Beneath follows the analysis write-up to recap the subject because it stands right this moment.
Analysis
Uniko’s {Hardware} Article & Testing Video:
Uniko’s {Hardware} uploaded a video plugging and unplugging an ASUS PRIME RTX 4060 Ti OC 8GB right into a ROG STRIX X870-A GAMING WIFI 60 occasions. These are the earlier than and after outcomes:
Uniko’s {Hardware} studies: “After the sixtieth time, the graphics card nonetheless works usually with none faults. After the sixtieth time, the appropriate nook of the PEG energy provide a part of the PCB (similar to the metallic spring within the ASUS particular slot) is barely worn, displaying white spots, and the interior facet exhibits black spots.”
This was the consequence after 3 installs/removals. It could be troublesome to acknowledge, however it appears each single plug/unplug cycle might trigger extraordinarily minor beauty injury to the within nook of the PEG energy provide, which usually isn’t obvious till round 60 or so removals.
Uniko’s {Hardware} wasn’t further cautious when unplugging the cardboard, however they did appear to largely observe ASUS’ pointers for unplugging the cardboard, nevertheless they may not have exaggerated the “slight tilt” as a lot as ASUS would have most popular.
Supply: https://unikoshardware.com/2025/01/test-asus-pcie-q-release-slim.html and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TdYEknfHgM&t=83s
ASUS’ Press Launch Assertion
ASUS posted a press launch on January thirty first that included detailed directions on tips on how to use the Q-release Slim mechanism, together with these illustrations.
ASUS said:
“In our inside testing and analysis of the extraordinarily small variety of circumstances reported we discovered no injury to the motherboard or graphics card that will have an effect on performance or efficiency. Nonetheless, it is very important emphasize that any kind of PCIe add-in card will exhibit indicators of utilization and put on marking after 60 steady insertions and removals.”
Within the questions part of their webpage, ASUS requested itself “Is ASUS engaged on design revision/change?” ASUS replied, “If the graphics card is inserted and eliminated following the producer’s advisable set up strategies, there must be no points.”
ASUS famous, probably in response to the Uniko’s {Hardware} check video, “60 insertions with incorrect strategies induced extra put on, making utilization marks extra obvious. Incorrect angles and extreme power could cause additional scratches however don’t have an effect on the performance of the graphics card or motherboard.”
ASUS famous there have been no reported points on the unique Q-Launch (non-slim) mechanism, making it appear to be they presumably overcomplicated issues by making an attempt to advance the design.
In a touch upon the Intel subreddit that ASUS posted this assertion on, ASUS was requested if these beauty marks would trigger ASUS to disclaim guarantee claims, to which an ASUS (North America) consultant identified:
“First, we word that if there is a matter brought on by the Q-Launch Slim slot, we’ll care for end-users within the North America area. I make that distinction as a result of I cowl solely the NA area.
Second, regardless of the visible injury you might see that have been posted on social media, each playing cards have been unaffected when examined for efficiency and performance.
Third, and that is based mostly on a few years that I’ve carried out customer support beforehand at a competitor, it isn’t unusual to see some indicators of utilization or put on and tear on the gold fingers simply by means of regular use. Along with some stage of wear and tear by inserting and eradicating the cardboard, you can even barely scratch the gold fingers if you miss the slot or set it down on a tough floor, and so on. However this type of put on does not sometimes injury the cardboard in a means that forestalls it from regular operation, and purely beauty scratches should not void guarantee.
Lastly, the kind of injury you see on the PCIe connector that may void guarantee sometimes entails extreme scratches to the connector that exposes metallic and/or injury that appears like the cardboard was dropped and made contact with the bottom. In these circumstances, it is normally obvious that the injury is now not beauty and the cardboard most likely will not perform in any respect.”
As a result of it’s the video playing cards which are broken, and never the motherboard, we marvel how a lot authority ASUS has for talking on warranties for different producers.
Supply: https://www.asus.com/us/information/ya8rt06hmk6xthtq/
Affected Motherboards
ASUS’ motherboard product web page lists 16 SKUs of motherboards with a Q-Launch Slim mechanism (listed beneath). These product traces that might function the Q-Launch Slim embrace: ROG STRIX Z890/B850/X870, ROG MAXIMUS Z890/Z790, TUF GAMING Z890 (just one), and a Professional WS WRX90E (just one).
- Essential word – not each motherboard from the above product traces function the Q-release Slim, typically this function depends upon the SKU from that product line.
- ROG STRIX Z890-H GAMING WIFI
- ROG MAXIMUS Z890 HERO BTF
- ROG STRIX B850-I GAMING WIFI
- ROG STRIX Z890-I GAMING WIFI
- ROG MAXIMUS Z890 APEX
- ROG STRIX Z890-F GAMING WIFI
- ROG STRIX Z890-E GAMING WIFI
- ROG MAXIMUS Z890 HERO
- ROG MAXIMUS Z890 EXTREME
- ROG STRIX Z890-A GAMING WIFI
- TUF GAMING Z890-PRO WIFI
- ROG STRIX X870-I GAMING WIFI
- ROG STRIX X870-A GAMING WIFI
- ROG STRIX X870E-E GAMING WIFI
- ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO BTF
- Professional WS WRX90E-SAGE SE
ASUS Guide Documentation
ASUS’ documentation for utilizing the Q-Launch Slim is proven above, stating:
“To launch an enlargement card on a Q-Launch Slim PCIe slot: Pull the entrance finish of the enlargement card upwards, this could launch the enlargement card from the Q-Launch Slim PCIe slot, permitting you to take away the enlargement card from the Q-Launch Slim PCIe slot,” together with a reference illustration. Of their most up-to-date press launch, Asus famous a “2 diploma angle” in an illustration.
