A Reddit user says their Sapphire Nitro+ AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT developed a badly scorched 16‑pin (12V‑2x6) connector after almost a year of apparently normal use — and the picture that went with the post looks disturbingly familiar.
This isn’t an isolated fluke. Over the past year similar failures have shown up on a handful of cards (notably some RTX 5090/5080 reports) and several RX 9070 XT boards. The common thread: a 16‑pin GPU power plug, often used through bundled adapters that convert multiple 8‑pin PSU leads into the single 16‑pin connector the card expects.
What happened in this case
The owner, posting as u/divinethreshold, described months of system instability that culminated in random black‑screen crashes. They updated BIOS, reinstalled Windows, and stripped the build down to essentials in search of the culprit — only to find burn marks on the GPU cable. Photographs show discoloration and obvious heat damage across the top row of the 16‑pin plug.
According to the user, their setup used a Corsair AX1200i PSU (not ATX 3.0/3.1 native 16‑pin) and the triple‑8pin to 16‑pin adapter that shipped with the Sapphire card. Multiple outlets covering the story and community posts point out the same likely mechanics: if the bottom row of pins doesn’t make solid contact, current is forced through the remaining pins and they overheat.
Tom's Hardware notes that, across RX 9070 XT incidents, the top row is what burns out — a sign that the bottom contacts were probably not carrying their share of the load. Fudzilla and other writeups add that adapters introduce more mechanical and electrical junctions, increasing the chance of a poor connection.
Why adapters keep showing up in these reports
Adapters are convenient: they let people use existing PSUs that only have 8‑pin cables. But they also multiply connection points. A single bad contact can mean one half of a high‑current connection is doing twice the work.
There are other contributory factors discussed by hardware observers:
- Some card designs tuck the 16‑pin port inside the shroud and require an L‑bend in the cable, which can stress a connection.
- Not all 8‑pin to 16‑pin adapters are built the same; cheaper or poorly‑terminated adapters are a weak link.
- Even when using a compliant ATX 3.1 PSU with a native 16‑pin cable, users have reported failures — which is why many in the community suspect the connector assembly or mechanical tolerances may be under‑specified for real‑world use.
- Power down and unplug before you touch connectors. Heat damage can be more extensive than it looks.
- If you’re using an 8‑pin to 16‑pin adapter, consider replacing it with a native ATX 3.0/3.1 PSU and cable. Native cables reduce junctions and mechanical stress.
- Check that the connector is fully seated and straight — a slightly angled or loose plug can cause intermittent contact.
- If you find signs of burning, contact the GPU vendor’s RMA/support immediately and document everything with photos.
- Don’t assume the absence of external damage means the PCB or card internals are fine; have the vendor test it.
None of this proves a single root cause for every case, but the pattern — similar scorch marks, similar adapter usage, the same Nitro+ variant showing up repeatedly — is enough to make people nervous.
Practical steps if you own one of these cards
If your system is showing crashes, or you notice discoloration, melting, or a funny odor around the GPU cable, stop using the system and inspect the connectors. A few pragmatic suggestions:
If you’ve been down the troubleshooting rabbit hole (BIOS updates, OS reinstalls) and still suspect hardware, the issue is worth pursuing with the manufacturer rather than continuing to chase software fixes — as the Reddit poster found out the hard way.
Troubleshooting software can help (and if your crashes started after a Windows or firmware change it’s worth checking), but hardware faults like a scorched connector won’t be fixed by a reinstall. If you need guidance on cleaning up a messy Windows install while you troubleshoot hardware, our guide to decluttering Windows 11 is a decent place to start. And if recent firmware or BIOS changes are on your checklist while diagnosing crashes, remember updates have introduced odd boot behaviors in some systems, as covered in reports on BitLocker recovery prompts after October Windows updates.
What this means for manufacturers and buyers
Multiple incidents clustered around the same card variant and the same connector type raise legitimate questions about quality control, adapter packaging decisions, and mechanical design tradeoffs. Adapters are convenient for vendors and customers, but they also offload an important reliability variable onto the user. When a high‑current connector sits in a cramped recess and requires a bent cable, tolerances matter.
Sapphire and other vendors that ship adapters should be prepared for exchanges and clear guidance; PSU makers and ATX standards bodies will be watching community feedback too. For buyers: if you can, use a native cable from a compliant PSU rather than the included adapter.
This story is still unfolding — users continue to report new cases — and card owners would be wise to inspect cables and avoid running suspect hardware until the root causes are nailed down. The scorched plastic is a loud, hard‑to‑ignore clue that something in the power path wasn’t behaving the way it should have been.