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The last thing you want to see after picking up an RTX 5090 is reports of melting power connectors, but a Reddit user has unfortunately fallen folly to the issue. Thankfully, the problem is seemingly related to using third-party adapters rather than the graphics card's design, so your pricey GPU should be safe if you stick with Nvidia's dongle.
Photos shared by ivan6953 reveal an RTX 5090 Founder's Edition in a sorry state due to a "molten" 12VHPWR power adapter. The dongle in question isn't the one you'll get with Nvidia's best graphics card contender and is instead a third-party Modify (via Videocardz). According to the high-end PC owner, the cable was securely fastened and previously worked just fine with the GeForce RTX 4090, which happens to comply with the same PCIe 5.0 specs.
While the RTX 4090 suffered from similar at launch, there are a few subtle differences with with RTX 5090 situation. For starters, the original problem was related to the dongle not being firmly inserted into the GPU's connector, and some instances occurred due ton the cables being slightly bent in cramped PC case spaces. Nvidia has addressed both quirks with a new dongle design and angled connector, and the fact that the cable has melted at both the graphics card and PSU end this time around points to a different issue.
RTX 5090FE Molten 12VHPWR from r/nvidia
Curiously, ivan6953 also points out that the pins on their Asus ROG LOKI 1000W power supply look noticeably thinner compared to the RTX 5090 connector. Whether this difference would impact continuity in a meaningful way has yet to be seen, but it's likely that no warranty will cover the damage since a third-party cable was involved.
Now that the first RTX 5090 has been claimed by the melty cable curse, it's safe to say enthusiasts will be clock watching their GPUs. However, this isn't the only instance to surface online so far, as YouTuber Toro Tocho has revealed damage to just the PSU end of a dongle, which suggests the issue could be related to the power supply side this time around.
I want to stress that both of these incidents could be merely down to bad luck, and they're not indicative of a widespread issue with next-gen graphics card designs, power supply connectors, or even third-party dongles. At the same time, overheating of this nature normally occurs due to bad continuity, which in turn can create high resistance and generate excessive heat.
Simply put, you should always ensure that an high voltage gaming PC connections are securely inserted into their respective sockets. Bending cables to make them fit making do with any loose fittings can result in damage to your expensive parts, and trust me when I say melting your $2,000 RTX 5090 isn't even a worse case scenario.
Looking for an next-gen GPU? Check out where to buy the RTX 5090 and where to buy the RTX 5080 for stock updates and more. Alternatively, swing by the best gaming CPU if you're building or upgrading a rig.
