A recent incident involving a melted power connector on an Nvidia RTX 5090 graphics card has led to warnings from cable manufacturer Moddiy and PC enthusiasts about the dangers of using old 12VHPWR cables with the latest Blackwell GPUs.
According to Moddiy, all its new 2025 cables have been validated for use with the RTX 50-series, featuring enhanced materials and a thicker wire design to provide an additional safety buffer. These cables are manufactured according to the latest 12V-2×6 specification, which was introduced by Nvidia in 2023.
The issue arises from the fact that older cables made before 2025 were based on the original 12VHPWR standard, which has a much lower power rating and narrower safety margin compared to the new 12V-2×6 spec. The RTX 5090’s base MSRP is $1,999, but it currently sells out virtually instantly, with prices ranging from $5,000 on eBay.
German overclocker Der8auer tested the issue and found that older cables could overheat up to 150C due to uneven power distribution, which can cause the cable to melt. However, system integrator Falcon Northwest has not been able to replicate the melting issues seen by Der8auer or in the initial report.
PC enthusiasts are advised to use a new 12V-2×6 cable instead of an old one to ensure their safety and prevent potential damage to their GPU or power supply unit (PSU). The transition to the 12V-2×6 standard is crucial in preventing overheating issues caused by the high power draw of the RTX 50-series GPUs.
Source: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/cable-maker-advises-against-using-old-12vhpwr-cables-with-rtx-50-series-gpus