We thought the whole 16-pin connector (12VHPWR) meltdown fiasco was behind us, but new user reports have emerged months after the first incidents occurred. Unfortunately the GeForce RTX 4090 — one of the best graphics cards we've tested — just can't catch a break. Over the last few days, at least three new victims have come forward to detail their (literal) meltdowns on Reddit.
One Redditor recounted how the 16-pin power adapter melted on their TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card after around six to seven months of usage. They assured the readers in the Reddit thread that they correctly connected the cable, wiggled it to see if it would come off, and ensured there were no gaps. They didn't often use the GeForce RTX 4090 for gaming but instead for training, with the graphics card typically pulling around 350W to 500W. Surprisingly, the Redditor's other Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4090 Gaming OC hasn't presented issues. However, they noted that they were using an adapter from "Moody" — we suspect they may be referring to Cablemod or MODDIY aftermarket adapters.
Meanwhile, another Redditor had a similar experience: while changing cases, they discovered that the included 16-pin power adapter from Nvidia had melted. Unluckily for them, there were also signs of some damage to the graphics card's 16-pin power connector.
The third case is a rather peculiar one. We've mostly been seeing user reports of either the 16-pin power adapter or the 16-pin power connector melting, and, in some cases, both. However, the third victim shared a photograph of the 8-pin power connectors from their Corsair SF750 80 Plus Platinum SFX power supply showing some signs of meltdown. The minimum recommended power supply capacity for the GeForce RTX 4090 is 850W. Nonetheless, the Redditor ran a modest setup with a Ryzen 5 7600, a 65W chip, and a GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition — reportedly limited to 70% of its power limit (315W). They have had the system since Dec. 2022, which more or less aligns with the same failure period as the other Redditors.
The last advisory from Nvidia, posted in Nov. 2022, assured consumers that Nvidia was investigating the user reports. At the time, the chipmaker had detected around 50 cases on a global scale. However, it's a small sample size, given that Nvidia has likely sold tens and thousands of GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards.
Since Nvidia hasn't provided any updates recently, it's unknown if the company is still investigating the problem. The preliminary verdict was that the connectors weren't fully installed into the connector on the graphics card, and Nvidia chalked the issue up to user error. We're not saying it's impossible, since the 12VHPWR connector is a tiny connector, and sometimes accidents happen. But some of the victims claim to be veteran builders with a long track record of being able to plug power connectors in without problems. Plus, given the attention the issue has received, GeForce RTX 4090 owners are probably double- and even triple-checking their 12VHPWR power connections.
Nvidia was reportedly researching other methods to ensure the connector was seated correctly before turning on the graphics card. But it's not clear whether Nvidia has made progress on solving that problem or if they're even still looking into it.
