A few Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card There’s a melting issue — a meltdown, if you will. Specifically, there have been some reports of the 16-pin 12VHPWR adapter that powers the card (used to convert multiple 8-pin PCIe power connectors to the new ATX 3.0 standard) partially melted. Sometimes even the 16-pin connector on the card itself.
It’s unclear how prevalent this problem is. Don’t get me wrong, melting components is not safe. However, as of this writing, there are fewer than 30 reports compared to the much larger pool of graphics cards we imagine. Nvidia emphasized showing 4090 “lines around blocks” (opens in new tab)and the fact that the cards are still hard to find suggests that the company sells everything it can make. There is a nature.
Most thaw reports come from anonymous social media users. These include numerous models of the RTX 4090, including Nvidia’s own. RTX 4090 Founders Edition.
Here’s what we know about the 16-pin 12VHPWR connector issues we’ve seen so far.
what’s going on?
Some RTX 4090 owners have reported that their 16-pin 12VHPWR power adapter melted while being plugged into their graphics card (some claim the connector also melted).
Some people wrote that the screen went black and the fan started spinning violently when this happened. Many people have provided pictures, but not much other information.
Some say they have received reports from Nvidia or other card vendors of melted connectors, or have received replacement cards.
Above r/nvidia subreddit, the member maintains a ‘list of confirmed cases’, with 26 meltdown issues at the time of this writing (2 of which were with ATX 3.0 PSUs instead of power adapters). was). An additional table of Unconfirmed Cases lists six suspected problems based on image quality, description, or other potential damage.
Which GPUs are affected?
To date, we are experiencing melting issues with various RTX 4090 cards including the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition and cards from Asus, Galax, Gigabyte, Inno3D, MSI and Zotac.
As of this writing, I haven’t heard of a similar issue with newer versions NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, use the same 16-pin connector. However, this uses three 8-pin connectors as opposed to the four 8-pin connectors on the RTX 4090. It also has a lower power rating of 320W compared to 450W.
Any of the 5 RTX 4090 samples tom’s hardware Either the 16-pin adapter or connector is showing signs of a problem. However, the card is only officially rated for 30 cycles, so we take extra care when handling the card, such as not plugging/unplugging the 16-pin connector more than necessary.
What does the 16 pin 12VHPWR adapter do?
ATX 2.X, the long-standing PSU standard, cannot deliver enough power to power the RTX 4090 and other high-wattage graphics cards on a single connection. In fact, many cards have appeared in the last few years with multiple 8-pin connectors. Various third-party RTX 3090 and 3080 family GPUs, RX 6950, 6900, and 6800 XT GPUs contain three 8-pin connectors. Rarely he even has four.
The slowly rolling out ATX 3.0 is supposed to change this by offering up to 600W on a single 16-pin 12VHPWR connector. However, most people still have ATX 2.X PSUs in their systems, and ATX 3.0 PSUs are becoming more and more available. This adapter allows you to use your existing power supply and connect multiple 8-pin connectors to the RTX 4090 card’s 16-pin connector to provide plenty of wattage for these power-hungry GPUs.
Why is the 16-pin connector on my RTX 4090 card melting?
This makes everything a lot easier if someone is convinced! However, there are many theories. We can’t definitively confirm any of them, but here’s what we know: Buckle in.
Back in October, Igor’s laboratory posted that the build quality of Nvidia’s adapter was “…very bad”[,]”And the 12VHPWR connector doesn’t matter per se. Igor’s laboratory Also, the manufacturer CrimpAdapter joints instead of soldering. gamers nexusHowever, I opened one of the adapters and found that it was practically soldered over the adapter. Igor’s laboratory I had Igor’s laboratory The power adapter had 16AWG 150V rated wire, gamers nexus There was a version with 14AWG and 300V rated wire.
gamers nexus I couldn’t reproduce the melting issue at first, even though I broke several adapters. The company surveyed his 4090 users and found that less than 10% of them used 16AWG 300V wire. Recently, gamers nexus Video published At least one adapter “successfully” melted by not fully inserting the connector and straining the cable.
In November, Corsair PSU expert Jon Gerow (who previously published power supply reviews under the pseudonym JohnnyGuru) Weightedsuggesting that the owner did not fully insert the connector, and that a gap between the connector and the socket might be the culprit. I have quietly deleted the article I had.
