Exactly. It's a math problem, not a judgment on how you live. The system wants to see a long history of you owing money and paying it back like clockwork. Paying off a big debt and closing the account removes a reliable data point for them, so your score dips. It feels backwards because being debt-free is the real goal, but the score just measures risk for lenders. They'd rather see you keep that old card open and barely use it, which is kind of silly when you think about it.

My buddy Steve lost a whole gaming rig last year trying to swap a GPU. He swore he unplugged it, but the PSU switch was still on. Heard a snap from the motherboard the second the card made contact. Fried the PCIe slot and the new card. He was so mad he didn't touch a computer for a month. That pop and smoke smell is unforgettable, and it happens way faster than you'd think.