NVIDIA's RTX 5090 melted its 12V-2×6 connector even after a user drastically undervolted the GPU to 500W and 0.9V, challenging the notion that high power draw is solely to blame for connector failures. The incident, detailed on the Mobile01 forum, involved a Gigabyte Aorus Master Ice RTX 5090 where the top row of pins on the GPU side of the connector melted, causing frequent crashes during gaming. This occurred despite the user implementing a steep undervolt and power limit reduction of 100W and 0.205V from stock settings.

The user employed a 16-pin adaptor, and the melting happened at the GPU end, not the PSU side, suggesting the connector's inherent instability is a critical factor. Independent research indicates the 12V-2×6 cable itself suffers from an unstable or inadequate connection, increasing current and temperature across individual pins, and unofficial adaptors exacerbate these contact issues. This evidence points towards a fundamental problem with the connector standard itself, not just the power draw of high-end GPUs like the RTX 5090.