A Fiery Nightmare: NVIDIA RTX 5090 Cable Melts in Catastrophic Incident
The world of high-end PC gaming has been rocked by a truly terrifying incident involving an NVIDIA RTX 5090 graphics card. Recent images circulating online paint a grim picture of a user's $2,000+ investment reduced to a molten mess due to a catastrophic failure of its power cable. This is not an isolated event; reports of melting power connectors on the RTX 5090 have been surfacing, but this particular case appears to be the most devastating yet, turning a festive Christmas gift into a genuine fire hazard.
When Festive Cheer Turns to Ash
The user, identified as 'nmp14fayl' on Reddit, shared stark visual evidence of the disaster. The photos reveal not just a slight discoloration or minor scorching, but a complete meltdown. The power connector has become so deformed and fused that the owner deems it unsafe to even attempt to remove the cable from the graphics card. The insulation on the 12V-2x6 cable, a component crucial for delivering immense power to these flagship GPUs, has been vaporized in places, exposing the bare copper wires. The plug itself has essentially become one solid, burnt mass.
“Owned this 5090 for about 9 months, but wanted to celebrate Christmas by roasting it on an open fire! And indeed, it didn’t just melt when I smelled a weird odor, it was already on fire!” the understandably sarcastic user quipped.
The damage extends beyond the connector. The graphics card itself bears the unsightly marks of molten plastic that has cooled and adhered to its heatsink. Disturbingly, the heat pipes of the cooling system also show signs of charring and partial destruction, indicating a significant thermal event.
The Culprit: Power Delivery Under Scrutiny
The user reported using a brand-new ATX 3.1 power supply unit (PSU) paired with the accompanying 12V-2x6 cable that came bundled with it. Both the PSU and the cable were unused and specifically acquired for this high-performance build. Interestingly, other components within the PC, including a previously installed TX 2070 Super in the same PCIe slot, functioned without issue, pointing a finger squarely at the power delivery system for the RTX 5090.
A Glimmer of Hope and Lingering Questions
Fortunately, the story has a somewhat positive, albeit costly, resolution. The owner managed to transport the entire damaged PC to a Micro Center store. There, they were reportedly provided with a complimentary replacement: an Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090 and a new 1200W Seasonic Platinum PSU. It remains unclear whether the cooling system was also replaced free of charge or if the user opted for a new one as a precautionary measure. Tom's Hardware has noted that the issues with the 12V-2x6 connector seem to persist, even with its improved iteration. This suggests the problem may be inherent to the connector's design, struggling to adequately handle the immense power demands of top-tier GPUs like the RTX 5090. The user's fortunate timing, with the incident occurring before the warranty expired and their ability to return both the GPU and PSU to the same retailer, undoubtedly played a crucial role in salvaging the situation.
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