A Reddit report shows a severe RTX 5090 12V-2x6 connector meltdown, likely tied to an 850W PSU below ZOTAC's 1000W guidance. Learn risks and install tips.
Reddit has surfaced what appears to be the most severe case yet of a 12V-2x6 power connector meltdown on a GeForce RTX 5090. Unlike earlier reports that mentioned only darkened wires or sporadic errors under load, this time the power plug was completely melted. That points less to a brief contact issue and more to prolonged overload or incorrect power delivery.
The incident occurred in a system built around a Ryzen 5 5600X, whose temperature reportedly stayed below 60°C—so the CPU clearly wasn’t the source of excessive draw. The owner said the machine was running the latest NVIDIA drivers, and the card was powered by a Cooler Master MWE 80 Plus Gold 850W (V2) PSU. Judging by the shroud and overall design, the card looked like a ZOTAC RTX 5090 SOLID.
Here’s the sticking point: ZOTAC officially recommends a power supply of at least 1,000W for all of its RTX 5090 models. In this case, the setup fell short of that guidance, making user-side decisions a plausible factor. Even so, the photos alone can’t rule out an improperly seated connector or subpar cable quality.
It’s a timely reminder that top-tier GPUs should be paired with a PSU that matches the manufacturer’s recommendations, and 12V-2x6 connectors deserve extra care during installation. Moderators have already removed the Reddit post, noting that the topic has been redirected to a consolidated thread.