Recent reports from two owners of Nvidia’s recently released RTX 5090 Founders Edition GPUs have raised concerns regarding melted power connectors and damage to their power supply units. (PSUs).
The images that have been shared by these users bear a striking resemblance to previous incidents that involved the RTX 4090. In earlier incidents that were two years ago reported the power cables were reported to be burnt or melted.
Nvidia attributed the problem to improper connection of the 12VHPWR power cable, while the PCI standards organization placed the blame squarely on Nvidia.
One of the Reddit users who upgraded from an RTX 4090 to an RTX 5090 detected a burning odor while playing Battlefield 5. They discovered this damage when they shut down their computer.
The images that were posted revealed charred plastic at both the PSU end of the power connector and the section that connects directly to the GPU. The cable in question is from MODDIY which is a well-known manufacturer of custom cables. Also, the users have asserted that it was securely fastened and clicked on both sides (GPU and PSU).
Although it might be quite easy to point fingers at MODDIY cable, Spanish YouTuber Toro Tocho reported experiencing similar issues with an RTX 5090 Founders Edition. In this issue, the cable was burned at both ends, despite using a cable provided by the PSU manufacturer FSP.
In addition to this, plastic has melted into the PCIe 5.0 power connector on the power supply itself.
In response to these incidents, MODDIY has addressed the situation in a Reddit thread, dismissing the likelihood of a defective cable or manufacturing errors. It also offers to cover repair costs if Nvidia and Asus fail to honor their warranties.
Regardless of the cause of the issue, it’s clear that the 12VHPWR connector should not be blamed on the end users.
