NVIDIA has approved the replacement of a burned-out GeForce RTX 5090 without a receipt.

A Reddit forum reported damage to a flagship NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition graphics accelerator due to thermal degradation of the auxiliary power connector. The user reported a sudden, crashing shutdown of the personal computer during operation. Inspection of the internal components of the benchmark test rig revealed that the plastic connector and metal contacts of the 16-pin 12VHPWR power connector had become extremely hot and melted. The system was built using a compact Corsair SF1000 Platinum 1000W power supply, but a custom-made power cable was used instead of the included adapter or factory cable.

An analysis of operating conditions revealed a critical factor that could have been the root cause of the electrical connection failure and subsequent overheating of the conductors. The system owner admitted to regularly removing and reconnecting the 16-pin power cable to the graphics adapter during system maintenance. According to the technical specifications of the 12V-2×6 and 12VHPWR connectors, internal contact blocks have a strictly limited lifespan of mechanical mating cycles, and frequent physical reconnections lead to pin weakening, increased contact resistance,…