Initially, there was concern that the 12VHPWR connector could fail if the cable was bent in the wrong place. CableMod, a third-party cable manufacturer, It was published The “12VHPWR Cable Guide” claims that no bends can be made near the plug and all bends must be at least 35mm away from the connector.power supply manufacturer keep quiet! Set that distance to 40 mm. For most PCs this is difficult to do. It also suggests that you should make sure the cable is fully plugged in.
Gabriele Gorla, Director of Engineering at Nvidia, said: Said Igor’s laboratory that two different companies, Astron, and NTK manufacture adapters that ship with each RTX 4090. Not sure if one manufacturer has more problems than others.
Are third party cables useful?
This is the realm of darkness. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition box documentation says:
“Please use only the included PCIe Gen 5 compliant power connector adapters with your GeForce RTX 40 Series Founders Edition graphics cards. Using non-compliant or third-party power connector adapters may cause technical issues. may occur and may void the manufacturer’s warranty.”
It’s unclear if third-party graphics card companies maintain the same rules regarding warranties and third-party connectors.
we tom’s hardware I have not tried third party cables. ATX 3.0 PSUs should work as these cables don’t require an adapter for 16 pin connectors. However, there have been at least two reports of his direct PSU connection being melted.
Some companies have already announced new adapters for GPUs. For example, CableMod, has a right angle adapter It says it requires less bending.
What does Nvidia say about all this?
Nvidia said little about the report.
“We are continuing to investigate the reports, but have no further details to share yet,” the company said. told KitGuru in mid-November“Nvidia and our partners are committed to supporting our customers and ensuring a speedy RMA process.”
What should I do if this happens to me?
A melted adapter or card can cause problems such as a black screen, fans spinning faster than normal, or making loud noises. I saw a report that someone suggested it smelled of melting plastic. If this happens, unplug your computer and see if the problem is there. if there is Stop using the graphics card and contact the manufacturerYou may be asked to RMA (basically return and exchange) the card.
If that hasn’t happened to you, you may be fine! After all, the RTX 4090 sales numbers are much higher than the melted reports. But it might not be a bad idea to pay extra attention to your system either. That being said, don’t disconnect and reconnect adapters more than strictly necessary. Repeated stress can damage connectors and systems in other ways.
Could this lead to litigation?
it already has.Lucas Jenova is a class action plaintiff Lawsuit against Nvidia In a lawsuit filed on November 11, 2022, a Genoese attorney said: It is sold in its current state. ”
The lawsuit, Lucas Genova v. Nvidia Corporation, is moving through the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
Do AMD cards have similar issues?
AMD doesn’t use the 16 pin connector. At least not yet. When the next-generation GPU is released, Radeon RX 7900 XTX and 7900 XT, both use dual 8-pin power connectors. That means you don’t have to deal with adapters at all.
What about older cards with 12-pin adapters?
Interestingly, Nvidia uses the 12-pin predecessor to the PCI-SIG 16-pin connector on its Founders Edition RTX 30-series cards. To our knowledge, there have been no reports of 12-pin adapters melting in the last two years. The RTX 3090 Ti card also uses a 16-pin connector, but still comes with a 12-pin adapter cable.
The 16-pin connector is mostly the same, but with the addition of four “sense pins” that can communicate with the power supply. Our experience is that a little more force is required to fully insert the 16-pin connector. Multiple theories say the root cause is that the connector wasn’t inserted correctly, perhaps pulled out after doing some cable management. However, there is still no solid evidence that this is the only possible cause.
Conclusion
We don’t know exactly how many RTX 4090 cards that use the 16-pin 12VHPWR connector were sold. There are also RTX 3090 Ti and RTX 4080 cards that use the same connector. Evidence of that may be the hundreds of thousands of cards with 16-pin connectors in consumers’ hands today, but only a few have failed. gamers nexus Claim Graphics card companies say their failure rate is currently between 0.05% and 0.1%. That is about 1 in 1000 to 1 in 2000.
Officially, there is still no definitive report on the cause or solution. If you have a card that uses the 12VHPWR connector, it’s probably safe to use. Make sure the connector is fully inserted and “clicks” into place. Check the connector frequently (don’t disconnect it) until you know more. Also, in the worst case, ask the manufacturer for support.
If you don’t have a card that uses a 16-pin connector, it’s best to sit back and keep an eye on the situation (these cards aren’t cheap, so you can save money). At some point there should be an official statement from Nvidia providing more details.Presumably by then, some new additions to best graphics card Please consider including those that do not use a 16-pin connector.
