RTX 4090's 16-Pin Connector Melted After One Year of Usage

News
By Aaron Klotz
published

We now know it can take years for symptoms to crop up.

Byogore's Dead RTX 4090 TUF On the PCMR Subreddit
(Image credit: Reddit - u/Byogore)

Reports of melting 16-pin power connector (12VHPWR) GeForce RTX 4090 have dried up in recent months. Unfortunately, it appears problems can still occur with GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs, one of the best graphics cards. A new report from user Byogore on the PCMR subreddit has revealed another instance of an RTX 4090 death due to the infamous 12VHPWR power connector melting. However, the user said his RTX 4090 worked for a year before it died.

When the RTX 4090 melting catastrophe reached its height in early 2023, the window of RTX 4090 deaths appeared to be under six months, depending on the card and its environment. Byogore's lifespan window is well beyond this estimate and double the lifespan that other dead RTX 4090s have experienced.

The scary part is that Byogore's situation could be repeatable on all of Nvidia's remaining RTX 4090s that carry the older 12VHPWR power connector. That's not to say that all of Nvidia's more aged RTX 4090s will die, but it could lead to more unpredictable deaths in the future.

If you are unaware, numerous melted and dead Nvidia RTX 4090 reports began circulating online in the late 2022 due to the integration of the bleeding-edge 12VHPWR power connector that delivers up to 600W. These RTX 4090 deaths directly correlated with melted 16-pin power connectors on the GPU, power cable, power adapter, or both. The 12VHPWR, in some form, appeared to be at fault.

Nvidia responded to these issues in November of 2022, when the problem first started, claiming the issues were directly related to user error. It stated that users were not fully pushing the 16-pin power connector into the reciprocating power connector on their RTX 4090s. However, we noted in our coverage that many users reporting RTX 4090 deaths claimed to be experienced system builders, making the likelihood of a failed user insertion potentially not the only cause.

Half a year after Nvidia's comments, PCI-SIG introduced a brand new 16-pin connector, dubbed the 12V-2x6 power connector, that purportedly solves the issues plaguing the 12VHPWR power connector. This new connector received several modifications, including a boost in the power delivery from 600W to 660W, and appears to have fixed the connector's melting issues with a slight redesign. Recent testing shows the new connector lives up to its improvements and has so far been 'immune' to overheating/melting. Of course, only time will tell if it has truly solved the problem.

Nvidia has been quietly rolling out this new connector to the RTX 4090 and other cards like the RTX 4070. But plenty of RTX 4090s still exist out in the wild that use the older, original 12VHPWR power connector. The good news is that most modern graphics card warranties extend to three or four years, depending on the manufacturer. Should an issue arise in the next couple of years, RTX 4090 owners should still be covered under warranty. Beyond that, however, all bets are off. It seems the specter of the melting 12VHPWR connector could linger for many more years.

Aaron Klotz
Aaron Klotz
Freelance News Writer

Aaron Klotz is a freelance writer for Tom’s Hardware US, covering news topics related to computer hardware such as CPUs, and graphics cards.

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55 Comments Comment from the forums
  • LostFate
    They really ought to be forced to do a recall on the 4090. The ongoing issues and knowing that it's 100% the fault of the connector, it's not fair to the consumers to have to foot the enormous bill for a replacement in a year because of bad engineering.
    Reply
  • TechieTwo
    When electrical terminals run hot due to being undersized or having poor physical contact they oxidize which increases the electrical resistance which creates more heat until the connector eventually melts.
    Reply
  • -Fran-
    Nah. We all know nVidia and all of its most fervent followers said it's not an issue. People are just connecting the thing wrong. Fake news all the way. Yes. Definitely.

    ...

    Bad sarcasm aside and on a more serious note, I hope nVidia foots the bill for everyone affected in either a direct or indirect way (via AiBs). That's one really good way to use a VERY small portion of their humongous margins of the AI-shekles they've been getting as of late. It would also gain good faith from an already disappointed enthusiast crowd feeling the milking to the bones.

    Regards.
    Reply
  • Order 66
    -Fran- said:
    Nah. We all know nVidia and all of its most fervent followers said it's not an issue. People are just connecting the thing wrong. Fake news all the way. Yes. Definitely.

