A few days before the release of the new GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards by NVIDIA, some users on Reddit started reporting issues with the connectors of their Founders Edition models. The connector in question is the 12VHPWR, introduced by NVIDIA with the RTX 40 series GPUs. The images shared, despite being only a few days old, are strikingly similar to those from two years ago with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090: melted power connectors and damaged power supplies.
Back then, NVIDIA blamed users for not properly connecting the cable, while the PCI standards body blamed NVIDIA. This time, the situation is still unclear.
Suspected Cases
RTX 5090FE Molten 12VHPWR
byu/ivan6953 innvidia
One Reddit user (thanks VideoCardz), after replacing their RTX 4090 with an RTX 5090, noticed a burning smell during a gaming session. Upon checking, they found melted plastic on both the power connector and the GPU. The cable in this case was from MODDIY, a popular manufacturer of custom cables. The user claims that the cable was firmly attached and clicked on both sides (GPU and power supply).
A similar case was documented by Spanish YouTuber Toro Tocho, who encountered the same issue while using a cable provided by FSP, a power supply manufacturer.
This type of connector has received criticism and controversy due to its tendency to be inserted incorrectly, which can lead to overheating and component melting. Intel and AMD, both members of the PCI-SIG group that helped develop the 12VHPWR power connector, have not adopted it yet. At the end of 2022, AMD even suggested that it could be dangerous, with the company’s marketing director Sasa Marinkovic tweeting “Stay safe during the holidays” along with a picture of 8-pin connectors.
Despite the update to the 12V-2×6 standard, which features shorter detection pins and longer conductive terminals to make the connection easier, the problem still appears to persist. NVIDIA has yet to release an official statement regarding these new reports.
What do you think? Do you trust the new connection standard? Let us know in the comments.
