Nvidia’s latest flagship graphics card, the RTX 5090 Founder Edition, has been plagued by a worrying issue – power connector melting. This problem was first reported in black screening issues with other high-end RTX cards, and now it seems that Nvidia’s own design is affected.
The investigation into this issue came from YouTube channel der8auer, who analyzed the card and its components. The owner of the damaged card was an experienced enthusiast who had taken proper care to ensure safe use of his GPU. However, despite his precautions, all three components – the card, 12VHPWR cable, and power supply unit (PSU) – suffered damage.
The GPU’s power socket showed signs of melting, while the PSU side power socket was even worse off. The cable itself was also damaged, with partial melting of its sleeving across its length. Der8auer believes that user error is not to blame, as he had performed his own tests using a higher-spec 12V-2×6 cable and found similar issues.
The problem appears to be related to the specific power connector used in the RTX 5090’s design, which is supposedly identical to that of the closely related 12V-2×6 GPU power sockets. However, the product page for this connector warns that it is not recommended for the latest 50-series cards, citing a potential issue with uneven load distribution.
Der8auer’s testing revealed that even when using a single 12V-2×6 cable, two of its wires were carrying significantly more current than the others. This suggests that there may be a problem with the connector design or manufacturing process, rather than user error.
Nvidia’s own RTX 5090 design apparently lacks per-pin power sensing, which would normally prevent such power imbalances. Instead, it amalgamates all six live pins into a single power source as soon as it arrives on the GPU’s PCB.
The wise advice from der8auer is to exercise caution when purchasing an RTX 5090 Founder Edition and to look for AIB boards with per-pin power sensing. If you already own an FE card, be careful not to overload it too heavily, keeping a close eye on both ends of the cable and the cable itself.
It remains to be seen how Nvidia will respond to this issue, but for now, it’s essential to be aware of these potential problems before making a purchase decision.
Source: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/graphics-cards/surely-not-again-worrying-analysis-shows-nvidias-rtx-5090-founders-edition-graphics-card-may-be-prone-to-melting-power-connectors