    ...

    Bad sarcasm aside and on a more serious note, I hope nVidia foots the bill for everyone affected in either a direct or indirect way (via AiBs). That's one really good way to use a VERY small portion of their humongous margins of the AI-shekles they've been getting as of late. It would also gain good faith from an already disappointed enthusiast crowd feeling the milking to the bones.

    Regards.
    get your petitions ready and maybe jensen will consider it.
    Reply
  • Releximas
    I'm just now in the market to complete my year-long build this Christmas and have enough saved for a 4090.... what is needed is a way to tell the older cards equipped with the 12VHPWR connect from the newer ones with 12V-2x6.... especially before I plunk my money down! 🤣
    Reply
  • JarredWaltonGPU
    -Fran- said:
    I hope nVidia foots the bill for everyone affected in either a direct or indirect way (via AiBs). That's one really good way to use a VERY small portion of their humongous margins of the AI-shekles they've been getting as of late. It would also gain good faith from an already disappointed enthusiast crowd feeling the milking to the bones.
    Nvidia and it's partners really need to offer to exchange any original RTX 4090 for an updated card with the new connector. All warranties end, eventually, and this incident just proves that it can take a while for problems to crop up. It doesn't matter if your connector melted six months ago, or if it melts five years from now. It's fundamentally a poor design, originally at least, which is the whole point of a recall.

    I have plenty of GPUs that are ten years old, sometimes more. Very few of them have failed, and none of the cards I've used for testing over the years have experienced melting connectors. The only thing I ever saw do that prior to the 4090 was GPUs like the R9 290X/290 used in mining farms, which often pulled more power than what you'd see with gaming. These 4090 cards aren't being used for mining, unless someone wants to risk a $1600 card for potentially pennies of "profit" per day. They're single GPUs, melting in gaming PCs.

    I'm sure there are class action lawsuits in the works. More critically, it's probably only a matter of time before a 4090 catches fire and burns a house down. Hopefully not, but 450W of power draw is a lot, now matter how you want to slice it.
    Reply
  • mac_angel
    So, when these things melt, it looks like it's mostly melting the power connector (wire side). It seems like most of the GPU companies are honouring warranties with these problems, but what about the damage to the cable? Is anyone paying for those?
    I think whomever has a 4090 should regularly check the connection (no, I'm not saying they should have to. But whomever does have a 4090, check it regularly to make sure it doesn't melt and then have to deal with all the headaches of warranty, going without a GPU, etc.) just to be safe.
    I think this also creates an out for those that 'tinker' with their GPUs. bad overclock or whatever and you mess up your GPU, try to 'melt' the connector, and then blame that as the issue for a warranty.
    Reply
  • DookieDraws
    Do we know if any other RTX 40 series GPUs are affected? I purchased an ASUS TUF 4070 Ti back in June and a Corsair Premium 600W PCIe 5.0 / Gen 5 12VHPWR PSU Cable because it just looks better than that stock cable that comes with these GPUs. I don't recall seeing any 4070 Tis being affected, but that's not to say there haven't been any.

    Also, I've noticed the ASUS TUF 4070 Ti is hard to find in stock, and can't help but wonder if there has been an issue with them and this being the reason, or maybe they're simply just a popular choice?

    I agree, NVIDIA just needs to do a recall before someone loses their life.

    Best of luck to all of you with a 4090.
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    Just wait until next year when we see "How to spot original 12VHP RTX 4090 cards on eBay before buying" articles.
    Reply
  • SyCoREAPER
    I'm curious if the individual crossflashed another VBIOS and/or upped the power limits. Those 4 split cables also aren't made as well as the 3 split cables from what I've seen.

    I'm also curious what the case layout was and if there was stress on the cable. Over time the solder heat cycling could eventually cause bad connections.

    None of this excuses the connectors faults but a single picture and no proof that the card is 1 year old screams alarmist news without the facts (again).

    Edit: Doing a search I don't see the individual every mentioning owning a 4090 prior.
    I'm suspicious of the 1 year claim at this point.
    Reply