Der8auer’s recent demonstration has revealed that the issue of melted RTX 5090 GPUs and 12VHPWR connectors may not solely stem from user mistakes.

12VHPWR GPU Connectors Get Overheated Within Five Minutes During RTX 5090 Testing

This revelation might catch many off guard, as the melting of these 12-pin power connectors was widely attributed to user error. We previously reported on the initial incident involving a 12-pin connector on the RTX 5090 GPU and its accompanying cable. However, it remained uncertain whether this was a result of user mishandling or the use of a non-original cable.

Fortunately, the user reached out to Der8auer, who resides nearby, and provided him with the RTX 5090 Founders Edition, the 12VHPWR cable, and the ASUS power supply unit that formed part of the original setup. To simulate the conditions, Der8auer employed his own liquid-cooled GeForce RTX 5090 FE and a Corsair 12VHPWR cable, running the Furmark stress test for a brief period.

Unexpectedly, within a mere five minutes, things escalated quickly. Utilizing a thermal imaging camera, Der8auer demonstrated that the cable connections were heating up drastically. On the power supply side, temperatures soared to 150°C, while the GPU registered around 90°C. Despite ensuring that both connectors were properly inserted into the GPU and PSU, the issue stemmed from another source.

It turns out that two wires within the 12-pin power connector were enduring most of the current load, resulting in dangerously high temperatures. Der8auer illustrated that these wires were originally intended to support 8 Amps of current each; however, they were carrying over 20 Amps each during the testing. This extreme load ultimately led to one of the wires melting, as illustrated by users on Reddit.

This situation underscores that a single 12-pin power connector may not be equipped to handle the immense load from the RTX 5090, a notably power-intensive GPU. Therefore, similar problems could arise in the future with the 12VHPWR connector. Der8auer recalls the melting incidents associated with the RTX 4090, noting such issues weren’t reported for the RTX 4080, all due to the significant disparity in power requirements.

If you’re attributing the problem to subpar quality in cables and connectors, that’s not necessarily the case. Investigations into the Moddiy 12VHPWR cable connector under microscopic analysis reveal that it is up to par with some of the best 12VHPWR cables available from leading manufacturers.

The extreme temperatures during testing, even with a premium Corsair 12VHPWR cable, indicated a potential risk of connector melting. Had Der8auer continued to stress-test his RTX 5090 FE, the likelihood of experiencing melted connectors would have been significantly higher. It appears that the RTX 5090 may require two 12-pin power connectors to effectively distribute the electrical load across multiple wires, thereby preventing overheating.