Asus’ latest move might save your RTX 4090 from melting

By Alan Truly Published November 15, 2022

Asus recently announced that people can request a free, 16-pin graphics power cable to provide more peace of mind for owners of an issue-plagued Nvidia card. With only a single mention of the 40-series, it’s immediately apparent that this is being offered as a possible solution to the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 card’s melting connector problem.

Before reaching out to Asus for your free cable, it’s important to note that only owners of the 750-watt or greater power supplies qualify, including the first-generation Asus ROG Thor and Strix. You can request a free cable if you own one of these PSUs with an output of 750W or more. Asus posted the offer on social media sites such as Bilibili, as noted by Tom’s Hardware.

Asus posted a free power cable offer on Bilibili. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

If your PSU is only 750W, it might not have enough capacity to support the latest Nvidia GPUs along with your regular PC needs. but Asus will still supply the free, 16-pin graphics power cable if you include proof of purchase of an Nvidia 40-series graphics card. If you own a newer model Asus PSU, you already have a 16-pin cable to plug into Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4090 power connector.

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The Asus post mentions reaching out on WeChat. but you should be able to use the MyAsus app or the contact page on Asus’ website for help requesting the cable if you qualify.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 is shown along with a hand holding the power cable adapter. — Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

If you haven’t heard about the problem with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 power connector, it’s a bit scary. There have been multiple reports of the connector melting and catching on fire due to a rapid build-up of heat. The cause isn’t entirely clear at this time, but it seems to be related to a poor fit or possibly bent pins. More durable and better-fitting cables that might minimize the danger should help and that is exactly what Asus is offering.

Computing Writer

Alan Truly is a Writer at Digital Trends, covering computers, laptops, hardware, software, and accessories that stand out as…

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