Veteran reviewer’s RTX 5090 Founders Edition GPU falls victim to 16-pin meltdown — user admits it could have been user error despite having tested GPUs for over 15 years

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This saga won't end until we get a new power cable design.

Melted RTX 5090 power cable
(Image credit: John Papadopoulos / YouTube)

The editor-in-chief of DSOGaming, a PC gaming news website, has just suffered an RTX 5090 power connector meltdown, despite claiming that it was fully inserted into the graphics card. According to John Papadopoulos, the incident happened while he was playing Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, when he noticed a strange smell in his room. He could not determine the source of the scent until he opened his PC case and realized that it was coming from his high-end GPU.

Many PC enthusiasts are aware of the melting power connectors that Nvidia has been contending with since the RTX 40-series. However, Papadopoulos says that this is the first time he has had to deal with such an issue with an RTX 50-series GPU. Because of this, he says that he has always been careful to ensure that the connector is always fully seated in the GPU before firing it up, and that he only uses the cable that comes with it. He even goes as far as keeping the power connector attached to the GPU when removing it from his PC case, to help reduce the chance of it loosening.

Despite the many issues, Papadopoulos admits that the melted power connector could have been a user error. “I’m really testing eight different GPUs for each and every game that comes out (I’m not simulating the results). So, it’s possible the cable came loose while removing the GPU from the case. After dozens of tests, this can happen,” said the EIC. “Still, the fact that it could come loose at all, even after I made sure to press it in firmly, is a bit concerning. It’s also inexcusable for this GPU not to have a safety mechanism for when a cable is not fully seated.”

Watch an NVIDIA RTX 5090 running at full load with a burned/melted power cable connector - YouTube Watch an NVIDIA RTX 5090 running at full load with a burned/melted power cable connector - YouTube
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The only reason Papadopoulos realized that his RTX 5090’s power connector was melting was because he smelled it — other than that, his system ran perfectly fine without any crashes or problems. He even tested the GPU again after its connector had melted, running it at full load for over 20 minutes without any issues. Don’t try this at home, though, as this can get dangerous. If you suffer from a melted power connector, immediately shut off your computer and RMA the GPU so that the manufacturer can repair or replace it.

As for John, he’s already in touch with Nvidia, and the company is looking into what caused the power connector to melt. In the meantime, he won’t be running any gaming benchmarks on the RTX 5090.

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Jowi Morales
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.

10 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Pierce2623
    There will be a comment somewhere on here blaming it on user error lol.
    Reply
  • JayGau
    Pierce2623 said:
    There will be a comment somewhere on here blaming it on user error lol.
    You mean, like the user himself?

    "Despite the many issues, Papadopoulos admits that the melted power connector could have been a user error. “I’m really testing eight different GPUs for each and every game that comes out (I’m not simulating the results). So, it’s possible the cable came loose while removing the GPU from the case. After dozens of tests, this can happen,” said the EIC."
    You should read the articles before commenting.
    Reply
  • ezst036
    Pierce2623 said:
    There will be a comment somewhere on here blaming it on user error lol.
    The guy did say he might have had a role to play.

    Still, a well engineered product would prevent user error, especially of the catastropic type. These are not well engineered products, but it don't matter. Saintly Nvidia will still be revered anyways.
    Reply
  • Alex/AT
    It's not a bug, it's a feature.
    Reply
  • Alex/AT
    ezst036 said:
    The guy did say he might have had a role to play.

    Still, a well engineered product would prevent user error, especially of the catastropic type. These are not well engineered products, but it don't matter. Saintly Nvidia will still be revered anyways.
    nV number-crunching chips DO seem to be well-engineered. They are positioned for non-GPU market initially after all. But the whole rest that forms the consumer GPU product is, well... erm... Starting from the risky melty connectors and going to the always flakey drivers with lots of issues unfixed for years and totally outdated messy configuration interface that they are trying to replace with another incomplete mess.
    Reply
  • tamalero
    JayGau said:
    You mean, like the user himself?

    "Despite the many issues, Papadopoulos admits that the melted power connector could have been a user error. “I’m really testing eight different GPUs for each and every game that comes out (I’m not simulating the results). So, it’s possible the cable came loose while removing the GPU from the case. After dozens of tests, this can happen,” said the EIC."
    You should read the articles before commenting.
    Arent the connectors graded for like 50 full connects and disconnects before starting to deform?
    Reply
  • DingusDog
    Pierce2623 said:
    There will be a comment somewhere on here blaming it on user error lol.
    TL;DR is obvious.
    Reply
  • Amdlova
    The old 6 pin conector have tested 9.999 graphics card from 200x to 2025 without issues =)
    Yes it's a use error to accept this connector
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    It's not user error when the wires can break inside the sleeves and leave all the current to be drawn from as little as one wire, which will cause a meltdown even if it's fully inserted. It's a faulty design with insufficient safety margins.
    Reply
  • hollywoodrose
    Alvar Miles Udell said:
    It's not user error when the wires can break inside the sleeves and leave all the current to be drawn from as little as one wire, which will cause a meltdown even if it's fully inserted. It's a faulty design with insufficient safety margins.
    Thank you! I don’t understand why many people don’t understand this. Nvidia has produced a GPU without basic safety measures. The GPU should have shunt resistors for all wires, as well as component that monitors how much power is coming in on each wire. Power should be distributed evenly and there should never be a case where anything is melting or catching on fire. When these cables run out of spec - which can happen if power runs unevenly - they can become damaged. Unplugging a the cable can also cause metal to break if it’s already been damaged by running out of spec. Then all it takes is for one wire to fail. After that the rest of the wires will be forced to run out of spec permanently and then you have meltdown.
    Reply