DSO Gaming documented a melted 16-pin power connector on an RTX 5090 graphics card despite proper installation procedures. Editor-in-Chief John Papadopoulos photographed the entire process before testing began. The graphics card operated at maximum capacity for over twenty minutes with temperatures remaining below 78 degrees Celsius. Smoke emerged from the connector during gameplay, yet the system experienced no crashes or performance issues. The bottom pin row suffered complete melting while the top row remained undamaged.
The melting pattern suggests the top pins failed to establish proper contact, forcing the bottom connections to handle the entire electrical load. Papadopoulos removed the graphics card from its slot and reinstalled it without reconnecting the power cable. The system functioned normally after this simple reseating procedure, producing no smoke or additional melting. This incident demonstrates a fundamental design weakness in the connector that prevents users from verifying secure connections.
The melting pattern suggests the top pins failed to establish proper contact, forcing the bottom connections to handle the entire electrical load. Papadopoulos removed the graphics card from its slot and reinstalled it without reconnecting the power cable. The system functioned normally after this simple reseating procedure, producing no smoke or additional melting. This incident demonstrates a fundamental design weakness in the connector that prevents users from verifying secure connections.
