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RTX 4090 Meltdown During stream Highlights Power Connector issues
A concerning incident occurred during a recent livestream, where an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card began to emit smoke while a streamer was playing Marvel Rivals. The event underscores potential risks associated with the high-power demands of modern GPUs and the sensitivity of their power connectors.
Incident Details
Streamer “jessick” experienced a failure with their MSI RTX 4090 Gaming X Trio while playing Marvel Rivals. Video footage shows smoke emanating from the card, specifically around the 16-pin power connector. The plastic housing of the connector melted, exposing the internal copper wiring, and small sparks were visible. See the incident on Twitter.
Experts emphasize the importance of promptly disconnecting power to any computer component exhibiting signs of burning or smoke.A cascading failure within a high-wattage GPU, capable of drawing up to 600W, can cause significant damage to other system components.
Root cause: 12VHPWR Connector Issues
Investigations suggest the issue likely stemmed from an improperly seated or faulty 12VHPWR (16-pin) power connector. These connectors, introduced with the RTX 40 series, have been known to be sensitive. Even slight looseness or bending can lead to increased resistance, generating excessive heat and potentially causing melting or fire. When a pin loses contact,the electrical load shifts to the remaining pins,exacerbating the problem. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Specifications
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