NVIDIA Claims 16-Pin Power Connector Issues are Over, No More Melting

[freeagent]

12V2X6 seems good, and is what I am referring to when 12VHPWR is used.. my fault there..

But this is still a thing..

 

[Airisom]

I mean if he's replacing the old connector with the same, then it's just a matter of time before it melts again. All of these repairs should be using the revised connector and the end user will need to buy a matching cable for it. Otherwise, these are just going to get fixed and resold on the used market so that it becomes someone else's time bomb.

 

[DaemonForce]

450W to 575W is 225W yes.

Ultra specific but...

So yeah, if someone cant plug something in all the way, I am not shocked at all.

That's basically my take. We have so many new and inexperienced system builders after a long drought of whatever this is called. People don't know.

I'd much rather have 3 of the 8 pin connectors on a card than the questionable 16 pin connector, its interesting Nvidia blames it on user error even though they quickly revised the connector.

Triple 8-pin PCI-E is about as needed one high end as anything over single CPU 8-pin. The connectors aren't a problem and neither is the gauge.
I don't understand how people can't seem to figure out that putting something out there with higher resistance and pushing it for "high power" is a BAD idea.

 

[3valatzy]

It's not over. The underengineered connector is still lurking around and causing troubles.
Nvidia doesn't know the very basics of electrical engineering. Only monkeys (not humans) would use a connector designed for 200 W TDP on 600 W cards !

GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition card suffers melted connector after user uses third-party cable - VideoCardz.com

First reported case of burned RTX 5090 FE power connector, 3rd party cable likely to blame Users should use official adapters or native power supply cables. RTX 5090 Founders Edition with melted connector, Source: ivan6953/Reddit Reddit user ivan6953 has shared images of an RTX 5090 Founders...

videocardz.com

 

[trsttte]

That didn't take long

In about a month when they announce yet another revision on this stupid connector: issues now really really gone.

 

[wNotyarD]

That didn't take long

In about a month when they announce yet another revision on this stupid connector: issues now really really gone.

And yet they'll still put the blame on user error

 

[3valatzy]

It seems the problem is uneven power distribution.

Der8auer shows GeForce RTX 5090 FE cables with uneven power distribution, finds 150°C hotspot - VideoCardz.com

RTX 5090 cards may have problem with uneven power distribution on 12VHWPR cables Roman “Der8auer” Hartung quickly reached out to the person who revealed the first melted RTX 5090 Founders Edition card this weekend. As it turns out, this person lives close to Roman, allowing them to have a long...

videocardz.com

 

[trsttte]

Any possibility of thrust in this connector was lost about 2 revisions ago, it has no future. There will always be problems, even if they eventually actually fix it, there's always duds and as long they use this connector with a history of problems, it will always be pointed as the cause.

 

[BoggledBeagle]

Nobody ever demonstrated that a new correctly installed cable (or used cable with undamaged plugs) causes any problems.

NOBODY. EVER.

I myself tested two new and like new cables with 400W load and they performed perfectly.
You are free to report your correct and factual information including how much have the plugs been used here:

12 pin GPU connector survey

I have a suspition, that not all cables and connectors are made with the care they deserve and there are some substandard and even dangerous cables out there. Some cables might have been damaged by users too. This survey should help to identify them. Post your photos of 12 pin GPU connectors...

www.techpowerup.com

 

[DudeBeFishing]

Nobody ever demonstrated that a new correctly installed cable (or used cable with undamaged plugs) causes any problems.

NOBODY. EVER.

I myself tested two new and like new cables with 400W load and they performed perfectly.
You are free to report your correct and factual information including how much have the plugs been used here:

12 pin GPU connector survey

I have a suspition, that not all cables and connectors are made with the care they deserve and there are some substandard and even dangerous cables out there. Some cables might have been damaged by users too. This survey should help to identify them. Post your photos of 12 pin GPU connectors...

www.techpowerup.com

There's some human error that needs to be accounted for, including manufacturing inconsistences.

I haven't melted anything by using the same strand of wire for multiple Molex to 6-pin connectors, it doesn't mean it won't cause issues for anyone else. You can say the same about cars not needing ABS, because you don't slam the brakes on a wet surface when driving correctly. The roads aren't perfect either.

 

[trsttte]

Nobody ever demonstrated that a new correctly installed cable (or used cable with undamaged plugs) causes any problems.

NOBODY. EVER.

I myself tested two new and like new cables with 400W load and they performed perfectly.
You are free to report your correct and factual information including how much have the plugs been used here:

12 pin GPU connector survey

I have a suspition, that not all cables and connectors are made with the care they deserve and there are some substandard and even dangerous cables out there. Some cables might have been damaged by users too. This survey should help to identify them. Post your photos of 12 pin GPU connectors...

www.techpowerup.com

What do you call the derbauer video then? Clearly another user error...

