RTX 5090 meltdown woes spark flashbacks to RTX 4090 fire hazards
Two owners of Nvidia's RTX 5090 have reported melted power connectors and PSU damage.
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ivan6953 on Reddit
Nvidia’s RTX 5090 is facing early concerns as reports of melting 16-pin power connectors have emerged, evoking memories of the infamous RTX 4090 connector failures. Two separate incidents have surfaced, both pointing to potential issues with the GPU’s power delivery system, despite Nvidia’s efforts to prevent such problems with its updated 12V-2×6 connector standard.
According to The Verge, the first reported incident involved an RTX 5090 user on Reddit who noticed a burning smell while playing Battlefield 5, leading them to inspect their system. Upon closer examination, they discovered that their power cable had melted on both ends—where it connected to the graphics card and where it plugged into the power supply unit (PSU).
RTX 5090FE Molten 12VHPWR
byu/ivan6953 innvidia
It’s worth mentioning that they were using an unofficial third party cable from Moddiy, instead of the one provided with the GPU. The manufacturer has claimed that it follows the updated 12V-2×6 design, complies with ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0 standards, and supports up to 600W. Additionally, the user stated that they had been using the same power cable for over two years with their RTX 4090 FE without any issues. They also ensured that the cable was securely connected, confirming it clicked into place.
What’s interesting here is that Nvidia has already moved to the updated 12V-2×6 connector standard, which was supposed to reduce the risk of overheating and ensure better contact between the pins. However, backward compatibility with older 12VHPWR cables may be contributing to continued failures, as not all third-party cables may fully adhere to the revised specifications.
The second incident comes from Spanish YouTuber Toro Tocho who went through a similar experience with burnt connectors on both the GPU and PSU ends using an RTX 5090 Founders Edition. The affected user was using an FSP Hydro Ti PRO 1000W PSU along with a standard 16-pin PCIe 5.0 cable bundled with the power supply.
Both incidents suggest that power connector issues are still a concern, despite Nvidia’s revisions. The first case hints at compatibility risks with third-party cables, while the second case highlights potential high power draw beyond expected limits. Nvidia has yet to issue an official statement, leaving users to double-check their power connections and monitor their hardware for signs of overheating. Whether these are isolated incidents or the start of a wider problem remains to be seen, but for now, RTX 5090 owners might want to keep a fire extinguisher nearby—just in case.
Kunal Khullar is a computing writer at Digital Trends who contributes to various topics, including CPUs, GPUs, monitors, and…
Details on the upcoming AMD and Nvidia GPUs just got leaked
Seasonic, a prominent PSU manufacturer, has reportedly revealed several upcoming GPUs from AMD's Radeon RX 7000 series and Nvidia's RTX 5000 series on its website. Seasonic listed the unreleased GPUs on its Wattage Calculator webpage, mentioning at least four new AMD and five new Nvidia models, although they seem to be removed at the time of writing this article.
As per a report, Seasonic’s website referenced high-end models of AMD's forthcoming Radeon RX 7000 series, including the RX 7990 XTX, RX 7950 XTX, and RX 7950 XT. This is the first time these specific models have been spotted anywhere online, adding to the anticipation surrounding AMD's next-gen GPUs. However, it's worth noting that this isn't the first time AMD has introduced a high-end refresh. Previously, it launched the "XX50" models as part of the RDNA 2 refresh, which included the 6950 XT, 6750 XT, and 6650 XT.
Even older RTX 4090s aren’t safe from melting connector
It's no news that the power connector on one of Nvidia's best graphics cards may sometimes melt, and yet, this is still new. Typically, the 12VHPWR connector found in the RTX 4090 would either melt quickly or not at all. Bad news for those who thought they were out of the woods and safe from the problem -- it appears that the RTX 4090 can still melt after a year of usage.
Will the saga of RTX 4090 melting connectors never end? It seems not. When the card was initially launched a year ago, the reports of melting cables at the GPU side started cropping up, but then, slowly died down. Now, however, Byogore on Reddit posted a photo of a melted connector on the PCMR subreddit. After working fine for a year, the user started experiencing issues and noticed that the connector had melted.
The situation with melting RTX 4090 connectors just got more complicated
Nvidia's best GPU continues to melt, and even third-party adapters can't seem to prevent it from happening. CableMod's adapter, which many had hoped would fix all problems, is now pinned as the cause of some of the instances of melting connectors. Unfortunately, using it voids the warranty on the GPU, as one unlucky user found out from MSI.
Reddit user Agentcamels reported on the MSI subreddit (via Tom's Hardware) that their RTX 4090 went up in smoke. We've heard of this before -- it's a seemingly never-ending saga of melting RTX 4090 connectors. It seems that they were playing Cyberpunk 2077 when they saw smoke. CableMod's 12VHPWR adapter was in use here, and that may have caused the meltdown; in any case, it appears that the adapter is now stuck to the GPU.
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