A rising tide of speculators are arguing that Nvidia's 16-pin 12VHPWR standard is designed with no safety factor, causing melting cables.

Remember the Nvidia RTX 4090 cable-melting crisis? Claims that it’s back for the RTX 5090 might just be a load of hot air.

Melting power cables was a persistent issue with Nvidia’s last-generation flagship, the RTX 4090. Its 450W power draw (with occasional spikes well above that) led to some power cables and GPUs overheating at the point the power connector plugs into the card.

Two owners of Nvidia’s new RTX 5090 Founders Edition GPUs have reported melted power connectors and damage to their PSUs. The images look identical to reports of RTX 4090 power cables burning or melting from two years ago.

The new flagship Nvidia gaming GPU has already melted under load, with the cable, power supply, and gaming GPU all damaged as a result.

Ever since the introduction of the RTX 4090, several reports have documented 12VHPWR connectors melting due to improper seating. If the connector isn’t fully plugged in, it can generate excessive heat, potentially leading to damage. Nvidia even acknowledged this risk, advising users to ensure a firm and complete connection.

We’ve seen several reports of RTX 5090 FE GPUs melting their power cables even though Nvidia has previously said that it was confident that the issue that plagued RTX 4090 GPUs was unlikely to happen again.