Nvidia has provided an semi-update to KitGuru concerning the 16-pin adapter meltdowns on the GeForce RTX 4090. Unfortunately, it’s not the update that everyone was hoping for. The chipmaker reported that it is still investigating the 16-pin power adapter failures and doesn’t have any new details to disclose.
It’s already been several weeks since the first GeForce RTX 4090 incidents were reported, and Nvidia still does not have a solution. The GeForce RTX 4090 power incidents have exploded everywhere online, with numerous reports of GeForce RTX 4090 owners experiencing 16-pin power adapter melting on the inside and, worse, taking the graphics card’s power connector with it.
“We continue to investigate the reports, however we don’t have further details to share yet. NVIDIA and our partners are committed to supporting our customers and ensuring an expedited RMA process for them,” stated Nvidia to KitGuru (opens in new tab).
Over the past few weeks, there have been numerous theories and suggestions on how to fix the 16-pin power connector from melting within GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs – but none have come to a single decisive answer that solves everyone’s problem.
One theory suggests the 16-pin power adapter is primarily at fault, with evidence by Igor’s Lab that the power adapter supplied by Nvidia was not engineered well and is subject to failure if the wires are bent too liberally.
But another report by Gamers Nexus counters this argument, with the news outlet revealing that some 16-pin power adapters use under-specced 150V cables instead of 300V cables. Incidentally, Igor was using a 150V power adapter version. At the same time, Gamers Nexus tested a 300V version and could not replicate any of the same failures Igor found in his testing, concluding that the 150V power adapters are at fault only.
Another more recent theory comes from Corsair’s Jon Gerow (Jonny Guru), who suggests that victims of the 16-pin failures are not plugging the connector in all the way. He noted that the 16-pin plug can be difficult to insert into the 16-pin power connector on GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs, leading to some users not plugging them in all the way. Gerow stresses that the connector must be plugged in completely, with no gaps between the plug and the connector, to prevent the 16-pin from melting.
Ultimately, there’s no decisive answer as to why the 16-pin power adapters. Incidentally, some 16-pin cables are melting, too, leaving everyone in the same state of confusion as we were previously. If you have a GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, we recommend that you consider all these theories and make sure the 16-pin power plug is seated as well as possible, with as little strain on the cables as possible. If necessary, you can still RMA your GeForce RTX 4090 if you find the 16-pin connector failing.