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+# Validate vs Burn: Hardware Impact Policy
+
+## Validate Tests (non-destructive)
+
+Tests on the **Validate** page are purely diagnostic. They:
+
+- **Do not write to disks** — no data is written to storage devices; SMART counters (power-on hours, load cycle count, reallocated sectors) are not incremented.
+- **Do not run sustained high load** — commands complete quickly (seconds to minutes) and do not push hardware to thermal or electrical limits.
+- **Do not increment hardware wear counters** — GPU memory ECC counters, NVMe wear leveling counters, and similar endurance metrics are unaffected.
+- **Are safe to run repeatedly** — on new, production-bound, or already-deployed hardware without concern for reducing lifespan.
+
+### What Validate tests actually do
+
+| Test | What it runs |
+|---|---|
+| NVIDIA GPU | `nvidia-smi`, `dcgmi diag` (levels 1–4 read-only diagnostics) |
+| Memory | `memtester` on a limited allocation; reads/writes to RAM only |
+| Storage | `smartctl -a`, `nvme smart-log` — reads SMART data only |
+| CPU | `stress-ng` for a bounded duration; CPU-only, no I/O |
+| AMD GPU | `rocm-smi --showallinfo`, `dmidecode` — read-only queries |
+
+## Burn Tests (hardware wear)
+
+Tests on the **Burn** page run hardware at maximum or near-maximum load for extended durations. They:
+
+- **Wear storage**: write-intensive patterns can reduce SSD endurance (P/E cycles).
+- **Stress GPU memory**: extended ECC stress tests may surface latent defects but also exercise memory cells.
+- **Accelerate thermal cycling**: repeated heat/cool cycles degrade solder joints and capacitors over time.
+- **May increment wear counters**: GPU power-on hours, NVMe media wear indicator, and similar metrics will advance.
+
+### Rule
+
+> Run **Validate** freely on any server, at any time, before or after deployment.
+> Run **Burn** only when explicitly required (e.g., initial acceptance after repair, or per customer SLA).
+> Document when and why Burn tests were run.