More Nvidia RTX 50 Cards Are Melting—It’s Probably The Cables’ Fault
More reports of new RTX 5090 and 5080 graphics cards failing due to overheating and melting power cables are emerging, suggesting that the problem may be more widespread than initially thought. However, while there is a common factor in the high-end graphics cards being used, most recorded instances also appear to use non-traditional power cables, such as third-party alternatives or daisy-chained converters and adapters. Neither of which are recommended .
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. Sometimes, it appeared to be user error or a kinked cable, but it ultimately led to Nvidia modifying its new 12VHPWR power connector into the slightly different and safer 2V-2x6 design.
But the problem appeared to resurface in early February when an RTX 5090 went up in smoke with the same problem (despite Nvidia's assurances ). Still, they were using a third-party power cable. Now we have reports of more 5090s and an RTX 5080 facing a similar issue. The end result is more often damage to the PSU cables rather than the cards, although in some cases the power supply has been damaged, too.
Credit: User RevolutionaryPea7570 on Reddit
All instances so far appear to have used a power cable configuration other than the first-party Nvidia option. That said, the problem may be that Nvidia is trying to drive too much power through a single power rail. VideoCardz profiled comments from an ex-Intel and Gigabyte electrical engineer , who suggested that Nvidia is pushing these cables to the limits with the RTX 5090 especially, though the RTX 5080 is stretching the same bounds of these cables, too.
"The connector itself isn't bad. It is simply rated far too high," he said. "Leaving little safety factor and thus, little room for error or imperfection. 600W should be treated as the absolute maximum power, with about 375W as a decent rated power limit."
With that suggestion, the engineer recommended that people don't actually buy Nvidia's new 50-series cards until an alternative solution is found.
"It is my opinion that any card drawing more than the base 375W per 12VHPWR connector should be avoided. Every single-cable 4090 and 5090 is in that mix, and the 5080 is borderline at 360W."
That's the ironic silver lining of the RTX 50-series launch. Some of the cards may indeed be potentially dangerous, but you can't get hold of them for love nor money anyhow . The flip side of that argument is that there really isn't much of an alternative. AMD's RX 7900 XTX is the fastest card that's remotely available at the time of writing, but it falls far short of the RTX 50 cards in most gaming scenarios, especially when you turn on ray tracing.
If you do buy one of these cards, or own one already, the safest way forward is to only use Nvidia power cables where possible. Ensuring adequate airflow to the card and its cables can't hurt, either, and try to avoid any hard kinks or bends in the cable that could exacerbate heat build-up.
