Update to this.. I called Asus to RMA and they refused, said warranty does not cover damaged products. They escalated my case twice and was told the exact thing each time.. that their warranty policy does not cover damaged components.. regardless of how the damage happened. They said I could send it in but would be charged a repair fee. Pretty annoying considering how hard it is to get these and this was damaged from packaging at Asus. Guess I have no choice other than return for refund to Newegg.
I'm not sure why you would want a manufacturer RMA (which would likely be a fix or refurb) vs a brand new sealed exchange from Newegg (which would likely also be a significantly faster turnaround).