After it turned out that Nvidia-supplied 16-pin 12VHPWR adapters could melt if inappropriately connected to the graphics card, many GeForce RTX 40-series users opted to use aftermarket 12VHPWR adapters, which are also prone to failure if improperly fitted. Now, it appears that MSI is refusing to replace a graphics card that failed because of the CableMod dongle.
A Reddit user has published his purported communications with MSI, and the company's employee claims that their graphics card failed because of a 12VHPWR CableMod adapter with 'manufacturing and tolerance issues,' which voids the MSI warranty.
"There is an ongoing issue with CableMod's adapter seemingly due to manufacturing and tolerance issues with the CableMod adapter," an alleged statement by MSI reads. "You will need to contact CableMod as their third-party adapter has caused an issue and voided the warranty on your graphics card."
CableMod has neither confirmed nor denied the possibility that a graphics card can fail because of its 12VHPWR adapter, but has promised to look into the issue.
"Sorry to hear that, please put in a ticket with our support team," Matt from CableMod said. "They will make sure you get covered for sure in full."
After examining approximately 50 cases of 16-pin 12VHPWR cable adapters overheating and melting, Nvidia identified a recurrent problem: the connectors were not securely attached to the graphics card. The firm advises connecting the dongles before mounting the graphics card to the motherboard. However, repeated issues with cards deployed in the market imply that the cables could potentially work their way loose over time.
Ensuring power connectors are securely fitted is crucial, as almost all cables are susceptible to overheating when loosely connected. Additionally, it is imperative to securely attach the connector to Nvidia's range-topping GeForce RTX GPUs. The top-tier 40-series GPUs can pull as much as 450W from the PSU, demanding top-notch cables and stable connections to manage such a significant power transfer.
