RTX 5090 GPU power connector melted with 3rd party cable

RTX 5090 power connector melted after being used with a 3rd party 12VHPWR cable

A Reddit user called ivan6953 (via Videocardz) confirmed that the 12VHPWR cable they used with their RTX 5090 GPU has melted. The user claimed that the “cable was securely fastened and clicked” but that they used a “3rd party cable.” This cable was previously used to power the same PC with an RTX 4090 Founders Edition graphics card.

Based on the images provided by the user, damage/melting occurred on both the PSU and GPU sides of their 12VHPWR cable. It is worth noting that the cable was damaged more on the PSU side of the connector. Ivan6953 uses a custom ModDIY cable with an ASUS ROG Loki SFX-L power supply. Note that the PSU and power cable are 12VHPWR (PCIe 5.0), not 12V-2×6 (PCIe 5.1) cables/connectors. This may explain why the PSU side is more damaged than the GPU side.

The Redditor claims they noticed a burning smell while playing Battlefield 5. Their GPU was reportedly drawing 500-520W of power. Below, we can see the state of their GPU’s power cable after they turned off their PC.

Ivan6953 claims that they used the same PSU/cable setup to power their RTX 4090 Founders Edition without issue. Note that Nvidia’s RTX 5090 has a much higher maximum power draw than Nvidia’s RTX 5090 (575W VS 450W). This higher power draw is likely the reason why this GPU’s power connector melted under load.

Nvidia recommends that RTX 50 series GPU users use Nvidia’s included 12V-2×6 power adapters or the 12V-2×6/12VHPWR cables supplied with their power supply. This may make it difficult for Ican6953 to make a warranty claim.

What caused this RTX 5090’s power connector to melt?

Currently, it is unclear how this RTX 5090’s power connector melted. Was the cable incorrectly fastened? Was the user’s custom 12VHPWR cable incapable of handling high power loads?

The user of this GPU has stated that they plan to file warranty claims with both ASUS and Nvidia. However, they are not confident they will have their warranty fulfilled due to using a 3rd party PSU cable. Regardless, we hope that this user will have their graphics card replaced and that their issues will be resolved.

You can join the discussion on Nvidia’s RTX 5090 GPU melting with a 3rd party power cable on the OC3D Forums.