In my experience, heavy cards ruin PCIe slots fast. What case are you using? The Cooler Master ELV8 Universal ARGB is okay, but I prefer the Lian Li GB-002 Anti-Sag Bracket for stability.

Honestly was in the same boat when I got my first big card... totally terrified of that snap sound. @Reply #2 - good point! Pillar supports are definitely the way to go if you want peace of mind. I spent weeks researching because I didnt want to blow another $50 after the GPU hurt my wallet so much lol. I ended up getting the Cooler Master Addressable RGB GPU Support Bracket and I have been super satisfied with it. Its a vertical stand that sits right on the PSU shroud and holds everything steady.

• The tempered glass look is actually really clean and doesnt look cheap tho.
• It uses a toolless adjustment so you just slide the clip up and tighten it by hand.
• The base is magnetic so it wont move if you carry your PC to a LAN party or something. Basically it takes 100% of the weight off the motherboard. My card hasnt budged an inch in months and I finally stopped worrying about it breaking my expensive slot. Plus its way under your budget so you can buy some snacks for Saturday.

Stumbled on this today... do you have enough room for a pillar style support or does it have to be a horizontal bar? over the years, ive seen plenty of those expensive argb brackets sag themselves under real weight. you really want something that transfers the load directly to the floor of the case, or youre just risking your pcie slot. safety first with a 4090... those things are massive and i dont trust the pcb strength.