Nvidia RTX 4090 power connectors have started melting so take action now

UPDATE: 2022/11/19 13:13 EST BY RICHARD DEVINE

Nvidia responds with its own findings

Nvidia has finally published its own findings on the melting power connectors and has come to the same conclusion as GamersNexus did in their testing. The common issue seems to be that the connectors aren't fully seated in the graphics card and recommends ensuring this is done before attaching the RTX 4090 to the motherboard.

UPDATE: 2022/11/17 09:51 EST BY RICHARD DEVINE

GamersNexus testing concludes foreign objects and user error most likely causes

While Nvidia is continuing their testing, the team at GamersNexus have been doing their own. You can watch the full 30-minute video here but the shortened version is that user error and foreign objects in the connector appear to be the most likely cause. Improperly connected cables can cause melting very quickly, and this isn't helped by poor quality latches. Right now, the best course of action is to ensure the connector is properly seated in the graphics card to minimize your own risk, though the failure rate is still reported to be incredibly low.

Remember when overheating issues started appearing with the Nvidia RTX 3090? Fast-forward to 2022 and the RTX 4090, and we're right back in controversy town. Only this time it's potentially a little more serious. Reports are beginning to surface — such as this Reddit thread — that the 12VHPWR connector is overheating to the point of melting.

And that, well that's not good. Not to mention incredibly dangerous.

So what appears to be going on here? First, the background. If you aren't familiar, the Nvidia RTX 4090 uses a new connector, specifically the 12VHPWR 12-pin. This single connector is supposed to be rated to handle 600W, which is handy since as we saw firsthand, the RTX 4090 can easily pull 600W. But that's a lot of power coming down a fairly small connector, and right from opening the box, the adapter cable included so you didn't need to get a new power supply was a cause of concern. You assume it's safe, but there's plenty of deep down in the gut feeling that it doesn't seem right.

But what appears to be happening isn't necessarily exclusive to these adapters. The issues seem to be caused by bends in the cable close to the power connector. This can cause strain on the terminal or on the connection where the cables are crimped into the terminal, or just the cables coming loose. This in turn leads to higher resistance or uneven loads and that leads to heat. Which then leads to melting.

There's a whole discussion to be had about the design of the power connector itself and whether it's really the best for the situation. Nvidia could have gone in a different direction, like using three 8-pin connectors but chose not to, and now might have some serious heat coming their way. The video below from Buildzoid is a good explainer.

So what can you do? The folks at Cablemod have a now almost essential product on the way to help eliminate bends (and, you know, just help you fit these things in your case) in its right-angled adapter. But the same company also has a helpful guide on proper RTX 4090 cable use. And you should definitely read it.

The 12VHPWR connector and the terminals used in it are much smaller than the previous generation. Through our extensive testing, it appears that bending the wires too close to the connector could result in some of the terminals coming loose or misaligning within the connector itself. This may lead to an uneven load across the other wires, increasing the risk of overheating damage. The risk of this is substantially higher if the bend is done horizontally in relation to the connector orientation (left to right).

This means that whether your graphics card is mounted horizontally or vertically, you have an inherent risk. The recommendation is to ensure bends in the cables don't occur within 35mm of the connector. Which isn't as easy as it sounds, especially without any rigid housing around this area. And definitely avoid horizontal bends.

If you have one and it's already a tight fit getting it into your case at all, don't assume you'll be OK. Personally, I'm still having to leave the side of my case off just to fit the cables at all. Needless to say its as un-bent as it can possibly be now.

We've reached out to Nvidia for comment and will update as we hear more.