NVIDIA RTX 5090’s 12V-2×6 Cable Heats Up to 150°C

NVIDIA’s decision to put up the 12VHPWR connector with Ada Lovelace wasn’t one of its more popular choices. The company faced backlash for melting connectors and exceedingly high temperatures, which prompted it to develop the so-called “melt-proof” 12V-2×6 connector.

12V-2×6’s Toasty High Temps Point to a Repeat of Last Year’s 12VHPWR Fiasco, Only Waiting to “Melt” Again

In the early stages of NVIDIA’s RTX 4090 lifecycle, when many users reported melting connectors, NVIDIA slid the issue under the pretense that it was solely because of “user-error.” However, even after the new 16-pin connector was introduced, we saw more reports, this time with RTX 5090s melting their power connectors.

Most gamers don’t have access to a thermal camera to check how hot their power connectors get, nor is there a way to monitor wire temperatures. But, Hardware Luxx reviewer Andres Schilling took to X, revealing how the new connector could reach up to an astounding 150°C, with the GPU itself well within safe range.

While doing some thermal imaging of a graphics card and reviewing the images, I noticed, that the camera picked up a hotspot at the PSU. The 12V-2×6 cable was cooking at 150+ degrees. This is no joke and will forever remain a weak point of this generation(s).

-Andreas Schilling via X

While the new 12V-2×6 connector isn’t as dangerous as its predecessor, temperatures this high are undeniably risky. The cable still held up under such temperatures, but it certainly is, as Schilling puts it, a “weak point of this generation(s).“

The reviewer confirmed that the GPU in testing was a liquid-cooled Inno3D Frostbite RTX 5090, running on a be quiet! Dark Power 13 natively supports the 12V-2×6 connector, meaning an external adapter wasn’t used. He also mentioned that at the point of testing, the maximum load pulled was 600W.

While February reports of melting power connectors on the RTX 5090 involved third-party cables, it’s important to note that even the GPU’s native cabling can be hazardous. Who knows what happens if the cable bursts into fire, or even worse when someone accidentally touches it without noticing?

This is all we know for now, but rest assured that we will keep you updated as new information becomes available.