasions among Nvidia GPU customers.
As Tom’s Hardware reports, an accumulation of dust, along with oxidation and corrosion, can make for some murky reading.
And with the flagship RTX 5090 now retailing at around $6,000 with some third-party retailers, there was speculation in the Reddit community that there could be a correlation between this high price and Nvidia’s refusal.
One commenter said “there’s no way Nvidia isn’t aware of it,” while another predicted that a refund at the original retail price was the best-case scenario.
Other respondents looked into the nitty-gritty, with one user sharing his assumption that the serial number would have been laser-etched rather than printed on a sticker.
Redditor Hawok, meanwhile, shared how they took a photo of the GPU box and that Nvidia’s customer support accepted it.
Nvidia’s warranty terms for the device last for 3 years after purchase.
However, there is no information stating that a readable number is required on the graphics card in order to make a claim.
