Northridge fix warns against buying NVIDIA RTX 5090 Founders Edition

By Moinak Pal Published October 27, 2025

Okay, let’s talk about this RTX 5090 Founders Edition, because if you’re the type who likes to tinker with your PC, you really need to hear this.

So, you know that super-hyped NVIDIA RTX 5090 Founders Edition? The one that’s supposed to be the absolute top-dog graphics card? Well, it turns out it might have a huge Achilles’ heel, especially if you’re into modding or water cooling.

Some well-respected repair gurus over at Northridge Fix (you might know their YouTube channel) are basically screaming from the rooftops: Do NOT buy this card if you ever plan on opening it up.

Why? Because of a tiny, incredibly fragile connector inside. See, NVIDIA went for this new compact design where the main brain of the card (the PCB) is small and sits in the middle. To connect that part to the bit that actually plugs into your motherboard (the PCIe slot), they used this new, little connector.

And “little” is the problem. These repair guys got a busted 5090 FE sent in by someone who tried to put a water block on it. When they cracked it open and looked under the microscope, bam! Bent and broken pins on that tiny connector. Game over. The card was totally dead.

Here’s the kicker: that specific connector? You can’t just buy a replacement. It’s custom. So, if you break it – and it seems really easy to break – your $2,000 graphics card becomes a very expensive paperweight. The Northridge Fix guys literally called it one of the “worst GPU designs in history” for repairability.

A High-End Card with a Serious Flaw

Sure, the fancy new design might be great for keeping the card cool and compact. But it completely throws repairability out the window. If you’re someone who loves customizing your rig, adding water cooling, or just taking things apart, you’re playing with fire with this specific card. One wrong move, and it’s toast, with no way to fix it.

Too Smart for Its Own Good?

Look, NVIDIA pushing the envelope on design is cool and all. But what’s the point of cutting-edge tech if it’s so delicate that you can’t even work on it?

For the average gamer who just plugs it in and leaves it alone? Maybe it’s fine. But for the PC building community, the tinkerers, the water-cooling crowd? This design turns a $2,000 investment into a massive gamble. Sometimes, trying to be too clever ends up breaking things in more ways than one. Seriously, be careful with this one.