> 2. Are there any GPUs that actually have performed physical damage on a motherboard slot? Yes. I've seen both a heavy GPU and an HSM card damage a slot. On

> 2. Are there any GPUs that actually have performed physical damage on a motherboard slot? Yes. I've seen both a heavy GPU and an HSM card damage a slot. One happened when a machine was shipped by a commercial shipper. The other happened when the machine was moved between residences. It doesn't occur to people that the mass of a card swinging around is a problem when the case is moved. The HSM one was remarkable in that it was a full length card with a proper case support on both ends. Also, this isn't just about damaging the PCI-E slot. Heavy cards bend PCBs (both the MB and the dangling card) and bending PCBs is a bad idea: surface mount devices can crack, especially MLCCs, and solder joints aren't flexible either. No telling how many unanalyzed failures happen due to this. If you have a big GPU don't let it dangle. Support it somehow. Another area where the conventional layout is struggling is NVME. They keep getting hotter and so the heatsinks keep getting larger. Motherboard designers are squeezing in NVME slots wherever they can, often where there is little to no airflow...