The power cable of the Nvidia RTX 5090 graphics card has melted at both ends, with a bulge noticed on the power supply side

Nvidia RTX 5090's power cable melts, causing damage on GPU and PSU sides.

: The Nvidia RTX 5090, priced over $3,000, experienced a power cable meltdown affecting both graphics card and power supply. A user named Roachard reported this issue with an MSI Gaming Trio OC setup on a Corsair SF1000L PSU. Despite using original cables, the connectors melted, echoing past problems in RTX models due to power distribution errors. Testing by overclocker Der8auer highlighted uneven current levels, exacerbating the heating problem.

The Nvidia RTX 5090, a high-end graphics card exceeding $3,000 in cost, has been reported to experience severe overheating problems resulting in the melting of its power cable connectors on both the card and power supply unit (PSU) ends. In a notable case shared by Reddit user Roachard, these incidents involved an MSI RTX 5090 Gaming Trio OC model paired with a Corsair SF1000L power supply, connected to an Asus Strix B650E-I motherboard. The power supply used, which is ATX 3.0-compliant and priced at $230, was directly connected using the original cable rated for 600W, yet still encountered significant heat damage.

Roachard first noticed damage on the graphics card side, but further inspection revealed severe burning and a large melted bulge on the PSU side. This situation drew attention due to a similar case in February where an alternative third-party cable from Moddiy was implicated. That particular cable, despite its ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0 design and supporting up to 600W, resulted in both the graphics card and PSU being damaged.

Interestingly, this is not an isolated incident within the RTX series. Previous models, such as the RTX 4090, have also faced overheating issues due largely to the notorious stiffness of the 12VHPWR cables making them difficult to fully insert, prompting an updated 12V-2x6 design. This has not completely alleviated the problem for all users, raising concerns about the thermal and electrical management in Nvidia's design.

To better understand the technicalities, overclocker Der8auer conducted investigations that replicated these conditions and discovered alarming results: temperatures on the PSU side reaching 150°C and close to 90°C on the GPU side. Such temperatures arose from a significant imbalance in power distribution, where some wires bore a current load far exceeding their designed capability, with a few encountering amperages over 20, despite being designed for only 5-6 amps.

These incidents underline the critical need for enthusiasts and professionals using these setups to closely examine their cabling arrangements and ensure all connections are secure and spec-compliant. Nvidia has yet to comment comprehensively on these safety issues, but the pattern observed in the RTX series suggests a potential design flaw that requires urgent attention to prevent further hardware damage and financial loss for consumers.

Sources: TechSpot, Reddit, Moddiy

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