A Reddit user woke up on Christmas Eve to the smell of burning and a GPU power connector that looked like it had gone through an industrial kiln. Photographs shared by u/nmp14fayl show a charred 16‑pin (12V‑2x6) connector fused onto an MSI RTX 5090, stripped cable insulation, and scorch marks on nearby AIO tubing. The GPU’s plug area appears melted into a soldery lump; the cable is essentially gone.
What happened
According to the poster, the card had been in use for about nine months. They say they were using a native 12V‑2x6 cable that came with their power supply and that the PSU was ATX 3.1‑compliant. Early reporting and forum discussion cite two different PSUs in circulation (a PowerSpec 1050 GFM in the original Reddit post and other threads referencing Cooler Master models), which highlights how quickly speculation spreads even as some facts remain fuzzy.
Despite the dramatic visuals, the blaze seems to have stayed local: the motherboard still outputs video via integrated graphics and a secondary GPU (an RTX 2070 Super) reportedly works in the same PCIe slot. The user plans to take the whole assembly to Micro Center under a protection plan — sensible, given the obvious damage and potential safety risks.
Why these connectors still turn up in flames
This isn’t new. The RTX 4090 era was plagued by melting connector stories tied to the older 12VHPWR interface; NVIDIA moved to the 12V‑2x6 (16‑pin) layout for Blackwell cards like the 5090. But the underlying Achilles’ heel remains: very high current, small contact areas, and a single bad connection can concentrate heat.
Technically, if one pin or contact is loose, oxidized, or poorly seated, the local resistance rises. At hundreds of amps, even fractions of an ohm convert to intense heat in a hurry. Add marginal PSU headroom, frayed insulation, or an imperfect cable, and you have conditions that can produce melting — or, in worst cases, open flame.
Manufacturers have tried fixes: some GPU vendors changed connector housings or keyed cables to reduce misalignment, and a few cards gained pin sensors to spot trouble early. The aftermarket filled niches with temperature‑monitoring adapters and DIY solutions. Still, reports keep appearing, which suggests the problem is not just one bad cable but a system‑level risk at the extreme end of power delivery.
Conflicting clues: cable vs. PSU vs. card
A notable detail here: the poster insists they used a native cable that shipped with their ATX 3.1 power supply, not an adapter. That rules out the classic 8‑pin‑to‑16‑pin adapter blame in this particular case, which pushes scrutiny toward either a defective cable, a fault in the card’s connector, or an issue in the PSU’s cable termination.
Some outlets and commenters also pointed out that a 1,050 W PSU can be borderline for builds with a top‑tier RTX 5090 plus a high‑power CPU and peripherals. If the system was frequently near the PSU’s limits, it would increase thermal stress on connectors. That said, a properly designed and functioning ATX 3.1 system should not produce open flames; the fact it did is what has people worried.
What owners can do now
If you use or plan to run a Blackwell‑class card, consider these practical steps:
- Inspect cables and connectors regularly for discoloration, looseness or melting. If you smell anything odd, shut the PC down and unplug it.
- Prefer native ATX 3.1 cables supplied by the PSU manufacturer rather than third‑party adapters. Adapters and mismatched cables increase variables.
- Give yourself headroom: for the highest‑end builds, err toward PSUs with comfortable wattage margins and strong reviews from reputable makers.
- Make sure cables are fully seated and not kinked or pinched; avoid tight bends near connectors.
- Consider hardware that offers pin‑level monitoring or thermal sensors if you want extra reassurance. Companies and hobbyists now sell inline temp monitors for high‑power GPU cables.
The bigger picture
This incident is another reminder that pushing more power through smaller connectors raises physical limits. The pictures are dramatic, public trust erodes a little more with every headline, and retailers and PC repair shops are likely to see a spike in warranty claims and investigations.
For now the core question remains: is this a continuing design/engineering shortfall in high‑current consumer GPU power delivery, or a string of bad parts and installers? Likely some of both. Until the industry converges on a better combination of connector robustness, sensor coverage and conservative system design, people running top‑tier GPUs should be vigilant.
Whatever the final cause, the charred remains of a 16‑pin plug are a visceral proof that even modern PCs can still surprise you — and not in a good way.