18 hours ago
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Melting power cable issues for the Nvidia RTX 4090 and now RTX 5090 GPUs still exists, even though Nvidia claims that it has resolved the problem. Because of this, some manufacturers have taken things into their own hands, like MSI using yellow-tipped 16-pin adapters or Zotac implementing a Safety Light feature to ensure that the GPU cable is fully inserted before powering up. However, it seems that overheating could still be a problem, even if your cable is properly connected. That’s why a few experts are proposing over-temperature and over-current protections on each wire. The engineering and testing of this solution is going to take some time, but one Taobao seller (h/t HXL) has seemingly beat everyone to the punch by launching an RTX 4090 16-pin adapter with active cooling and power and temperature monitoring.
This adapter, has a built-in fan to help alleviate the issue by cooling down the connector. This would help manage temperatures in day-to-day use and could prevent situations where a cable would melt without showing any outward signs, even after years of normal usage. But it doesn't address the fault at the heart of the connector.
The adapter does not offer any automatic protection, it at least lets you see the current running through it and its temperature in real time as the fan keeps the connector cool. It shows the overall readings, though, not how much power each wire is consuming. Some tests showed that uneven power distribution is the culprit behind the melting cables, pushing too much current across one of the 12 wires. This causes it to go way over its rated power capacity and overheat the cable, causing it to melt.
In the end, all these solutions are just stop-gap measures made by third-party manufacturers. What we need is a proper cable connector that can handle the massive amounts of power top-end GPUs demand from PSUs. A recall would likely have already been enforced if this were to happen with other appliances — we just hope Nvidia and other PC manufacturers reconsider their stand on this outdated power cable before it makes mainstream new headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Although the adapter is designed for the RTX 4090, it has technically the same pin configuration as the RTX 5090, so you could use it with the newer GPU, but it is best not for now. Cable maker Moddiy is warning against using old 12VHPWR cables with Nvidia’s latest GPU, especially as the old cables are missing the protections and improvements that the 12V-2x6 connectors have. Despite that, this 180-degree adapter ensures that you don’t have to bend the power cable, which is often identified as the source of the overheating issue.
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