Uh oh, déjà vu all over again? Just when we get comfortable with those beefy power requirements from high-end GPUs, a report emerges that keeps PC builders up a little anxious. A Redditor, posting as u/ivan6953, has thrown out a thread related to his melted power connector for his brand-new RTX 5090 Founders Edition. Let us dive into a brief breakdown of the information known to date.
RTX 5090 FE Melted Power Connector (Reddit Image)
The Incident: Battlefield 5 and Burning Smells
Trouble started while playing Battlefield 5, reports u/ivan6953. With the system pulling a massive 500 to 520 watts, a smell of burning suddenly filled the air. Quick thinking led to an immediate shutdown, but unfortunately, the damage was already done. Both the RTX 5090 FE's power socket and the connected cable were showing signs of melting. Not good.
Third-Party Cable: The Potential Culprit?
A key point here is that the stock cable included with the RTX 5090 was not utilized; u/ivan6953 opted for a Moddiy one. For its part, Moddiy calls the cable a 12V-2x6 type, supposedly conforming to the ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0 standard at up to 600W. They've even said on this occasion it was seated well and a distinctive "click" had been both heard and felt. Interestingly enough, they note having used that exact Moddiy cable over an RTX 4090 FE without incidents for two whole years.
"I have used the power cable for over two years with my RTX 4090 FE without problems. I said that I securely fastened the cable, and it made an audible click." - u/ivan6953 on Reddit
PSU Connector Also Affected: Pointing to a Different Source?
Interestingly, the melting did not only occur on the GPU side. The user's Asus ROG Loki PSU 12V-2x6 connector also took damage. u/ivan6953 even suspects this may be coming from the PSU, adding it seemed more burnt than the opposite connector. Now, could that be a problem with the PSU pushing too much power, or a fault within the third-party cable that makes both components be affected?
Not Likely an RTX 5090 Design Fault
It is worth reminding at this point that, before the panic sets in, Nvidia has said the RTX 50 series connectors are actually designed to avoid melting with higher power draw. In fact, they have angled the connector to reduce stress on the port. Besides, safety features including 12VHPWR safety lights and orange-tipped adapters for proper cable connection are added by partners such as Zotac and MSI.
Warranty Claims and Unanswered Questions
u/ivan6953 intends to submit warranty claims to both Nvidia and Asus. However, the fact that he used a third-party cable complicates things. Was it the cable? A PSU issue? Or even a loose connection despite the user's assurances? The exact cause remains unclear.
Final Thoughts
This is the first credible melted connector report we've seen for the RTX 5090, and it's definitely something to watch. It's too early to make any broad conclusions, but it serves as a reminder of the importance of proper cable connections and the potential risks-even with high-quality components. We wish u/ivan6953 the best of luck in getting this sorted and will be keeping an eye out for further developments.
Second User About the Same Problem
Making things worse, there is a report now by a second user about the same problem. Similar to u/ivan6953, Toro Tocho has also faced the melted power connector on his RTX 5090 FE. Further questions about power delivery and compatibility of cables started to arise again. This has just taken the case to a higher dimension, considering there are already two documented cases attracting the attention of the PC-building community.
Source: Reddit Post
