Nvidia RTX 50 Series GPUs Face Melting Power Connector Issues

Reports of melting 16-pin power connectors on RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs raise concerns over cable safety and power design flaws.

Multiple RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 users report melted 16-pin (12VHPWR) power connectors, echoing similar issues from the RTX 4090 generation.
Experts and users suggest design flaws in the 12VHPWR connector, including insufficient safety margins and uneven power distribution, as potential causes.
Some incidents link the problem to specific power supply models, such as the ASUS ROG Loki, though the cables themselves remain under scrutiny.
The upgraded 12V-2x6 connector appears to mitigate the risk, but not all RTX 50-series GPUs use this revised design, leaving vulnerabilities in place.
Nvidia has not issued a formal statement, and investigations are ongoing, with third-party testers like Gamers Nexus examining affected hardware.