First credible report of RTX 5090 FE with melted connector appears — third-party cable likely cause

RTX 5090 FE with melted power connector
(Image credit: u/ivan6953 / Reddit)

One of the first credible reports of a melted power cable on the RTX 5090 has been posted on Reddit (h/t VideoCardz). According to u/ivan6953, they were playing Battlefield 5 on their gaming PC, with a power draw of 500 to 520 watts during that time, when they suddenly smelled something burning. They immediately shut off their PC, but it was too late —the damage had already been done; their RTX 5090 FE’s power connector socket and connector cable had already melted.

RTX 5090FE Molten 12VHPWR from r/nvidia

One thing to note was that they were using a Moddiy cable, not the one included in the GPU’s box. Although this is a non-official third-party cable, the company claims that it’s a 12V-2x6 cable design and is compliant with ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0 specifications, up to 600 watts.

The user claimed that they’ve been using the power cable for over two years on their RTX 4090 FE GPU with no issues. They also said that they securely fastened the cable and that it made an audible click when they inserted it into the GPU power connector. On consideration, the Reddit post seems to have been penned by an experienced PC builder.

However, their Asus ROG Loki PSU was also affected, with the 12V-2x6 connector on it also melting. u/ivan6953 even said that they suspect that the problem originated on the PSU side, especially as it seems to have been more heavily damaged.

This problem is unlikely an issue with Nvidia’s RTX 5090 design, especially as the company has reassured the public that its RTX 50 series power connectors are unlikely to melt despite its higher TDP. Furthermore, Nvidia has taken steps to reduce the strain on the GPU power port by angling the connector, ensuring that there’s less stress on the interface that could cause it to overheat and melt.

Still, Nvidia’s partners, like Zotac and MSI, aren’t being complacent. They have added safety features like the 12VHPWR safety light, which prevents the GPU from powering up until the cable has been fully inserted, and a yellow-tipped 16-pin power adapter, which ensures the user that the power cable is safe and secure if they no longer see the bright yellow tip insert.

The user says that they will file warranty claims with both Nvidia and Asus to address the issue, but they’re not confident they’ll be properly served because they used a third-party cable. It could also be that there was a loose connection somewhere in there which caused the cable to overheat and melt on both sides. But, whatever the case, we wish the OP the best of luck in getting the problem sorted.

Jowi Morales
Contributing Writer

Jowi Morales is a tech enthusiast with years of experience working in the industry. He’s been writing with several tech publications since 2021, where he’s been interested in tech hardware and consumer electronics.

  • YSCCC
    Man popcorn is going to get into inflation...
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    - Has a 4090
    - Buys a 5090
    - Uses cheapo power supply

    :astonished::rofl::rofl::rofl::astonished:
    Reply
  • Shiznizzle
    Who's got the marshmallows?

    Something went wrong obviously as the cable melted. All parties involved will or course pull in the draw bridge and the accusations will start flying.

    You did it. No, you did it.

    After market cable? Which was fine on the previous 4090?

    Who knows. Maybe they liked AMD and wanted to make a point by OC'ing to within and inch of the things life to see if it would melt.

    You and i know nada.
    Reply
  • atomicWAR
    This yet again not a good look for Nvidia. Between the 12 pins connections failing on two generations of GPUs now and 50 series cards bricking themselves... it gets harder and harder to recommend Nvidia 50 series gpus at this time.
    Reply
  • OllyR
    This Blackwell architecture is a joke. Last year, NVIDIA faced a series of issues on this architecture that delayed the launch after two years of R&D, they had to make significant last-minute changes to the chip, officially acknowledging it was their mistake.
    Also there were reports of overheating issues with their AI racks, which they tried to quickly swept under the rug but they popped up again recently (because they're likely real issues).
    The PITA of liquid cooling in AI racks remains as they crammed as many transistors as possible onto the die and then push them as fast as they can, pushing power consumption and heat to the limit, only to achieve a marginal performance gain versus previous generation.

    And so this architecture in the consumer sector: as reported, the chips weren't ready and were only shipped to AIBs a few weeks prior, they didn't even have time to test them before launching (so to speak) them on the market. The riser on the FE's PCB is a disaster. Of course, it's causing problems with the faster PCI-E 5 and the recommended workaround is to reduce the slot speed to PCI-E 4 to achieve stability. Power connectors are melting, cards are bricking, and so on. All in all, the worst launch ever!
    Reply
  • SomeoneElse23
    Alvar Miles Udell said:
    - Has a 4090
    - Buys a 5090
    - Uses cheapo power supply

    :astonished::rofl::rofl::rofl::astonished:
    It usually takes a while for people to learn that manufacturer's warranty is a good indicator on how long they expect their product to last. That, in turn, is a good indication of the quality of the product in question.

    In this case, the PSU had a 1 year warranty.

    I have to agree, cheapo PSU.

    I hope he learned.
    Reply
  • newtechldtech
    Alvar Miles Udell said:
    - Has a 4090
    - Buys a 5090
    - Uses cheapo power supply

    :astonished::rofl::rofl::rofl::astonished:
    It is about knowledge not going cheap ... 1000% some "cornsr" shop built this PC without certified technician.
    Reply
  • OllyR
    SomeoneElse23 said:
    In this case, the PSU had a 1 year warranty.

    I have to agree, cheapo PSU.
    Cheap thing with 1 year warranty?? It's an Asus ROG LOKI 1000 W 80+ Platinum, priced at $250 and with a 10-year warranty. More than acceptable.
    Reply
  • Notton
    tom's forums proving once again that no one reads through the article before posting their shtick.

    Now, will Asus honor their 10yr PSU warranty... probably not, considering it's a 3rd party cable.
    Reply
  • valthuer
    Incidents like this one, are all the motivation i need, for buying a 5090 :ROFLMAO:
    Reply