Veteran PC reviewer's RTX 5090 Founders Edition suffers power connector meltdown, raises safety concerns despite user caution

A veteran PC gaming reviewer, John Papadopoulos, editor-in-chief of DSOGaming, recently experienced a power connector meltdown on his RTX 5090 Founders Edition GPU, despite claiming the connector was fully inserted. The incident occurred while he was playing Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, when he noticed an unusual smell in his room. After opening his PC case, he discovered the source: the GPU's power connector was melting. This issue is not new to the RTX 40-series, which has faced reports of similar problems with power connectors. However, Papadopoulos said this is the first time he has encountered such an issue with an RTX 50-series GPU. He emphasized that he has always been meticulous about ensuring the power cable is fully seated before powering on his system and that he only uses the original cable provided with the GPU. He also mentioned that he keeps the power connector attached to the GPU when removing it from the case to prevent it from becoming loose. Despite his precautions, Papadopoulos acknowledged that the melted connector might have been due to user error. “I test eight different GPUs for each and every game that comes out, and I’m not simulating results,” he said. “It’s possible the cable came loose while I was removing the GPU from the case. After dozens of tests, this can happen.” However, he expressed concern that the issue could still occur even after careful installation, calling it inexcusable that the GPU lacks a safety mechanism to prevent damage in such cases. The system continued to function normally after the incident, with no crashes or performance issues. Papadopoulos even tested the GPU again at full load for over 20 minutes and found it to be operational. He strongly warned against attempting similar tests at home, noting that the situation could become dangerous. He has since contacted Nvidia to investigate the cause of the power connector failure. In the meantime, he has decided not to run any gaming benchmarks on the RTX 5090. Papadopoulos’ experience highlights ongoing concerns about power connector reliability in high-end GPUs, particularly as the industry continues to push for more powerful and complex hardware. His account serves as a cautionary reminder for users to double-check connections and remain vigilant with high-performance components.