GoKawiilMSI RTX 5090 connector melts after DLSS 5 pushes power draw past 600W
A HardOCP forum user reported that their MSI RTX 5090 Gaming Trio OC suffered a melted 16-pin power connector after testing Nvidia's new DLSS 5 feature in NBA 2K27, currently the only game with official support. The user's monitoring software showed sustained power draw above 610W, more than 150W higher than the card's typical 450W gaming load, before the connector overheated and several pins were visibly scorched.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
This incident revives long-standing concerns about the safety margins of Nvidia's 16-pin power connector, which has previously been linked to melting issues on high-end GPUs. If DLSS 5's neural rendering workload genuinely increases power draw by up to 50%, it could push flagship cards closer to their electrical limits during normal use, raising questions about whether current cooling and connector designs can safely handle Nvidia's newest AI-driven graphics features.
- An RTX 5090 reportedly drew over 610W while running DLSS 5, exceeding its 575W rated TDP.
- The card's 16-pin power connector melted, damaging multiple pins and disabling the GPU.
- The case raises fresh doubts about connector safety as Nvidia pushes power-hungry AI rendering features.
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Published there as: “Enthusiast says DLSS 5 pushed RTX 5090 past 600W and melted the 16-pin connector — Nvidia's neural rendering tech adds up to 50% more power draw in testing”
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