Handful of users claim new Nvidia GPUs are melting power cables again
1 min read
Summary
Reports have emerged that the cables for Nvidia’s new GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card are melting, which is reminiscent of the situation with the RTX 4090 earlier in 2022.
Then, it was found that the 12VHPWR connectors were not being inserted properly into the socket on the GPU, or were being bent in a way that created stress on the connection, so sparking and fire occurred.
The PCI-SIG standards body, which is responsible for the design of the connector, defended the design, suggesting that blame for issues should be placed with the implementing manufacturers.
Accordingly, the 12VHPWR connector was replaced by the 12V-2x6 connector, which has been used for the RTX 50-series cards and only allows power to flow if the connectors are inserted properly.
However, an investigation by hardware site Gamers Nexus found no evidence of a fault with the cables or the socket on the GPU.
Instead, it suggests that users may not have assembled the supplementary power cable properly.
This involves plugging two connectors into the GPU, and Gamers Nexus suggests the weight of the cables may pull on the connectors leading to overheating.
