A repair expert fixed melted 12VHPWR plugs on an RTX 5090 by swapping in thicker 16-pin contacts. Tests kept 600 W under 45°C, cutting risk for RTX 50xx GPUs.
© A. Krivonosov
The problem of melting 16-pin (12VHPWR) power connectors on RTX 50xx graphics cards continues to worry users, yet a practical fix may be within reach. A female electronics repair specialist demonstrated that replacing the stock connector with a modified version using thicker contacts eliminated the overheating.
She said a ROG Astral RTX 5090 arrived with a melted connector. After swapping in a new connector with thicker pins, the issue disappeared: at full load the connector temperature stayed under 45°C at 600 W, whereas in typical conditions 16-pin connectors can reach 100–150°C. For an issue that has drawn persistent concern, the remedy looks refreshingly straightforward.
The main cause of the heat is the high current density—about 9.2 A per contact and 55 A in total. If even one pin is poorly mated, the load shifts to the others, driving temperatures up and melting the plastic. Thicker contacts lower resistance and make the joint more reliable, which sharply reduces the risk of overheating. It’s a reminder that a small tweak in hardware can deliver an outsized effect.
The expert noted that the new design works well even with adapters, though she still does not recommend using them. It is too soon to call the problem solved for good, but the early results are encouraging: greater pin thickness does cut the risk of overheating. Experts hope GPU makers will move to the improved connectors soon, since the 16-pin standard will remain the primary one for the RTX 50xx line.