Another GeForce RTX 4090 Melting Connector Complaint Surfaces A Year After Use

If you regularly browse Reddit for PC hardware discussions, you may notice a slightly alarming trend. NVIDIA's RTX 4090 may be a graphics powerhouse, but it's had a bad omen following it since release: melted power adapters. On sub-Reddits such as from the cable company Cablemod, you'll often find users posting that their very expensive GPU is now a paper weight. 

Some will smell burning plastic, while others will get intermittent black screens, and ultimately, no power at all. When this issue first appeared, NVIDIA determined that the likely cause was users not plugging the cable in all the way. In most cases, you'd expect to hear a "snap" when the connector is fully seated. Many users followed this advice, but still had issues - especially those using some early adapters. 

Even if the chance of melting is minuscule, we know RTX 4090 owners everywhere will always have this potential event in the back of their minds. NVIDIA's early diagnosis does not seem to encompass all use cases, leaving some unsure what the root cause may be. The RTX 4090 has been famous for being the most powerful gaming GPU ever, with a 450W TDP. The 12VHPWR cable connector has also had a mixed reception, with some liking the connector, while others finding it cumbersome. 

If you're an RTX 4090 owner, should you worry? Older models may be more prone to issues, as newer attempts at updating the physical connector seem to have been made on some recent models. It doesn't hurt to inspect the connector area occasionally to make sure there is nothing going on, and of course take a few precautions. 

First, make sure the cable is correctly seated, and fully "snapped in". Not all connectors will give you that "snap", depending on the cable. Use only the NVIDIA supplied adapter or a very high quality 12VHPWR cable from your PSU. Also, make sure that the cable bends are fairly gentle and nothing too aggressive, to mitigate issues. If you are using an adapter, make sure to use the latest, revised ones, such as the Cablemod updated versions. While these may not stop a problem, they are certainly safe and easy precautions to take with your expensive GPU. 

It's also a decent idea to browse Reddit to see what users are experiencing, and get some hints as to possible causes.