Temporary Historical past of Q-Launch Slim
ASUS first launched the Q-Launch Slim model on August twentieth, 2024, and showcased it at Gamescon 2024, making it a comparatively new function. This got here after their authentic Q-Launch mechanism that they unveiled in 2021.
Supply:
https://press.asus.com/information/press-releases/asus-x870e-x870-motherboards-ryzen-9000/
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/motherboards/asus-and-msi-debut-motherboards-with-gpu-quick-release-for-easy-upgrades
Points with Slight Angle
Discovered by way of PCWorld, Andreas Schilling of HardwareLuxx posted on Bluesky saying, “I’ve made a schematic drawing of what the issue is in my case. It isn’t at all times potential to create the mandatory angle due to the again of the case,” together with this image (beneath).
On the time of scripting this, ASUS has not responded to points with creating the mandatory angle to make use of the Q-Launch Slim mechanism.
In a February 5 tweet, Uniko’s {Hardware} showcased an instance of extra noteworthy injury to a consumer’s video card. The tweet reads: “we additional dig within the photographs offered by affected asus customers. in regards to the excessive circumstances reported, truly not simply the peg half are broken but additionally the nook of the x16 half. everyone knows the metallic piece of q launch slim is on the peg facet solely so the scratches that occurred on the x16 half make zero sense. thus we are actually suspect the foundation reason for the issue is the metallic between x16 and peg which is meant to be soldered to PCB for smt slot rigidity. our preliminary check of 60 occasions plugging and elimination exhibits nearly no injury on the x16 a part of the PCB, so when you observe tight the asus official information, the extent of the injury could possibly be minimized.”
It included this picture:
Supply:
https://bsky.app/profile/aschilling.bsky.social/submit/3lgwux6ikb22j
https://x.com/unikoshardware/standing/1887113682200707194/photograph/1
Easy Recap
- ASUS’ Q-Launch Slim mechanism seems to be inflicting injury to the GPU’s PCIe-connector.
- ASUS presently lists 16 SKUs of motherboards that use Q-Launch Slim. This function got here out on the finish of August 2024.
- In the end, it’s fairly onerous to note the injury induced, till round 60 or so installs/removals (as highlighted by Uniko’s {Hardware} testing video). Nonetheless, you might be able to discover extraordinarily minor injury to the within nook of the PEG energy connector after each elimination.
- This can be very onerous to inform if Uniko’s {Hardware} completely adopted ASUS’ pointers for elimination, however it additionally shouldn’t be a requirement to completely observe the exact angle to the diploma. We predict that eradicating a video card is a typical course of that ought to not require new care only for this mechanism. ASUS documentation says: “To launch an enlargement card on a Q-Launch Slim PCIe slot: Pull the entrance finish of the enlargement card upwards, this could launch the enlargement card from the Q-Launch Slim PCIe slot, permitting you to take away the enlargement card from the Q-Launch Slim PCIe slot,” which Uniko’s {Hardware} did observe, nevertheless of their most up-to-date launch, ASUS highlighted a 2 diploma angle, which we’re unsure if Uniko’s {Hardware} did on each elimination. However this additionally shouldn’t matter.
- ASUS’ most up-to-date press launch acknowledges the difficulty, however claims that is solely beauty injury to the GPU PCIe-connector (motherboard unaffected) that won’t impression the efficiency or card performance.
- When requested about guarantee claims, the ASUS consultant mentioned this shouldn’t have an effect on guarantee protection.
- “We word that if there is a matter brought on by the Q-Launch Slim slot, we’ll care for end-users within the North America area. I make that distinction as a result of I cowl solely the NA area,” and “Along with some stage of wear and tear by inserting and eradicating the cardboard, you can even barely scratch the gold fingers if you miss the slot or set it down on a tough floor, and so on. However this type of put on does not sometimes injury the cardboard in a means that forestalls it from regular operation, and purely beauty scratches should not void guarantee.”
- As a result of it’s the GPUs which are broken, and never the motherboard, we marvel how a lot authority ASUS has for talking on warranties for different producers.
- “We word that if there is a matter brought on by the Q-Launch Slim slot, we’ll care for end-users within the North America area. I make that distinction as a result of I cowl solely the NA area,” and “Along with some stage of wear and tear by inserting and eradicating the cardboard, you can even barely scratch the gold fingers if you miss the slot or set it down on a tough floor, and so on. However this type of put on does not sometimes injury the cardboard in a means that forestalls it from regular operation, and purely beauty scratches should not void guarantee.”
- ASUS famous there have been no reported points on the unique Q-Launch (non-slim) mechanism, making it appear to be they presumably overcomplicated issues by making an attempt to advance the design.
- Andreas Schilling of HardwareLuxx posted on Bluesky saying, “I’ve made a schematic drawing of what the issue is in my case. It isn’t at all times potential to create the mandatory angle due to the again of the case,” together with an image illustrating the angle concern.
- In the end, it appears that evidently this isn’t a big concern as a result of it solely causes minor beauty injury that won’t have an effect on efficiency of the cardboard and shouldn’t have an effect on the guarantee. Our greatest concern is that if ASUS rejects warranties. We’d even be involved if a video card dies for some unrelated purpose, then the consumer will get rejected for PCIe injury brought on by ASUS. That is one thing we are able to’t account for till it occurs.
- As a bonus, most finish customers will probably not set up/take away their card 60 occasions anyway. That is probably a a lot greater concern for reviewers/testers.