 

[Visible Noise]

What do you call the derbauer video then? Clearly another user error...

I call it green in his pocket.

 

[BoggledBeagle]

What do you call the derbauer video then? Clearly another user error...

I already posted this guide for installing a computer cable:

It's happening again, melting 12v high pwr connectors

but like you say... should come with the connectors on the gpu then. Or in this case, it could be done on a pin per pin basis, like in the 3090ti (with like almost zero melted cable issues). Ofc. the thermal limit is a bit too close to comfort on a single 12pin and having more heat dissipation...

www.techpowerup.com

1. Make sure that the cable you are using is in good condition, especially the plugs. In case of brand new cables from reputable producers you may skip this step, but of course you could look in the plugs to see, if any foreign object did not fall in the plugs during packing and shipping.
2. In case the wires are bent from the packing of the cable, straighten the cable fully.
3. According to the planned location of the wires, bend or form the wires in advance to make mounting the wires on the chassis and inserting the plug easier.
4. Support the object into which you insert in the moment of insertion, so that the object does not deform, or move, to avoid any damage.
5. Insert the plug straight and fully, make sure that the latching mechanism secures the plug in place.
6. Mount the cable leading to the plug on the computer chassis so that there is a slack of wire at the plug and the wire does not exert any unnecessary force on the plug.
7. Make sure that after closing the PC case or placing other components in the case the condition in point 6 does not change

And yes, I believe the original user made some errors according to this guide, and DerBauser used his own trash cable for the video.

There in another aspect in this: Notice, how the original cable resembles a thick sausage instead of a cable. It has enormous amount of sleeving put on the wires, which prevents the wires to slide on each other and which adds so much bulk on the cable, that when you bend the cables close to the plug, the individual wires would be leveraging on each other and pulling themselves out of the socket. The outer cables have the most leverage on them. It is not a coincidence that the corner connector in the plug heated up. Most likely it was yanked out of the plug and it had a poor contact with the pin.

So the producer of the cable here is to blame too. They transformed the cable into a plug destroyer with all that dumb unnecessary sleeving on the cables.

 

[trsttte]

DerBauser used his own trash cable for the video.

There in another aspect in this: Notice, how the original cable resembles a thick sausage instead of a cable. It has enormous amount of sleeving put on the wires, which prevents the wires to slide on each other and which adds so much bulk on the cable, that when you bend the cables close to the plug, the individual wires would be leveraging on each other and pulling themselves out of the socket. The outer cables have the most leverage on them. It is not a coincidence that the corner connector in the plug heated up. Most likely it was yanked out of the plug and it had a poor contact with the pin.

So the producer of the cable here is to blame too. They transformed the cable into a plug destroyer with all that dumb unnecessary sleeving on the cables.

That's a cute narrative, it just lacks any substance to back it up. Believe whatever you want, I'd need hard data before suggesting simple cable sleeves would be pulling connector pins, especially when seeing an amp probe measuring ~20A on a cable that should be doing about 8A, but maybe that's just me.

The reason it all seems so bulky is because the connector is too small, to the point it barelly can hold cables of appropriate gauge for the power rating, one of the several problems with the 12VHPWR implementation.

 

[OkieDan]

I'm semi joking. It's smaller than the 8 pin and doesn't need precise soldering. They will need 12 AWG fine stranded wire, otherwise you'd run into wire bending issues, and maybe stress on the PCB. There's plenty of other high current 2 pin connectors, even ones that lock with sense pins. I think we can all agree that moving to a connector with less surface area while increasing GPU power draw, was a terrible idea, and that there were way better options available to condense the power connectors.

I've wondered about using RC connectors in the past too, but even XT 90 connectors are rated for only 40A continuous. 10 AWG wire also rated for same continuous.

 

[Denndoodennis]

Oh wow, here we go again… Replaced my 4090 power connector with ZapFixers some time, and now it’s melting all over again. Love that premium ‘built-in self-destruction’ feature. Anyone else dealing with this, or am I just the lucky one?

 

[lexluthermiester]

Jay just did a deep dive on this subject and had some interesting results.

 

[BoggledBeagle]

I believe that there are 3 different mechanisms:

• Slowly developing damage due to connector tubes made from thin sheets or improper alloy - they simply over the time lose the grip on the pins.
• Damage caused by insertions.
• Damage caused by force applied on the plug.

Especially the earlier plugs, that are more loose in the socket, or are made of too soft plastic, can easilly bend or twist in the socket.

Also the insertions can have an impact on surface plating and quality. For example, the plugs may appear completelly fine after 3 and 50 insertions immediatelly after the last insertion, but after a year, the plug after 3 insertions wound be still OK, while the plug after 50 would develop some corrosion and increased contact resistance.