Hi Hamish,
 
There are not really any guarantees when it comes to the life expectancy of an electronic component or by extension, the device itself, which is why the warranty is in place. A component may last 20 or 30 years, but another in the same batch may last a few hours.
 
Some things you could do in an attempt to prolong the life of the card is make sure it has sufficient cooling, don't run it under heavy loads for extended periods (IE: Mining Cryptocurrency) and just make sure it's free of dust and dirt.
 
We do offer the option of purchasing an extended warranty which would take a 3 year product to either 5 or 10 years, within 90 days of the original purchase date, for peace of mind.
 
Either way, should you need any troubleshooting assistance or advice on your EVGA products, feel free to reach out to our support team any time.

Heres what I do just to be able to play games at all:
Have MSI Afterburner on 100% fan speed during gaming, heatsinks on the back of the card (or you could buy a REAL backplate, that actually cools, and not just one that looks neeto), a fan dedicated to cooling the top of my card, The case on top of the desk with AC blowing into my case, something to keep the card level all the time. Clean everything once a month, or 2 if its not very dusty in your house. A dedicated line JUST for the computer, monitor, and modem. A high quality UPS.
 
I am on my 6th Titan X (this is the best I will ever get it seems), and this is what I have to do to just play games and web surf.
And even then I have to shut the machine off, or log off and log back on, because textures dont load, or there is bad flickering, or something is going on.
I also had an EVGA PSU that went out and took my card, but we didnt catch it until the 3rd or 4th rma. :(

Removing / Installing ---> Anything from a MB that is "Off" - but still plugged into the wall - Can cause damage as the MB still has power
 
You must isolate (unplug) the PC, wait for  PSU discharge - or - hold start button 30 sec. to discharge PSU capacitors
 
Always follow good grounding practices to prevent static discharge damage
 
Also, powering On a PC if the GPU card is Not Fully inserted into the PCIe slot & locked in place can potentially damage the card