ASRock 12V-2×6 cable saves RTX 5090 from connector meltdown

ASRock’s temperature-sensing 12V-2×6 cable has saved an RTX 5090 from a power connector meltdown

At Computex 2025, ASRock unveiled Taichi and Phantom Gaming PSUs with new 12V-2×6 power cables. These custom power cables included temperature sensors that could shut down the system if they detected overheated cables. Today, we have our first confirmed instance of ASRock “Cable Over-Temperature Protection” saving an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 from destruction.

On Overclock.net, a user has confirmed that their PSU shut down their system while benchmarking. After the shutdown, they noticed that the GPU side of their power connector had overheated and was discoloured. The system would not turn on again until the cable cooled down. If the system shutdown did not occur, the cable could have melted, damaging the GPU.

The user of this graphics card claims that they were “playing with fire”. They were using a liquid-cooled RTX 5090 graphics card that was shunt-modded and overclocked. The GPU could reportedly draw up to 1350W during benchmarks. This is far above the safe power limits of the 12V-2×6 power standard. Regardless, ASRock’s “Cable Over-Temperature Protection” was able to save the GPU from damage when the cable overheated.

The custom 12V-2×6 power connectors on ASRock’s Phantom Gaming and Taichi PSUs have now been proven to prevent GPU damage. The cable overheated, and the PSU shut the system down before any damage could be done.

You can join the discussion on ASRock’s temperature sensors saving an RTX 5090 from burning on the OC3D Forums.