RTX 5090 connector melts during DLSS 5 testing
A reader reported that the power connector on an MSI GeForce RTX 5090 Gaming Trio OC melted while testing DLSS 5 in NBA 2K27. The incident highlights concerns about sustained power draw exceeding the card's official rating, though it is not yet clear if this is an isolated case or a broader issue with the new feature.
The user, who goes by the nickname erek, shared details and photos of the damage with VideoCardz. According to the report, enabling DLSS 5 Neural Rendering caused the GPU power consumption to rise from roughly 450W to over 600W. MSI officially rates the GeForce RTX 5090 Gaming Trio OC at 575W, meaning the card was operating above its specified power limit during the test.
A screenshot from GPU-Z taken after the incident shows a maximum Board Power Draw of 613.5W. Erek noted that the card remained above 610W for a sustained period rather than just hitting that value as a brief spike. It is important to clarify that GPU-Z reports total board power, which includes power supplied by the PCIe slot, not just the power flowing through the 16-pin cable. Therefore, the 613.5W reading does not necessarily mean that more than 600W was passing exclusively through the GPU power connector.
Shortly after the power spike, the card stopped working. The user noticed an unusual smell and attempted to remove the power cable, finding it extremely difficult to detach because the plastic had melted and bonded the plug and socket together. Photos of the MSI-branded 16-pin connector show severe heat damage on several terminals.
While DLSS 5 adds a heavy compute workload, it may not be the sole cause of the failure. Another user on HardForum reported power increasing from 435W to 520W after injecting DLSS 5 into Hitman 3. However, melted RTX 5090 connectors have been reported under other workloads as well. VideoCardz notes that while the problem appeared during DLSS 5 testing, the feature might have contributed to the high sustained power levels without being the exact cause.
The situation raises questions about how much additional board power DLSS 5 can add under certain workloads. Given the lack of an official response from NVIDIA to previous melted connector reports, users may once again end up relying on modders to fix the issue. It remains to be seen whether this remains an isolated case or if more reports follow.
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