Skip to main content

Here’s how you could protect your RTX 4090 from melting

Reports about melting connectors and adapters on the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 are still popping up every so often, and we still haven’t had an official statement from Nvidia on the matter. However, tech experts from around the globe are trying to find the cause of the problem.

This time around, a power supply expert from Corsair released a lengthy explanation of what might be happening. According to JonnyGuru, the issue is not caused by a faulty connector but rather by user error. The fix is rather simple.

A close-up of a power cable inserted into the RTX 4090 GPU.
JonnyGuru

The theory that those RTX 4090s are melting — or rather, the 16-pin adapter is — due to user error is not exactly new. Many have already weighed in on the matter, stating that bending the cable can cause improper mating; this can potentially cause the temperatures to skyrocket, and after prolonged use, things may set on fire and melt. The problem is that in many cases, bending the cable is almost necessary, or at the very least, it’s difficult to avoid.

JonnyGuru took it one step further and decided to test several connectors by himself, and the testing was pretty extreme. To do this, he used a Corsair HX1500i PSU and three PCIe cables that were connected to Nvidia’s 16-pin adapter.

He took photos of the whole process, and those prove to be pretty handy — they illustrate what a well-inserted cable looks like and what to watch out for when installing your own GPU. To keep an eye on everything, the Corsair expert also used a thermistor to track the temperatures. A zip tie was also used to minimize cable bending.

With all the prep out of the way, JonnyGuru really put the connectors through the wringer, damaging them and even tearing one of the wires off completely. Despite that, he didn’t experience any melting problems, and the temperatures maxed out at 53 degrees Celsius.

To prove his point about user error, the PSU expert researched the cases where other RTX 4090 owners posted photos of their melted connectors. He compared them to properly seated connectors, reaching the conclusion that the cable was not fully connected to the graphics card in the cases where melting happened.

“It’s my opinion that the adapters are fine. You just have to make sure the connector is fully inserted into your card and/or PSU. That said, I will admit that the connectors are VERY DIFFICULT to insert completely. It is easy to think the connector is in all of the way when it’s not. But if the retention clip is not engaged, you will be able to pull the connector back out without squeezing the clip. If the connector and retention clip is fully engaged, the card is definitely fully seated,” said JonnyGuru.

An Nvidia RTX 4090 with a properly seated power connector.
JonnyGuru

JonnyGuru had another tip for potential RTX 4090 owners — picking up dielectric grease and applying it to the plastic parts on the power connector; just a small amount. It only costs around $4, so it’s a small expense to make for a little more safety.

When will Nvidia weigh in on the matter? We know that the company is taking this problem seriously and the testing is still ongoing, so let’s hope that some sort of a recommendation for affected users will be released soon. Wccftech notes that a new revision to the 12VHPWR cable is currently under review by PCI-SIG, so perhaps the fix is closer than we might think.

Editors' Recommendations

AI is coming for your PC games, but you should be excited, not worried
how ai can change destory pc gaming games respec featured

The tech community has been oversaturated with AI this past week, from ChatGPT to Google Bard, but not without reason. We see fads like NFTs and web3 come and go, but AI is here to stay -- even in your PC games.

It's not all doom and gloom, though. AI and machine learning has already proven itself wildly useful in PC gaming, and it has far-reaching implications for how games are made and experienced. I'm not trying to fit a square peg into a round hole here -- and if you stick with me, you'll see why.
How it's being used now

Read more
Nvidia may have another monster GPU in the works, and the price could be outrageous
GeForce RTX logo is shown on the side of a graphics card.

Today, yet another sign of an upcoming Nvidia Titan RTX Ada GPU appeared -- the card's specs were spotted in a shipping manifest. This suggests that engineering samples of the monstrous GPU might be on their way to various development centers around the globe.

Everything points to the Nvidia Titan card making a big comeback in this generation, and the development seems to be farther along than it initially seemed to be. There's a catch, though -- how many people will even be able to afford it?

Read more
Nvidia’s RTX 4090 Ti may be on the way, but do we really want it?
MSI RTX 4080 Suprim X installed in a PC.

Nvidia's most frequent leaker, kopite7kimi, just shared the specifications of a rumored RTX 4090 Ti GPU. Said to be even more powerful than the RTX 4090, Nvidia's latest product would surely top any ranking of the best graphics cards.

It might not be the greatest GPU of this generation, though. Nvidia seems to have another ace up its sleeve that would defeat even the RTX 4090 Ti. But do we really want these two monstrous GPUs?

Read more