The problem of 16-pin power supply connector burnout has been spreading from the RTX 4090. PCI-SIG has also launched an improved version of the 12V-2×6 specification to address this problem, hoping to reduce the risk caused by the connector not being fully inserted. Normally, people who buy RTX 5090 should be very careful about this, especially the best to use 12V-2×6 cable. Unexpectedly, some people still don’t believe it, thinking that they just need to check more.
A new case has been reported recently. A foreign netizen is very careful and checks the 12VHPWR connector regularly every month, but in the end he still cannot escape the result of burning.
Image source: Wccftech
Cases of RTX 5090 connector burnout have spread all the way from early 2025 to now. Unexpectedly, they will continue to appear in 2026! Players check connectors every month and still get scammed
according toForeign media Wccftech reported, Reddit user u/KusKundale shared that after playing games for a few weeks, when he routinely checked his RTX 5090 computer, he found that the 12VHPWR wire had signs of melting, and the power supply connector on the graphics card was also blackened:
Image source: Wccftech
In order to ensure that there is enough space around the cables, his graphics card is installed vertically and is not pressed by the side of the case. Although the cable part is the official Corsair Type 4 12VHPWR, it is not the latest 12V-2×6 cable. The representative said that the power supply is unlikely to comply with the ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 specifications:
Image source: Wccftech
From this point of view, there are many problems, which may lead to melting. Not only that, because this netizen is also very hard-working, this also reminds everyone not to do this.
He doesn’t just leave the graphics card alone after installing it. Every three months, he will unplug the 16-pin connector and plug it back in. He will also clean the dust inside the case and push the connector manually every month to confirm that it is fully inserted.
Logically speaking, this cautious attitude should be less likely to encounter burnt connectors. After all, in many cases of RTX 4090 and RTX 5090 in the past, it was suspected that the connectors were not fully inserted.
However, the 16-pin high-power connector is not an ordinary USB cable after all. If it is plugged in and out frequently or force is applied repeatedly, it may also cause wear on the terminals, leading to poor contact.
Therefore, it would be ideal for RTX 5090 users to give priority to using the new version of 12V-2×6 cable if their device supports it. In addition, when first installing the connector, just make sure it is fully inserted. If there are no special requirements, there is no need to remove and insert frequently or repeatedly apply force to check.
RTX 5090 will keep the 16-pin connector issue under discussion. The main reason is that the power consumption is really too high. NVIDIA’s official specifications page lists the total power consumption of the RTX 5090 as 575W, so it is recommended to use a power supply of at least 1000W.
In the past, an 8-pin PCIe power supply line was usually designed for around 150W, but the RTX 5090 concentrates up to hundreds of watts of power supply requirements on a single 16-pin connector. Once some pins have poor contact, the current may not be evenly distributed and flow through a small number of contacts, resulting in a rapid increase in local temperature and even meltdown of the connectors.
Compared with 12VHPWR, the new version of 12V-2×6 does have safety improvements that can reduce the risk of incomplete insertion of the connector. However, it is essentially a single high-power 16-pin connector design. As long as the contact status is abnormal, local overheating may still occur.
Source: KOCPC Chinese