AMD won’t be using the RTX 4090’s melting power connector

AMD will reportedly not be using the 12VHPWR connector on its upcoming graphics cards, according to industry expert Kyle Bennett.

AMD’s RDNA 3 graphics cards are due to be announced on November 3. However, ahead of its official announcement, other GPU news has been making waves. Some RTX 4090s have been melting, or, more specifically, their power ports have been melting.

This is due to an issue with the 12VHPWR connector, a small, 16-pin connector that debuted on the RTX 40-series graphics cards. The supplied adaptor is small and requires it to have a firm connection with the port in order to function correctly. The issue is that the port requires a good amount of clearance to work well. Cablemod published their 12VHPWR guidelines and stated that a minimum of 3.5mm of clearance before a cable flex is recommended.

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If you bend the cable too early, you risk the integrity of the 16-pin connection. Therefore more power may get diverted to the connected pins, which can cause a risk of fire. Due to the clearance requirements, many people are bending the cable too early. Doing so could be a possible cause of the issue.

AMD’s RDNA 3 GPUs will not use 12VHPWR

According to industry expert Kyle Bennet, he has received word that AMD would not be using the 12VHPWR connector for its upcoming Navi 31 GPUs. However, he left the idea open that we might see them on AIB cards in the future.

This appears to be a smart move, as some unlucky consumers have found with their RTX 4090 graphics cards. The adaptor in question is made by Nvidia. A different adaptor could be the answer to ensuring that you don’t accidentally fry your PC in an effort to make the cable management look good.