UPDATE 11/18: In a note on its support page, Nvidia says it's "actively investigating the reports" of melting cables and is currently "aware of about 50 cases globally."
"Our findings to date suggest that a common issue is that connectors are not fully plugged into the graphics card," it says. "To help ensure the connector is secure we recommend plugging the power dongle into the graphics card first to ensure it’s firmly and evenly plugged in, before plugging the graphics card into the motherboard."
The statement comes after one affected user filed a class-action lawsuit over an RTX 4090 12VHPWR connector that started to melt shortly after using the graphics card.
Original Story:
The power cable for Nvidia’s RTX 4090 graphics card has shown signs of melting for another seven consumers, bringing the total up to nine.
Users on Nvidia’s Reddit forum have been cataloging the cases ever since two users initially reported the problem earlier this week, which prompted the company to investigate.
The issue deals with the 12VHPWR adapter that comes with the RTX 4090 product. It’s designed to funnel more power into the graphics card through a single cable. But the same adapter can end up melting along the plastic fringes of the 16-pin connector, according to unlucky consumers who’ve experienced the problem.
“Well, I used the card for 1 day. I was playing Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, (barely opened the game, and played for 3 minutes) then I felt the burning smell and I immediately turned my PC off and took the cable off,” wrote one user on Reddit on Friday, who posted pictures of the melted connector.
“Looks like the boogeyman got me too,” wrote another user, who noticed the issue after his PC began crashing.
So far, Nvidia has remained mum on the matter. The company hasn’t responded to requests for comment. But in the meantime, reviewers and journalists say they’ve found the source of the problem. According to Igor’s Lab, the Nvidia-branded 12VHPWR adapter cable suffers from poor build quality, which can lead to the overheating. Specifically, the adapter contains a metal “bridge” inside the connector that's too thin. This same bridge can easily break if the cabling is bent at the 16-pin connector, which can cause an improper connection and result in temperature spikes.
The findings echo an earlier warning from the industry group PCI-SIG, which told companies earlier this year about the 12VHPWR cable causing heat problems if it fails to properly insert itself into a graphics card.
If true, then Nvidia may be forced to issue a recall for the connector over the potential burn hazard. But the problem seems to only affect Nvidia’s branded 12VHPWR adapter, not third-party cables, which have better build quality, according to Igor’s Lab.
If you do own an RTX 4090, you should avoid bending the Nvidia-branded 12VHPWR cable close to the 16-pin connector, according to the company CableMod. However, one consumer noted their own 12VHPWR adapter began to melt, even though the cable was never bent.
